My Approach

Not every therapist is a great fit for each client. I honor your search to find a counselor that fits your personal needs. Here is some info about me to help you know if we would be a good fit.Every client's journey is different, but I make the promise to each that I will approach them with total acceptance creating a safe environment as, side-by-side, we embark on a path of self-discovery.

I provide space to honor the intersecting identities and backgrounds of each client, while collaborating to create an individualized approach. My work is grounded in mindfulness-based interventions and Jungian theory. I believe, like Jung did, that the origins of most mental-health difficulties are spiritual in nature. Therefore I work to help clients find spiritual grounding and an understanding of their values and purpose, to develop awareness of the "why" that informs their actions, and to begin to live with more purpose, intentionality, respect and responsibility.

Mine is a trauma-informed approach. I work with clients work through difficult life transitions, such as changing relationship dynamics, grief, loss of meaning in employment or life satisfaction, relational and cultural systems that no longer serve them. When navigated successfully, these situations are prime opportunities for growth and actualization. This work is one of helping clients bring insight and healing to their own broken parts while also breaking intergenerational patterns, and overcoming cultural and societal wounds along the way.

My Journey So Far...

I offer gratitude to the Wasatch Front and the Sonoran Desert - the two beautiful landscapes that set the context for my growth. With gratitude I acknowledge my own ancestors, as well as the first nation peoples of the desert and mountains: The ancient Anazazi, Sinagua and Hohokam; the Pima, Maricopa, Yavapai; the Shoshone, Paiute, Ghosute and Ute tribes. May we remember all who have come before and may we be good relatives for all with whom we share the earth.

This work was a natural outgrowth of my own personal journey. After experiencing a "dark night of the soul" that plunged me into depression, grief, and loss of personal identity, Many years of struggle have lit a spark and cemented my commitment to healing and helping others do the same. Through these trials, I have come to understand that difficulties can either defeat us, or they can serve as context for our actualization. As my story has been one through religious and relational disillusionment, I believe that a commitment to spiritual path and development of healthy relationships (including our relationships to Earth and our environment) is essential for real change.

I earned my Master's Degree from Westminster College in 2014 in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I also have a longstanding a passion for the study and engagement with a variety of spiritual traditions, mythologies, Eastern and Western Philosophies and indigenous healing traditions. My greatest passions, though, are my roles as father, husband, helper and friend.

Facilities

Spirit of Sonora Counseling and Wellness operates in conjunction with Emerging Harmony, a co-op collective of independent therapists who have chosen to co-create and share a dynamic and unique healing space. Our facilities include multiple counseling rooms, a sensory room, a ketamine-therapy room, a sand-play room and and a large group room. Spirit of Sonora clients are invited to explore the space, finding what feels best for their individual needs, and thus also be co-creators in the healing space.