Therapists in Fort Collins, CO

With 19 years of experience, my areas of interest include depression, anxiety, self-image, healing from trauma and abuse, divorce recovery, overcoming shame, life transitional issues, matters of loneliness, and empowering others to pursue their dreams and career aspirations. I earned my B.A. in Political Science at Montclair State University in New Jersey in 1994 and gained my Masters in Counseling at Denver Seminary in 2002. I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado (#4201) and Arizona (#22661). My counseling approach usually incorporates cognitive-behavioral techniques, Rogerian theories ("person-centered" counseling), and family systems methods. I am passionate about helping my clients feel understood in their time of suffering — with their feelings validated, their life story honored, and their weaknesses, mistakes, failures, longings, etc., accepted without a hint of judgment. While I think I have much to offer my clients, I am not a "know it all" therapist. I want to learn from those who have turned their pain and suffering into something beautiful. As a resident of Westcliffe, Colorado and Green Valley, Arizona, I enjoy hiking, cycling, and exploring the beautiful landscapes of the American West. I have biked across the USA three times, the latest trip in 2017, and have authored a memoir about my first trip, titled "Under a Triumphant Sky: A Bike Across America Story." I regularly make public presentations about my travel experiences and encourage others to live boldly and to pursue their dreams.

I am a licensed counselor in both Montana and Colorado. I graduated from Montana State University in 2008 with a masters degree in Marriage and Family Counseling. I have been providing therapy services for over 10 years and have experience in multiple settings. While much of my experience has been with kids and young adults, I also have a great deal of experience in family therapy, as well as providing parents support and coaching through difficult situations. I also have a great deal of experience in helping those going through transitions including, but not limited to, grief and loss, divorce, changes in careers, and children going off to college. I am also experienced in working with individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, and anger management issues. I also have a background in working with survivors of abuse and other traumatic events. My counseling style is very open, meeting people where they are at. Therapy can be very difficult and people entering therapy may feel very vulnerable. Thus, I like to try to help my clients feel comfortable and supported throughout the process. Compassion and sensitivity are key to my counseling style and I strive to ensure that my clients feel accepted throughout the counseling process. My counseling approach is a combination of cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavioral, person-centered, and reality-based therapy. I often adjust my counseling style to fit each individual, their therapy goals, and current needs. It takes a great deal of bravery to engage in the self-exploration process and make the changes needed to become the best version of you that you can be. If you are ready to start this process, I would love to be able to support and assist you in your journey to self-discovery, realization, and resiliency.

Hello, I will give you my utmost respect and encouragement throughout the therapy process. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I have a Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University - Billings. I have worked for several mental health agencies including working in schools and on a college campus. I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and counseling at the university level. I have supervised graduate interns on their hours towards licensing and supervised an outpatient therapy department. I have also been a campus counselor helping college students with their personal growth and relationship issues. Having "hope" is one of the most important motivators to overcome life challenges. Finding "hope" can immediately change one's mood from despair to peace. I have significant experience working with anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem, motivation, finding purpose, and life transitions. I believe that you are the expert on you, but we all need help to move through this life. I will offer you support, encouragement, an outside perspective, and space to explore productive options to get your life heading in the right direction and most importantly finding "hope". While life presents challenges, I believe that you are fundamentally strong and resilient. I would like to partner with you on your journey. Please reach out and let's see if we'd be a good fit together.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Colorado and New Mexico. I specialize in grief, loss and life transition counseling. I have worked in acute care hospital settings, plus palliative and hospice care organizations for many years helping families and individuals at pivotal points in their life. I have a special interest and experience in older adults as they face difficult challenges and decisions regarding advanced care planning, and downsizing. Often people face isolation, loss of independence and increased independence on others, all at the same time. I understand these life transitions can happen in a moment, and are often paired with a traumatic life event. I start by learning your story, in your words, at your pace. Curiosity leads the conversation and often results in feeling heard and seen as you truly are, not as you think others expect you to be. Through greater understanding of ourselves and what motivates us, we can often find new or renewed interest and joy in our life. It takes courage to acknowledge the range of feelings that accompany loss, grief and life transitions. Feelings of overwhelm can mix with feeling dull and unable to find joy in our lives. I understand these feeling first hand and know the value of seeking help with moving through uncomfortable, painful times in our lives. I look forward to hearing your story and helping you as you work through difficult, sad or confusing times in your life.

I have been providing therapy/counseling in various settings for almost 30 years, most recently hospital-based psychiatric emergency crisis intervention. My areas of expertise include: crisis intervention; suicide risk assessment, prevention, and safety planning; general substance abuse treatment information in Colorado; parenting (human growth & development, infants to adolescents to adults); supervised and therapeutic visitation for non-custodial parents/guardians; family conflict (not to be confused with couples counseling); couples counseling; cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for "big T" and "little t" trauma; CBT for depression & anxiety; milieu treatment of severe mental illness (affect disorders such as depression/bipolar; psychotic disorders/personality disorders; treatment compliance) for adults; solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT); culturally competent behavioral health services; psychopharmacology for therapists; women’s issues (reproductive rights, infertility, sexism, domestic violence/intimate partner violence); end-of-life decisions; grief and bereavement; and non-emergent crisis intervention. My therapeutic approach is simple & straightforward talk therapy, formally referred to as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Something in your life is currently causing you distress and you want help, from a neutral source, finding ways to cope with and work through the issue(s) so it no longer interferes with your ability to live your best life. This type of therapy encompasses exploration of healthy boundaries, self-advocacy, effective communication and coping skills, goal-setting, and reduction of unwanted and unhealthy automatic thoughts (catastrophizing, hindsight bias). The therapeutic relationship that will occur between us consists of identifying the issue(s), mapping past responses & outcomes, separating what you can & can’t control, exploring your strengths, and developing a new plan to manage the problem(s). My job as a therapist is to empower you to develop insight and create your own solutions, not solve the problem for you. Once you’ve created & implemented your plan, I will provide support, encouragement, and reinforcement. In addition to CBT, I provide Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). SFBT concentrates on finding solutions in the present and exploring ways to find a quick and pragmatic resolution of one’s problem(s). This method takes the approach that you know what you need to do to improve your own life and, with the appropriate coaching and questioning, are capable of quickly finding the best solution(s). Another therapeutic modality I incorporate into CBT is motivational interviewing, which encourages clients to talk about their needs and stages of change, and talk about aspects of their personal history previously not considered relevant. I provide couples counseling using CBT and the framework of the Gottman Method. My role as a therapist is to evoke a conversation about change, commitment, and to elicit information from you. I listen and reflect your thoughts and personal history so that you can hear/see your own reasoning, motivation, and experiences expressed from someone other than yourself. Last, I incorporate psychoeducation and mindfulness within the other modalities I practice. Psychoeducation combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and education. The goal is to provide clients with facts about various facets of mental illness/wellness and its treatment, not pop culture distortions. This facilitates working with your therapist for a better overall outcome. I have an extensive library of resources designed to help you process and practice the issues we discuss in therapy in between sessions. Please know that I will correct misperceptions and misunderstandings about psychology, mental health, and human behavior. I don't do this to belittle my clients. I do this to educate. Pop culture and Dr. Google are anathema to me. The benefits of a trained, experienced therapist are objectivity, neutrality, expertise in models of human behavior, expertise in the neurobiology of trauma and attachment, and expertise in therapeutic modalities. In addition to my Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential, I am a Board Certified Nounselor, aka National Certified Counselor, "NCC", which means I completed a graduate program with the highest level of accreditation, passed the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) examination ("NCE"), and adhere to the rigorous ethics and principles of the NBCC as well as the American Counseling Association, established specifically for Licensed Professional Counselors across the United States. I completed training November 2022 to provide clinical supervision to new therapists pursuing licensure (LPCs only in Colorado). I completed 10 hours of training in the Neurobiology of Trauma through the National Institute of the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM) February 2023. This training will enhance my ability to provide therapy for people who are survivors of past and/or current trauma. I also completed seven hours of training January 2023 to provide culturally competent behavioral health services to Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Currently (2024), I've enrolled in and completed or am completing several hours of Continuing Education (CE)training: I provide weekly therapy and believe that clients need to continue their treatment in between sessions. With my extensive library of resources that include fact sheets; journals; workbooks; symptom trackers; guided mindful meditations; and worksheets, you can continue to work on therapy in between sessions. If, at any point in therapy, I determine that I lack the expertise to provide sufficient therapeutic assistance to you I will assist you in finding a therapist on Betterhelp who can better meet your needs. It is also not uncommon for clients & therapists to fail to make a therapeutic connection. It’s important for both of us to be forthcoming about this if it occurs. You also have the right to a second opinion and to discontinue services with me at any time. Please remember that therapy isn't a "get out of jail free" card. It can be hard work and often requires you to tap into emotions, memories, and behaviors that are difficult for you to process. I will be your advocate but will also be direct and forthright, which may include giving you feedback that may be difficult for you to hear and accept. I am an "informal" but direct therapist. Honesty is essential in a psychotherapeutic relationship. If our interactions aren't sincere and forthcoming you will not experience much benefit from therapy. I will ALWAYS encourage you to ask questions and express disagreement. I actually have a crystal ball, but it doesn't allow me to sneak a peak into your future or past. I'm also not a mind reader. I don't analyze my clients, although I often analyze situations--with them (you). Every human being is different. You must be willing to look inward and learn about yourself. Strength comes from within, as do the solutions to your problems. My job is to metaphorically walk by your side as you sort things out. In certain situations I will strongly recommend medication for you in addition to therapy (if you are not already taking medication). Some mental health problems are serious and require medication to reasonably manage the illness. I am a fierce mental health advocate. We all experience times in our lives that test our strength. There’s no weakness in acknowledging this and being proactive about seeking help. It takes a lot of strength to admit you’re struggling. Remember, your mental health is as important as your physical health. It's important for everyone to know that not all undesirable behavior is due to mental illness; in fact, most of it is not. Not believing, knowing, or understanding this fact perpetuates the stigma of mental illness. This dangerous misunderstanding or ignorance implies that all people who have a mental illness are poorly behaved and therefore inherently flawed, but nothing could be further from the truth. Having said that, mental illness does not excuse harmful behavior but it can explain the reason. I also know that the vast majority of people who have a chronic mental illness can and do have successful, fulfilling lives. As we increase awareness we improve treatment, erase the stigma, and create a world where mental health and wellness are embraced as a healthcare priority. I look forward to working with you. Thank you for taking the time to read this rather long introduction!

When you feel like you're spinning your wheels, therapy can provide traction you need to get your life moving forward. Therapy can help you learn how to stop struggling with creative stagnation, worry, self-doubt, lack of motivation, loneliness, homesickness, or the pain of loss. Therapy can help get you unstuck from repeated struggles with yourself and difficulties with others. In our meetings, you and I will work together to identify roadblocks that keep holding you back. I will assist you in creating permanent strategies for getting past those roadblocks, empowering you to: * Navigate life's transitions with clarity and intention * Strengthen relationships, improve communication, and cultivate more meaningful connections * Process grief and come to peace with losses * Foster resilience and mental toughness to face challenges with determination * Tap into creative problem-solving and deep artistry * Embody your core values and show up for life with integrity and purpose Together, we will work on unlocking your potential to build a more complete, fulfilling, dynamic, and purposeful life. I am available for live sessions (video or phone) from early morning through afternoon on weekdays. Early risers, take note! Depending on the day, I may have morning appointments available as early as 4:00 AM Pacific/5:00 AM Mountain/6:00 AM Central/7:00 AM Eastern, and sometimes earlier. I am licensed to provide therapy when you are physically located in California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or Maine.

I am licensed in Colorado with over 4 years of professional work experience. I enjoy working with people seeking support for the following concerns: depression, anxiety, adjusting to transitions, maternal mental health, trauma, family concerns, relationship concerns, occupational concerns, and life stress in general. My clients will have the opportunity to grow through emotional processing, skill development, and non-judgmental collaboration to improve overall wellbeing.

Hello, I am licensed in Colorado with over 20 years of professional work experience. I started out specializing in family and children. During my years of practice, my work has expanded. I have worked with young adults, adults and older adults as well. As I spent much of my career practicing in a diverse and populous state, I've worked with people of diverse ethnicities, faiths, nationalities and socio-economic status, gender and sexual orientation. Anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma and loss are among the issues that I have supported clients to address. I believe in the beauty and mystery of the human heart. If you share the process of your journey with me, I will respect the honor and offer compassion and regard. It takes courage to explore you feelings and thoughts, to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support and empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in Colorado with 10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping adults and teens with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, & parenting issues. I also have experience working with motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in Colorado and Florida with 12 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, parenting issues, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!