About me

Hello! I’m Dawnn Rabinowitz McWatters, Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist. 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, educator, and activist.

Currently, I am on sabbatical while I pursue additional specialized training and support my young family during the pandemic. Beginning in February 2021, I plan to return to online telehealth and psycho-educational services in the Seattle, Washington area.

In 2018, after attending the American Horticultural Therapy Association’s annual conference, I began studying therapeutic horticulture and planted the seeds of what I now call The SAVOR Project: an educational program that builds upon my career as a clinical psychologist and my long-time passions for food, edible gardening, mindfulness, and social justice. I have taken several horticultural therapy classes through the New York Botantical Garden and I served as an OSU Extension Master Gardener in Multnomah County, Oregon, during the 2019 year.

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.

Check out this article offered by the Washington Examining Board of Psychology: Considering Seeking Help from a Psychologist?

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.
• I’ve led numerous presentations (most frequently, on stress management, general mindfulness, 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.

Dating back to 2002, I’ve conducted an in-depth personal and professional inquiry into mindfulness-based programs. Trainings include:

• Mindful Self-Compassion with Dr. Christopher Germer and Dr. Kristin Neff through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), as well as an eight month-long international MSC Community for Deepening Practice in 2018.
• Intensive MBSR teacher training with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and other UMASS Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness senior staff
• Participation in a number of silent mindfulness meditation retreats
• A weekend-long Mindful Eating retreat with Dr. Jan Chozen Bays
• Neuroscience, trauma, and attachment theory trainings with Dr. Daniel Siegel, MD

In the past, I have served in leadership positions or have been a long-standing member with organizations ranging from the Oregon Psychological Association (OPA), The Center for Mindful Eating, Columbia River Eating Disorder Network (CREDN), Washington State Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Association (APA).

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my transracial adoptive family and engaging in a ever-widening variety of interests, which include edible landscapes, creative writing, and food justice.