Staj Hanson (she/they)

I am in-training to receive my Sex Therapist Certification, and am receiving ongoing supervision for this. I work with clients who present for therapy with a range of sexual concerns, from mismatch in desire/libido, to sexual functioning concerns, addressing spontaneous and responsive desire, porn use and misuse, erectile dysfunction and dyspareunia, and more.

Since I began my graduate program in Marriage and Family Therapy to become a couples therapist, I have been striving to learn how to apply research and techniques for relationship and sexual satisfaction to non-monogamous, polyamorous, and open partners. The cornerstone of my practice is working with clients who are exploring transitioning and transforming their relationship from monogamy to an open/polyamorous structure.

My practice extensively serves the LGBTQIA+ communities (yes, even and especially the I/A peeps!) I have worked with several people who have moved to CO specifically to access the medical care they need to address body/gender dysmorphia, and to embrace identities and ways of being which are liberating and loving to them. I'm also queer myself, with queer family and loved ones, and know intimately the importance of the t/q experience deserving safety, appreciation, and love.

My practice extensively serves the LGBTQIA+ communities (yes, even and especially the I/A peeps!) I have worked with several people who have moved to CO specifically to access the medical care they need to address body/gender dysmorphia, and to embrace identities and ways of being which are liberating and loving to them. I'm also queer myself, with queer family and loved ones, and know intimately the importance of the t/q experience deserving safety, appreciation, and love.

I am in-training to receive my Sex Therapist Certification, and am receiving ongoing supervision for this. I work with clients who present for therapy with a range of sexual concerns, from mismatch in desire/libido, to sexual functioning concerns, addressing spontaneous and responsive desire, porn use and misuse, erectile dysfunction and dyspareunia, and more.

My approach to working with clients around their presenting concerns is very present-focused. While speaking about the past and future can provide helpful information to us, realization of the change you are working for can only ever occur in the present moment. With experiential techniques and focuses, we work in therapy to bring you to a place of discovery, where you can find yourself addressing conflicts, confusions, and concerns in new and beneficial ways.

Moving away from assigning some behaviors or parts of you as simply "good" or "bad", into more compassionate understanding, is foundational to my therapy practice. This is allowed to happen slowly, incrementally, and authentically. But ultimately, the goal is transforming your interactions with parts of yourself in a way where you can meet all parts of yourself with care, love, stewardship, listening, and compassion. This is how change happens and pain is dissolved.

Understanding attachment theory, as well as somatic concepts such as nervous system regulation and polyvagal theory, may help to achieve compassionate witnessing of ourselves. Therapy that incorporates these concepts often helps us to make sense of "why we are the way we are", and offers frameworks for interaction, adaptation, and change.