Counseling & Psychological Services

Narrative therapy, dialogic practice, social justice and anti-oppression, critical whiteness studies, mad studies and mad pride, liberation psychology, cultural humility, Buddhism, ACT, systems, psychodynamic, intersubjective.

Philosophy and Approach:
I approach therapy as a process of creative reading and writing. I will collaborate with you to read (bear witness to, understand, interpret) the stories you have been given (by parents, caregivers, siblings, friends, partners, institutions, society, etc.) as we craft new stories for you to live by—stories grounded in the values that infuse your life with meaning. In contrast to the medical model that locates the person as the problem and pathologizes “negative” human emotions (sadness, distress, anxiety, anger, fear) as things to be managed, controlled, or eliminated, I consider the full spectrum of emotions a natural response to the often traumatic and oppressive nature of life, relationships, and our world situation. My aim is not to help clients strive to fit into the emotionally narrow “happy” life often depicted in American advertising, but rather to grow into a meaningful life that embraces the rich continuum of human emotions and experiences.

Presenting Concerns:
Anxiety, depression, PTSD, veteran issues (combat trauma, MST, moral injury), internalized dominance, toxic whiteness and toxic masculinity, perfectionism, religious & spiritual concerns, SPMI including psychotic disorders.

Identity Intersects:
Born 1985, he/him/his, white, straight, cisgender, allo, male, high-SES family of origin, Zen Buddhist, mostly able-bodied (chronic pain and orthopedic issues due to rock climbing accident), leftist, antifascist, democratic socialist.

Cultural Humility:
Given the privileged identities I hold, I consider it imperative to pay close attention to dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and social justice in counseling sessions. I try to learn as much as I can about the multicultural backgrounds of my clients, and strive to maintain a stance of cultural humility so as not to impose my own values and culture-bound perspectives on our conversations. I actively welcome feedback and challenges from clients when my approach does not feel culturally respectful or appropriate. Frequent direct eye contact during session is not something that I expect or emphasize since, like psychotherapy itself, it is not a universal cultural practice.