About me

Hello! I’m Dawnn Rabinovich Meiers, Psy.D., (formerly McWatters). For the past twenty-plus years, I’ve dedicated my life to improving mind/body health for adults and their families, as a clinical psychologist, community educator, and therapeutic gardener.

Although I’m still on sabbatical, please stay tuned for upcoming announcements regarding a return to behavioral health services in Fall 2022 in Seattle, Washington.

THE ACADEMIC DETAILS: B.A. in Liberal Arts, cum laude, Willamette University (1995); M.S. (2002) and Psy.D. (2006) in Clinical Psychology, Pacific University; President’s Award of Academic Excellence, Pacific University (2006).

LICENSURE: Licensed Psychologist (#PY00003711, Washington). Licensed Psychologist, Inactive (#2195, Oregon). Please note: I am NOT able to provide psychological services in states where I do not hold a license or my license is currently inactive.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS:

• From 2007 – 2019, I’ve maintained a small private practice as a mindfulness-based psychotherapist serving the needs of the Portland-metro community and specializing in eating disorder treatment. In previous years, I’ve worked in university and college counseling centers, correctional institutions, a community outpatient mental health clinic, and an inpatient psychiatric forensic unit. I briefly returned to practice in 2020 to provide supportive telehealth services to former clients.
• I’ve led numerous presentations (most frequently, on stress management, general mindfulness, self-care for caregivers, and mindful eating) at local colleges, yoga studios, the YMCA, New Seasons, Wild Oats, and Whole Foods.
• I’ve served as an adjunct Assistant Professor and Instructor at several local colleges, including Oregon State University, a local art school, and Pacific University School of Professional Psychology.

From 2002 – 2018, I’ve trained with both Buddhist and secular teachers of mindfulness, to include Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and other UMASS medical School Center for Mindfulness staff, Dr. Jan Chozen Bays, and Dr. Christopher Germer and Dr. Kristin Neff, the developers of the Mindful Self-Compassion program. I remain deeply grateful to the many individuals and community centers that invited me into their sacred spaces to explore these ancient spiritual traditions as they’ve been adapted into Western healing modalities.

Developed in late 2019, the SAVOR Project was originally born (or rather, germinated) out of the soil of my work as a psychotherapist interested in positive psychology applications, my long-time edible gardening experiences, and the evolving exploration of my own Ukrainian & Jewish farming heritage. Beginning in 2017, attendance at the American Horticultural Therapy Association’s annual conference, classes in horticultural therapy and plant science, and experiences as an Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener volunteer further exposed me to ways that horticultural activities contribute to health and well-being. I’ve led several presentations at the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association annual conferences, and in my new city of Seattle, Washington, I volunteer at a local community garden. I continue to complete coursework in horticulture and urban agriculture as a production gardener. In July 2022, I officially launched a micro therapeutic plant nursery: Lavender Belle Farm.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my multi-ethnic, neurodiverse family and engaging in a ever-widening variety of interests, which include botanical art, nature writing, and amateur birdwatching.