Licensed to practice in Colorado and accepts 19 insurances. Specializes in Career Counseling, Mood Disorders, Substance Misuse and 10 more.
(he/him)
New to Grow
Hello, I'm Thomas Stuart, a LPC and LAC who provides treatment to clients struggling with mental health, substance use, work, or career issues in Colorado. I employ a client-centered and solution-focused approach and have 18 years experience in the mental health fields. I also specialize in topics and issues related to mental health and working, ranging from career development to managing boundaries and balancing work with personal wellness later in the career. I've operated this practice individually part time since 2018 and full time since 2022. In addition to 1:1 counseling, I also sometimes write articles on subjects of work and mental wellness, and offer workplace interventions for various problems employers have.
The first session typically involves learning about your reasons for engaging in counseling, and working towards getting a background so I can understand your situation and individual history, and an initial treatment plan where we outline the initial goals for counseling, such as "a decrease in depression symptoms" "30 days of sobriety" "working at a different job" or other goals you may identify as personally important to progress towards.
I tend to provide more psychoeducation than other counselors, providing additional resources when appropriate. I have an innovative client-centered approach regarding career development, workplace needs and wellness, and workplace functioning. When helping individual clients who are workers, I help the client identify missing needs they have from the workplace that are leading to their suffering or distress, and find solutions together to get these missing work-related needs met. I draw my counseling skills from a variety of models which I may employ such as: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Client-Centered Counseling, Strengths-Focused Counseling, Trauma-Informed Counseling, R3 Crisis Debriefing, Culturally Informed Counseling, and Stanford University Empowered Relief Pain Management. I'm very aware of when it is appropriate to engage other providers, most frequently a primary care doctor or psychiatric provider for medication monitoring, on occasion it has been appropriate to encourage clients to consult with attorneys, or specific regulatory bodies like the Colorado Division of Labor Rights if a client is unpaid by their employer. Many providers shy away from short term disability leave or outright refuse to offer this support. I am very comfortable and familiar with the medical leave process and can discuss this with you on a case-by-case basis, based on the client's individual need. I hold clients to goals they firmly communicate and follow up on progress towards the client's goals. I continue to research and employ recent data to help clients, in both the psychology research realm and the economic one - for example - being aware of the current health of local labor markets and local costs of living that the client faces.
Throughout my career I've worked with a very wide variety of clients with different diagnoses, needs, and goals. I'm comfortable working with highly motivated clients or less motivated, more conflicted clients. I work well with LGBTQ+ clients, clients with strong cultural ties and practices, and younger clients aged 18-25. I work very well with students in advising them of a career future, or navigating challenges of college or university. I still do addiction work and work well with clients struggling with substance abuse issues that are looking to change their use. When employing career counseling skills, workers who are younger, have a stronger job history, or work in a skilled trade are more likely to benefit and ultimately find their work needs met, but workers of all age, job level, and experience level are likely to benefit in being able to approach work in a healthier manner and assert their needs more effectively .
I provide therapy that draws from multiple styles based on the client’s needs, though typically I focus on a solution-oriented and individualized style, where I seek to understand the client’s goals, individual strengths, and barriers, and to help the client recognize and change systemic patterns.
I often use CBT and DBT techniques when working with clients.
I often use CBT and DBT techniques when working with clients.
My core clinical background is related to client-centered aka humanistic or Rogerian counseling