Josh Gunn PhD

I love working with adolescent males and men who are trying to evolve beyond the cultural script of masculinity that hinders authentic and meaningful living. These scripts often dictate how males think about themselves and determine their worth. Too often males are working to hide their emotions rather then experience all life has to offer. Finally, these scripts really mess up our relationships when we are unable to deeply connect to friends and spouses/partners.

Depression is a joy thief that can suck the life out folks. Luckily, therapy works and can help people develop the knowledge and skills they need to manage and recover from depression and other mood disorders. In therapy we're going to look at what is working and what is not in order to quickly start building momentum towards your goals. We're going to explore all aspects of your life and identify value driven actions that are going to help you be who you want to be.

They say anxiety is always in the future, which is why in therapy we're going to help you learn to live in the present and focus on the things you have control over. Initial treatment for anxiety often starts with learning to identify your triggers and develop skills for calming your body and mind. I often teach clients mindfulness and other strategies for changing their thought patterns that are creating and maintaining the anxiety.

The tenets of IPT, that all of our problems tend to play out in our relationships, under-girds every type of therapy. This is why the research consistently shows that the relationship between client and therapist is the most predictive of good outcomes. In therapy we'll explore all of the relationships you've learned from, because relationships are where we learn affect regulation, conditions of self-worth, and how to experience things like trust, intimacy, and joy.

I have extensive training in CBT, as well as a number of variants like trauma-focused and mindfulness based CBT. No matter what issues we are working through in therapy, the thoughts one has about themselves, others, and the world are going to be part of the conversation. In therapy we'll teach you to recognize unhelpful thought patterns that you've learned along the way so that you can determine if you need to learn new, more effective ways of thinking.

When using ACT, we focus on helping folks learn to pay less attention to “what should be” and find joy and meaning by redirecting their focus on what is and what they value. When we are able to align our intentions, values, and behaviors, then we are able to move towards who we want to be.