Olde Port Counseling, PLLC

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Portsmouth, NH
Olde Port Counseling, PLLC

Healing relationships, connecting families, and empowering change. Services are offered both in person and online.

Olde Port Counseling, PLLC is a collection of therapists working toward the same goal: serving the community to better the lives and relationships of families on the seacoast. We offer an array of child and adolescent therapy, family therapy, couple and marital, and individual counseling to uncover the issues that contribute to problems and help you obtain the vision you always wanted for your family.

09/02/2026

Finding a therapist for yourself or your family shouldn’t feel like a second full-time job. And you definitely shouldn’t have to sit on a waitlist for months just to get started.

Here at Olde Port Counseling, we’ve intentionally built a collaborative, highly skilled team of specialists right here in Portsmouth. We know that therapy only works when you have a genuine connection with your provider, which is why we offer a diverse range of clinical styles and backgrounds. We don't just want you to find a therapist—we want you to find your therapist.

Whether your family is navigating:

The behavioral complexities of raising a child or teenager

Feeling disconnected or stuck in your marriage

Chronic anxiety, stress, or burnout in your own day-to-day life

We have a clinician who is the right fit to help you break the cycle.

The best news? We have just expanded our team.
We recently welcomed 3 outstanding new clinicians to our practice, meaning we currently have immediate openings for adults, teens, children, and couples. You do not have to spend the rest of the year sitting on a waitlist.

Don't wait until things reach a breaking point. Let us help you and your family end the year feeling supported, regulated, and grounded.

📍 Located at The Hill in Portsmouth, NH
💻 Visit our website to read through our clinician bios and schedule your intake today: www.oldeportcounseling.com

08/24/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Jim Gorham, LCMHC, to the Olde Port Counseling team!

Let’s be honest: whether you are carrying the heavy, invisible weight of chronic anxiety, or you and your partner are stuck having the exact same argument on repeat, living in a constant state of friction is exhausting.

When you feel stuck, you don’t just need a therapist to sit there and nod while you vent. You need a roadmap out of the cycle.

That is exactly what Jim brings to the room. Specializing in individual therapy and couples counseling, Jim’s approach is active, grounded, and deeply relatable. He brings humor and directness to his sessions, helping adults and partners stop just surviving their weeks and start actually living.

For Individuals: If high stress is making your world feel small, Jim helps you identify the patterns keeping you stuck and gives you practical tools to quiet the noise and regain your focus.

For Couples: If you are stuck in a loop of defensiveness or withdrawal, Jim works with partners to stop the cycle, repair broken trust, and rebuild the connection so you can feel like a team again.

You don’t have to have it all figured out before you sit on his couch, that is what he is here for.

📍 Jim is currently accepting new clients for in-person and virtual sessions at our Portsmouth, NH office.

🌐 Visit www.oldeportcounseling.com to read his full bio and schedule your intake today.

08/19/2026

Is your mind constantly playing the "What if" game?

"What if I make the wrong decision?"
"What if this project fails?"
"What if I have a panic attack in the middle of the meeting?"

This is a common thinking pattern. Catastrophizing, or getting stuck in a "What if" spiral, is one of anxiety's most effective tools. Your mind is hardwired for survival, so it tries to protect you by rehearsing every possible negative outcome.

Staying stuck in "What if" is exhausting and it has a massive blind spot: It assumes you are entirely powerless. It convinces you that if the worst-case scenario actually happened, you wouldn't be able to handle it.

You cannot always stop an anxious thought from popping into your head, but you can change how you respond to it.

The shift is changing "What if" to "Even if."

Instead of: "What if I fail?" ➡️ "Even if I fail, I have the resourcefulness to figure out the next step."

Instead of: "What if I panic?" ➡️ "Even if I panic, I know it is a temporary feeling and I will survive it."

Instead of: "What if they are mad at me?" ➡️ "Even if they are mad at me, I can tolerate someone else being uncomfortable."

"What if" keeps your nervous system trapped in a state of fear. "Even if" builds profound resilience. It doesn't require toxic positivity or pretending that bad things don't happen. It simply requires you to acknowledge your own strength.

You have survived 100% of your bad days so far. You can handle what comes next.

If anxiety is keeping you stuck in a cycle of overthinking, the team at Olde Port Counseling is here to help. Reach out today to connect with a specialist at our Portsmouth, NH office.

08/17/2026

You are going to lose way more than you win.

Let’s just call it what it is: failing is frustrating.

When you put yourself out there, whether you are working on your relationship, trying to break a bad habit, or chasing a huge life goal, and it falls apart, your immediate instinct is to throw your hands up and walk away.

Your mind wants to protect you from disappointment, so it tells you to stop trying. It tries to convince you that losing means you don't have what it takes.

But losing isn't the opposite of winning. Quitting is.

Every single time you try something and it doesn't work out, you are gathering critical information. You aren't starting over from square one; you are starting over with experience. You know what doesn't work, which means you are one step closer to figuring out what does.

Success is rarely about getting it perfectly right on the first try. It is about volume. It is about having the grit to keep stepping up to the plate, knowing that the more times you try, the higher your odds of finally knocking it out of the park.

It is going to be messy. It is going to be uncomfortable. Keep going anyway.

If you are feeling completely stuck or burnt out after a setback, you don't have to navigate it alone. Reach out to the team at Olde Port Counseling in Portsmouth, NH. We are here to help you find your footing and get back in the game.

08/12/2026

"Uh-huh. Wow. That’s crazy."

We have all been there. Your partner is venting about a difficult day or your child is telling a very detailed story about their afternoon. You are nodding, you are making the right sounds, but internally? You are completely checked out or just waiting for them to finish talking so you can jump in and "fix" the problem.

Active listening means listening to understand, rather than listening to respond. It requires putting down your own agenda and silencing the urge to immediately solve the issue for them.

How to show you are listening:
Instead of offering immediate advice, try asking curious questions that show you are in their corner.

With your partner:
"Are you just venting right now, or are you looking for advice?"
"What was the most frustrating part of that for you?"

With your children:
"How did that make you feel?"
"What do you wish happened instead?"

When people feel heard, their defensive armor drops and they physically settle. You don’t have to agree with everything they say, and you don’t have to have the perfect solution. You just have to be present.

If communication breakdowns are causing friction in your home, the team at Olde Port Counseling is here to help. Reach out today to connect with a therapist at our Portsmouth, NH office.

08/10/2026

Are you constantly waiting for the next "big thing" to happen?

We treat happiness like it’s a permanent destination. We convince ourselves that once we hit a certain milestone—a promotion, a vacation, or a financial goal—we will finally be happy.

And it’s true that those big milestones bring massive spikes of happiness. But you cannot live at a 10 out of 10 all the time. Your nervous system isn't built to sustain it. The spike always drops back to a baseline.

If you only chase the spikes, you end up treating your day-to-day life like a waiting room. You rush through your weeks just trying to get to the next high.

The goal isn't to be happy 24/7. The goal is contentment.

Contentment doesn’t require a major milestone. It happens in the mundane. It is the active practice of finding peace on a random Monday. It is noticing a good cup of coffee, having a quiet commute, or taking a few seconds to appreciate a rainbow outside our Portsmouth office instead of just rushing to your next appointment.

Enjoy the happiness that comes with an event and a milestone, but don't sleepwalk through the space between them. Choose contentment.

If you find yourself constantly rushing toward the next big thing and struggling to feel settled in the present, the team at Olde Port Counseling is here to help. Reach out today to connect with a therapist who can help you build a more sustainable baseline.

08/05/2026

As we move into August, we hit a natural transition between the unstructured energy of summer and the grounded routine of fall. For a lot of people, this seasonal shift triggers a massive wave of anxiety. You look at the calendar, realize the year is more than half over, and start focusing on all the goals you haven't hit.

It is incredibly easy to spiral into shame and convince yourself that you are falling behind. But unmet goals are not character flaws, they are simply data.

They tell you that the system, the routine, or the goal you set back in January does not fit the reality of your life right now.

Here is your August Reset:
1. Scrap what isn't working. You are allowed to change your mind. If a goal is actively draining your energy, let it go. You do not have to drag dead weight into the fall.

2. Celebrate the progress. We are so quick to look at what we haven't done that we ignore the heavy lifting we've already done. What boundaries did you hold? What hard things did you survive this year? Give yourself credit.

3. Regroup. Instead of trying to overhaul your entire life, pick one realistic, values-driven intention to focus on for the remainder of the year.

If you are feeling completely stuck, burnt out, or overwhelmed by anxiety as we head into the fall, the clinical team at Olde Port Counseling is here to help you find your path forward. Reach out today to connect with a therapist at our Portsmouth, NH office.

Given that carousels are struggling to reach non-followers, would you prefer to pivot this "August Reset" concept into a short-form video Reel script to maximize your chances of getting in front of new Seacoast clients?

08/03/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Tracy Hutch, LCMHC, to the Olde Port Counseling team!

When chronic anxiety and trauma take up permanent residence in your system, sometimes your world can begin to shrink. Many people find that even when they can logically understand their stress, they still carry a heavy buzz of physical tension that makes true rest feel impossible.

That is exactly where Tracy steps in. With over 30 years of clinical experience, Tracy’s passion is helping adults step out of survival mode and move toward a deeply fulfilling, values-driven life. She specializes in bridging the gap between the mind and the body using evidence-based approaches like Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Her clients appreciate her warm, down-to-earth, and highly transparent approach to therapy. Whether you are dealing with pervasive stress or the echoes of past trauma, Tracy is here to help you lay down the defensive armor and chart a clear path forward.

📍 Tracy is now accepting new adult clients at our Portsmouth, NH office.
🌐 Visit www.oldeportcounseling.com to read her full bio and learn more about her approach.
📞 Ready to schedule? Call our team at (603) 531-8811.

07/29/2026

You can’t out-schedule trauma and you can’t out-work grief.

Staying busy is a great survival mechanism, but eventually, carrying the weight of an unresolved loss or a traumatic past will exhaust your nervous system.

You aren't broken, you’re just carrying a load you were never meant to carry alone.

At Olde Port Counseling, our Seacoast clinicians use advanced, evidence-based approaches like EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and Trauma Focused CBT to help you safely process the pain that finally helps your nervous system settle.

You’re exhausted; it’s time to set the weight down.

📍 Located in Portsmouth, NH
🌐 Visit www.oldeportcounseling.com to learn more and schedule your intake today.
📞 Or call our team at (603) 531-8811.

07/27/2026

It is one of the most painful questions we face in the therapy room. When you lose someone, the massive amount of love you hold for them doesn't just evaporate. It suddenly has nowhere to land.

For love to exist, the risk of grief has to exist right alongside it. You cannot have one without the other. When someone passes on, grief is what replaces the active exchange of love. The profound, heavy sorrow you feel is simply the continuation of that love.

When you are in the thick of a loss, it feels like that all-consuming weight is your new permanent reality. But just like the love that came before it, your grief will eventually transition.

It is so important to understand that this transition will never replace the person you lost. It will never erase your memories, the quiet moments you shared, or the space they occupied in your life. You cannot "fix" or replace the sadness.

If you can hold on, something new will come.

In grief work, we talk about the importance of finding meaning. Meaning doesn't take away the pain, but it gives you a framework to survive it. You can find purpose. You can find strength. You can commit yourself to living a life that honors the impact they had on you.

The goal of grief therapy is never to help you "move on" or leave your loved one in the past. The goal is to help you create enough meaning that you can move forward, carrying your love for them into the rest of your life.

If you are navigating a heavy season of loss and need a safe place to process it, the Olde Port Counseling team is here for you. Reach out today to get connected with a compassionate therapist right here in Portsmouth.

Address

406 The Hill
Portsmouth, NH
03801

Website

http://www.oldeportcounseling.com/, http://linktr.ee/olde_port_counseling

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