CPC, 30 years of experience
New to Grow
I'm Ron, a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 30 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate life's most challenging moments. I work with clients facing a wide range of concerns—from trauma and relationship difficulties to anxiety, depression, and life transitions—integrating evidence-based approaches like DBT, CBT, and trauma-focused interventions tailored to each person's unique needs. My background in both clinical mental health and special education gives me a comprehensive understanding of how emotional, behavioral, and developmental factors intersect, allowing me to provide compassionate, practical support that empowers clients to build resilience, develop healthier coping strategies, and create meaningful change in their lives.
In our first session, my primary goal is to create a safe, comfortable space where you can share your story without judgment. I'll begin by explaining the confidentiality guidelines and answering any questions you have about the therapeutic process, ensuring you understand your rights and what to expect from our work together. From there, I'll invite you to share what brought you to therapy—the concerns, challenges, or goals that led you to seek support. I'll ask questions to better understand not just your current struggles, but also your background, strengths, relationships, and previous experiences with mental health treatment. This comprehensive approach helps me see the full picture of who you are beyond the presenting problem. I'll also want to hear about what you've already tried, what's worked, and what hasn't. This collaborative conversation helps us begin building a treatment approach tailored specifically to your needs rather than applying a generic formula. You can expect me to be direct yet compassionate, asking thoughtful questions while creating space for you to process difficult emotions. By the end of our first session, we'll have begun to identify your therapy goals and discuss which therapeutic approaches might be most helpful for your situation. Some clients find the first session emotionally intensive, while others feel relieved to finally have a space to be heard—both reactions are completely normal. Most importantly, the first session is also an opportunity for you to assess whether we're a good fit. Therapy is most effective when there's a strong therapeutic relationship, so I encourage you to trust your instincts about whether my approach resonates with you
My greatest strength lies in my ability to integrate multiple therapeutic approaches into a cohesive, personalized treatment plan. Rather than adhering to a single methodology, I draw from DBT, CBT, psychodynamic therapy, trauma-focused interventions, and experiential approaches—selecting and combining techniques based on what will serve you best. This multitheoretical framework allows me to address both immediate symptom relief and deeper, long-term healing. I bring an uncommon depth of expertise in trauma-informed care. Whether you've experienced complex developmental trauma, acute traumatic events, or relational trauma, I understand how trauma shapes the nervous system, relationships, and sense of self. I'm skilled at creating the safety and pacing necessary for trauma work while helping you develop the emotional regulation skills needed to process difficult experiences without becoming overwhelmed. My dual background in clinical mental health and special education gives me a unique perspective on how behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and developmental factors intersect. This makes me particularly effective with clients who have co-occurring challenges or who haven't responded well to more conventional approaches. I'm adept at understanding how learning differences, neurodevelopmental factors, or chronic stress impact mental health. Perhaps most importantly, I'm thorough and committed to truly understanding your complete picture. I don't rush to quick fixes or superficial solutions. Instead, I take the time to conceptualize your challenges comprehensively, considering family history, attachment patterns, coping mechanisms, strengths, and the broader context of your life. This depth of understanding translates into more effective, lasting therapeutic outcomes and genuine transformation rather than just symptom management.
I work best with clients who are ready to engage deeply in the therapeutic process and are seeking more than surface-level solutions. My ideal clients often come to me dealing with complex, layered challenges—perhaps they've experienced trauma, are navigating difficult relationship dynamics, struggling with anger or emotional regulation, or managing anxiety and depression that hasn't responded well to previous treatment approaches. I'm particularly well-suited to serve individuals who appreciate a comprehensive, integrated approach to healing. If you're someone who values understanding the "why" behind your patterns, who's willing to explore how past experiences shape present-day struggles, and who's committed to developing lasting coping skills and meaningful change, we'll work well together. I also specialize in helping clients who may feel "stuck"—those who've tried therapy before but haven't found the right fit, or who recognize that their challenges require more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether you're working through trauma, rebuilding relationships, managing intense emotions, or navigating major life transitions, I bring both clinical expertise and genuine compassion to create a therapeutic space where you can process difficult experiences, develop resilience, and move toward the life you want to live.
I integrate DBT skills training into my practice to help clients manage emotional dysregulation, distress tolerance, and crisis situations. I teach and reinforce core DBT modules including distress tolerance techniques (TIPP, ACCEPTS, self-soothing), emotion regulation strategies, mindfulness skills, and interpersonal effectiveness. This approach has been particularly valuable for clients with trauma histories, those experiencing acute emotional crises, and individuals who need concrete skills for managing overwhelming emotions without resorting to destructive coping mechanisms.
I utilize Cognitive Therapy to help clients identify and modify maladaptive thought patterns, cognitive distortions, and core beliefs that contribute to emotional distress and behavioral problems. Through cognitive restructuring, Socratic questioning, and collaborative examination of evidence, I guide clients in developing more balanced, adaptive thinking patterns. This approach has been particularly effective for clients experiencing depression, anxiety, and negative self-talk, providing concrete skills for challenging automatic thoughts and creating lasting cognitive and behavioral change.
I incorporate Experiential Therapy techniques to help clients access and process emotions through present-moment awareness and direct emotional engagement. Using Gestalt exercises like empty chair work, emotion-focused interventions, and expressive techniques, I guide clients to experientially explore unresolved conflicts, grief, and internal struggles. This approach has proven particularly effective for clients who have intellectualized their emotions or disconnected from their authentic experience, allowing them to achieve deeper emotional processing and integration beyond what cognitive approaches alone can provide.
I utilize Interpersonal Therapy to help clients address relationship difficulties, role transitions, grief, and interpersonal conflicts that contribute to emotional distress. My approach focuses on improving communication patterns, processing relational losses, and navigating life transitions such as career changes, divorce, or parenting challenges. I find IPT particularly effective for clients whose depression or anxiety is rooted in interpersonal stressors, as it provides a structured framework for understanding how relationship dynamics impact mental health and for developing more satisfying interpersonal connections
I utilize Psychodynamic Therapy to explore how unconscious patterns, early attachment experiences, and unresolved conflicts influence current functioning. Through examination of transference, defense mechanisms, and recurring relational themes, I help clients gain insight into how past experiences shape present difficulties. This depth-oriented approach has proven particularly effective for clients with complex trauma, chronic relationship patterns, and those seeking deeper self-understanding beyond symptom reduction.