Joshua Montoya (he/him)

Too often burnout has been seen through a moralistic lens, identifying the person experiencing it as weak, aimless or just tired. I find that the category of moral-injury is more helpful in understanding why it is that some motivational part of us has gone on strike. When we are able to listen closely to its demands we are likely to discover a world of values, passions and empathy that has been forced underground by the demands of productivity.

The patterns of our earliest relationships often recreate themselves throughout our lifetime. Until we are able to approach this with curiosity and care it can remain a bewildering and frustrating cycle. I utilize my training in attachment theory to explore the ways that childhood experiences may be influencing present relationships.

Spiritual abuse includes categories that can become difficult for uninformed therapists to navigate and too often clients are left to chose between Christian counseling (which can introduce a conflict of interest and unnecessary triggers) or traditional approaches to therapy that leave the client feeling they must spend more time translating their story than telling it. For clients effected by spiritual abuse, I offer a unique opportunity to engage more holistically in the healing process.

Many of life's difficulties can be understood as universal struggles of the human condition. Taking a big picture view of life and the meaning you are making of things can be helpful in gaining insight to where we get stuck.

Taking a psychodynamic approach to therapy means that I assume that issues have many meanings. I will offer space to explore current struggles, childhood memories, dreams, etc. with the understanding that often we enter therapy only conscious of the tip of the iceberg. Together, and to the degree that you wish, we will attempt to explore the roots of what brings you to this work.

The most persistent patterns that plague our relationships rarely stop at the therapy office door. I work with the assumption that our client/therapist relationship and the unique dynamic that we build over time is yet one more rich microcosm for us to explore together. This means I'm likely to invite you to have a conversation about the conversations we're having and explore the patterns we find ourselves playing out.