Renee Fitzpatrick is an instructor in the Interpersonal Nerobiology program at PCC's Institute for Health Professionals. She teaches Bridging Relational Neuroscience Across Difference.
Renee Fitzpatrick, MA, LMHC, LPC, CST, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and AASECT-certified sex therapist with over 5 years of experience in clinical mental health and relationship/family therapy services. Renee provides IPNB-informed clinical mental health services through her private practice, and teaches within the Graduate School for Counseling Education at Lewis & Clark College.
Renee's clinical background includes working within community mental health, school clinic and private practice settings. Renee has worked with populations across the lifespan—from children, to pre-teens and teenagers, to young adults, to adults in midlife and to older adults. Renee also facilitated weekly support groups for 2SLGBTQIA+ teens through the Triple Point program (statewide program for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, ages 11—18, their families and surrounding communities) for several years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside providing clinical mental health services to clients, Renee regularly provided trainings on gender-affirming and queer-affirming care to her colleagues, partnering organization staff and community members.
As an educator, Renee believes places of learning should commit to fostering safety, community, advocacy and growth. Her lecturing approach is nondogmatic and interdisciplinary. Renee also focuses on facilitating classroom rapport and encouraging students to connect during class and outside of the classroom. Group cohesion fosters a shared sense of trust and safety. This may look like dedicating some time in the beginning weeks of class to establishing classroom boundaries, expectations and agreements; this process aids in creating a sense of security and predictability. Renee's background in psychotherapy and yoga informs her focus and emphasis on ensuring that there are plenty of opportunities for students to reflect and engage with their nervous systems and internal experiences. In the classroom, this may look like creating an opportunity during each class for students to check-in with themselves and engage in interoception (observing the physical and internal experiences of the body).
