(he/him)
Often rebooked
Hello, and welcome. With over 36 years of experience, I offer calm, compassionate, and highly skilled therapy across mental health, trauma, and substance use. I’m a clinical social worker and pastoral counselor, which allows me to support not only emotional healing, but also deeper questions around meaning, purpose, and spiritual distress. I’ve been practicing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) since 1993 and have advanced training in approaches designed to resolve trauma efficiently and thoroughly. These include the Flash Technique and a modality I developed, Rapid Somatic Pendulation (RSP), which focuses on helping the body release what the mind alone cannot. My work is active and focused. Rather than staying in prolonged talk therapy, we target the underlying patterns driving anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and addiction—so that meaningful, lasting change can occur. Clients often come to me after other therapies have helped but not fully resolved what they’re carrying. I provide individual, couples, and family therapy, tailoring each approach to your specific goals and needs. Whether you’re dealing with longstanding trauma, current stressors, or a sense of disconnection from meaning or purpose, we’ll work collaboratively toward relief and clarity. I have a bit of training and experience, but I also believe in the power of a real relationship with my clients, which means a lot towards getting better. If you’re looking for therapy that is experienced, grounded, and oriented toward real outcomes, you’ll likely find this a strong fit.
Starting therapy can feel like a big step—whether it’s your first time or you’ve worked with other therapists before. My goal in our first session is to make the process clear, grounded, and immediately useful, so you leave with a sense of direction rather than uncertainty. We’ll begin with what brings you in now. You might be dealing with anxiety, trauma, stress, relationship difficulties, grief, addiction, or a general sense that something isn’t shifting despite your efforts. You don’t need to organize your thoughts perfectly or tell your entire life story. I’ll guide the conversation so we can focus on what matters most and what will actually move the work forward. As we talk, I’ll ask targeted questions to understand patterns—how your symptoms show up, what triggers them, and how you’ve tried to cope. I’m especially interested in what hasn’t worked as well as what has. Many of the people I work with are insightful and have already done meaningful work in therapy, but still feel stuck. Identifying where things get “stuck” helps us focus efficiently. We’ll also touch on relevant background information—your history, relationships, and any prior therapy or treatment—but this is not an exhaustive intake. We gather enough context to understand your system without getting lost in details that don’t yet serve the process. A key part of the first session is helping you understand how I work. My approach is active, structured, and oriented toward meaningful change. I use evidence-based methods including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), along with somatic (body-based) approaches that address how stress and trauma are held in the nervous system. Rather than focusing only on talking through problems, we work directly with the underlying patterns that keep them in place. If appropriate, I may introduce elements of these approaches even in the first session. This might include simple grounding or regulation skills, brief somatic awareness exercises, or explaining how we would begin targeting specific memories or experiences in future sessions. The goal is not to push you into anything prematurely, but to give you a felt sense of how this work differs from traditional talk therapy. We will also spend time clarifying your goals. Some clients come in with very specific objectives—such as reducing panic attacks, resolving a traumatic memory, or improving a relationship. Others have a more general sense that something isn’t right. Either is completely fine. Together, we’ll translate that into a working plan with clear priorities. You can expect me to be engaged and direct. I don’t take a passive role or simply listen without direction. At the same time, you remain in control of the pace and depth of the work. We won’t go further than you’re ready for, and part of the process is building the internal stability needed to do deeper work safely and effectively. It’s also normal in a first session to feel a mix of emotions—relief, uncertainty, hope, or even some hesitation. Therapy involves stepping into areas that may have been avoided or pushed aside. We’ll approach that carefully and with respect for your nervous system, not by overwhelming it. The first session is also an opportunity for you to evaluate fit. Therapy is most effective when you feel comfortable with both the therapist and the approach. You’re encouraged to ask questions about anything—how the process works, what to expect, or concerns based on past therapy experiences. You don’t have to decide everything immediately, but you should begin to get a sense of whether this feels like a productive direction. By the end of the session, you can expect to have: * A clearer understanding of what’s contributing to your current difficulties * An overview of how we would approach the work together * Initial tools or strategies, if appropriate * A sense of next steps and what future sessions might look like Some clients notice small shifts even after the first session—greater clarity, a sense of relief, or feeling more grounded. For others, the primary benefit is having a clear, structured path forward. Both are valuable. There’s nothing you need to do to prepare. You don’t need to have the “right words” or a complete narrative. Just show up as you are. My role is to help organize the process, ask the right questions, and guide the work in a way that is efficient, respectful, and oriented toward real change. If you choose to continue, our work will build on this foundation—moving from understanding into active processing and resolution, at a pace that is both effective and manageable.
What most distinguishes my work is the combination of depth, efficiency, and experience. With over 36 years in the field—and more than three decades practicing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)—I focus on helping clients move beyond insight into real, lasting change. Many of the people I work with are thoughtful, capable, and have already done meaningful work in therapy. They understand their patterns, but something still isn’t shifting. My strength is identifying where that process is getting stuck and working directly with the underlying drivers—often held in the nervous system rather than conscious thought. My approach is active and structured. I don’t rely on open-ended conversation alone. Instead, I use targeted, evidence-based methods that help resolve trauma, reduce reactivity, and shift long-standing emotional patterns. In addition to EMDR, I’m trained in approaches such as the Flash Technique and have developed my own method, Rapid Somatic Pendulation (RSP), designed to facilitate rapid and durable processing of difficult material. A core strength of this work is efficiency. Therapy does not need to take years of repetition to produce meaningful results. When we identify the right targets and work with them directly, clients often experience significant shifts in how they feel, respond, and function. I also bring an integrated perspective. As both a clinical social worker and pastoral counselor, I’m able to work across psychological, relational, and existential domains. For clients struggling with questions of meaning, purpose, or spiritual distress, this allows for a deeper and more coherent process. My style is calm, grounded, and direct. I will guide the work and keep it focused, while respecting your pace and maintaining a sense of safety and collaboration throughout. My clients also appreciate my sense of humor and ability to help them to learn to rise above feeling trapped through their own humor. Ultimately, my goal is not just to help you understand your experience—but to help you resolve what’s been holding you in place. For further information, please see my website at: http://true-essence-counseling.com.
My ideal client is motivated, curious, and open to approaches that go beyond traditional talk therapy. You want therapy that is efficient, grounded in research, and capable of producing real, noticeable change—not just temporary relief. You’re interested in understanding how trauma and stress live in the nervous system and how to work with your body, not against it. You might be an individual who is used to pushing through—but now recognizes that pushing isn’t enough. You value depth, precision, and a collaborative process. You’re ready to engage in therapy that integrates evidence-based methods like EMDR with somatic approaches to help resolve trauma at its root.
EMDR
I have over 30 years of experience using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with all varieties of trauma, negative experiences, and desired emotional states. It is one of the most effective evidence-based treatments for a variety of issues, especially trauma, depression, and anxiety. I also use the Flash Technique (https://flashtechnique.com/), which is even easier to tolerate, although EMDR is very easy to tolerate. I also have a homebrew type of EMDR-related treatment which I call Rapid Somatic Pendulation which, once taught, can be done at home between sessions. It gets rapid results, usually in less than 30 seconds.
Faith based therapy
In addition to being a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), I am also a trained pastoral counselor as of 2012. I work with people who are struggling with moments in their spiritual life using these skills. I also use these skills with people who are not in the mainstream religions (even agnostics and atheists, as the core issue is finding meaning in suffering), and they help with finding meaning in tough situations.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT is a method of therapy that is well known to be effective in treating a variety of issues. If you can change the way you think (what this does), you can change the way you feel. I have been practicing this since the 1980's.
Couples Counseling
I believe that when a couple comes together, they help each other to grow as individuals and they help themselves to learn to grow themselves. Couples are on a journey of self-empowerment and self-discovery as individuals with the support of their partner. I teach skills based on Imago Therapy and the work of John Gottman which help with supporting the understanding of each others emotion and expressing them in safe ways while helping with getting goals accomplished.
Gender-affirming therapy
As the parent of two adults who are working on their transition, I am intimately familiar with the struggles of people who have issues with living in a society that does not affirm their personal experience. I can also help parents and loved ones who are adjusting to their work.
2 ratings with written reviews
January 12, 2026
B
May 16, 2025
Very realistic. Love that he explains what and why he is doing what he’s doing. Very wise and has lots of years of experiences.
March 24, 2025
My first appointment with Nate was awesome! I am really looking forward to working through some of the issues that have been troubling me.