In-person therapy in Boise & Meridian Idaho. Online therapy across Idaho, Oregon & Florida.
DON’T SETTLE FOR SURFACE-LEVEL FIXES
Mark Porterfield, LMFT
Real change happens when you move beneath the surface.
What you're going through is complicated. You've probably spent a lot of time thinking about this or trying to improve things on your own. But if you or your relationship aren't changing for the better, it's time to try something different.
you’re in the right spot.
We’ll start wherever you are.
Slow things down
You don't have to perform here. Let’s notice what’s really happening. This is a conversation where you get to be your real, unpolished, conflicted self. We'll create enough space to understand what's happening instead of reacting.
Attune to deeper emotions
When life has taught us to survive by self-protection or criticism, we can’t always see into our inner world. I'll meet you in those places with curiosity, empathy, and acceptance—not judgment. Together we'll explore what your emotions and body have been trying to communicate all along.
Respond in new ways
As you learn to reconnect with your body and understand your emotions, you'll uncover ways to regulate powerful feelings and impulses. We’ll clarify your more authentic ways to respond within yourself and to others in your life. You’ll find yourself communicating with more intention and openness.
Let the change reach your whole life
Growth and healing happen through new experiences. So, we’ll practice your new ways of responding until they begin to feel natural. As you carry them into your everyday life and relationships, they'll feel less like something you're trying to do and more like the person you're becoming.
My hope is that the trust we build together helps you trust yourself and reconnect with the people who matter most.
Seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness.
It's your decision to stop repeating the same suffering.
If you’re here, something in you is ready for things to be different.
You're capable of living a meaningful life. The way forward asks for courage—not because you're weak, but because it means stepping beyond the fears that have limited you and your relationships. I consider it an honor to meet you in the middle of that journey.
My path into this work was shaped by personal loss and crisis that forced me to confront what it means to rebuild. The life and identity I had built were shaken to the core and I had to find a new way to live. Therapy became a key part of that process. I discovered how to face the things I had once dreaded.
One redefining step after another eventually led me into the counseling work I knew I was called to do.
Today, my work reflects both professional training and lived experience—allowing me to meet you with honesty, compassion, and a real understanding of what it takes to move forward.
If this resonates with you, let’s start with a conversation.
training that supports our work
We’ll do more than manage symptoms.
Let’s work for healing from the inside-out.
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Therapy with me is relational, experiential, and process-oriented. Rather than relying on a single model, I integrate evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches that help bring mind, body, and soul together; because lasting change involves your whole person.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFIT & EFCT)
Sensorimotor & Somatic Psychotherapy
Attachment-based and Polyvagal Theory informed therapy
Existential-Humanistic Therapy
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MA in Christian Education from Nazarene Theological Seminary
MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling from George Fox University
Licensed Marriage Family Therapist
Florida MT4384
Oregon T1889
Idaho 4071084
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Advanced training in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (currently pursuing certification)
Advanced training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (for trauma and attachment healing)
Intensive training in treating racial trauma
Member, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Member, International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)
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More than a decade helping individuals, couples, and families navigate relationship distress, trauma, loss, and life transitions (Oregon, Florida, now based in Boise, Idaho)
Former Adjunct Professor — George Fox University, Graduate School of Counseling
Presenter — Hold Me Tight marriage conference, OR
Graduate Counseling Intern — Sherwood School District, OR
Graduate Counseling Intern — The Hope Connection, OR
Pastoral ministry for 10 years prior to clinical work
Your whole story is welcome.
Your identity is shaped by diverse relationships, culture, and life experiences.
Race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, spirituality, aging, and even how you’re impacted by current events—all of this matters in how you move through the world.
Too often, the most meaningful parts of our lives become the very things people avoid talking about or use to divide us.
We’ll make room for every part of your story. Especially the parts that have been neglected, misunderstood, or pushed aside.
I recognize that my own identities shape how I see the world and how I show up as your therapist. As a white, heterosexual, cisgender man, I bring awareness to how that may impact your experience with me. I’m committed to ongoing personal and professional growth around issues of identity and social power. This lifelong work reminds me, I’m here to center your lived experience.
As an expression of my calling to a life of love, I stand as an antiracism and LGBTQ+ ally and strive to offer an affirming space grounded in respect, openness, and accountability.