Hi, I’m Josh. I grew up in this world, too.
I was a missionary kid, a pastor’s kid, and a college pastor for nearly 25 years. I spent more than 35 years inside American evangelicalism. It shaped how I understood the world, what I believed my life was for, and how I treated myself. When I left, I began discovering how much of what I had learned about myself was still influencing my life. My own experience includes PTSD from religious trauma, and healing has involved far more than changing what I believe.
I understand what it’s like to have given so much of your life to something and then begin questioning what it cost you. To feel relief about leaving AND grief about what you lost. To wonder who you are when so much of your identity was wrapped up in being faithful, serving others, and doing what you believed God wanted. There can be so much to untangle, especially when the people you love still belong to the world you left.
One of the beliefs at the center of my work as a therapist is this: You are not the problem. The problem is the problem. If you were taught that your heart was deceitful, your feelings couldn’t be trusted, and your struggles meant you needed more faith, it makes sense that you learned to blame yourself and see yourself as the problem. Together, we can get curious about the stories you were taught about yourself, where they came from, and how they continue to influence you. We can also begin noticing the parts of your story those teachings never made room for.
Our work includes developing tools you can use in your everyday life: observing what’s happening within you without immediately judging it, listening to your feelings and needs, recognizing the influence of shame, and practicing making choices that reflect what matters to you. I want to help you experience what it’s like to treat yourself with kindness and discover that your own life is worthy of your care.
click here to learn more about me & how I approach therapy.
