I view counseling as a collaborative process between the client and the counselor.  A goal of mine is to build a relationship with you where you feel free to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (particularly those thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that may be causing you psychological distress, impeding progress in achieving your life goals, and/or getting in the way of your ability to find fulfillment and meaning in your life).

My goal is not to “fix” you or “cure” you (you’re not broken). My goal is to accept you for who you are in the moment, and help you find the answers/solutions/realizations that are best for your life, not my life. 

Relationship status or configuration***  Single, divorced, separated, widowed, monogamous, polyamorous, kink, open, closed, or BDSM, you are always welcome and safe in my office. (Many have shared I am sex-positive, and I would agree)

EMDR Therapy (or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) is an integrative therapy that helps people heal from Traumatic events as well as, life disturbing experiences. EMDR Therapy has gotten worldwide attention for helping millions of people heal from PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) caused from traumatic events, such as; rape, sexual abuse, auto accidents and combat. EMDR Therapy can also help people who feel distress in their lives to heal and feel more whole after events that have been disturbing such as; divorce, life transitions, grief, anxiety and much more.

EMDR Therapy is designed to help a person identify and process these stuck pieces so that the symptoms can decrease and one can feel more alive and less distressed. EMDR Therapy helps facilitate the activation of the brain’s inherent system to process and integrate the information that got stored or stuck. EMDR Therapy will not erase the memory; rather you will be able to remember the story without all the emotional charge that was distressing before the treatment.

I was trained in EMDR Therapy through the Maiberger Institute, an EMDRIA approved provider of EMDR Trainings

Parents and Guardians of LGBTQ+ or potentially LGBTQ+ children can often need and benefit from professional support and work on parenting skill enhancement. Confusing and hurtful feelings can often arise during family conflict of any kind. CLV Counseling can assist in bringing awareness and processing thoughts and emotions in a safe space.

This type of session specific/focused counseling can address common and unique needs of parents raising children who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or are questioning their identity. Parents can learn enhanced skills in effort to support not only their family, but also themselves as individuals.

I have provided child and adolescent counseling for over three years. Having primarily worked with children in Child Protective Custody or Foster care, I have experienced/worked with a wide-range of concerns ranging from ADHD, Defiance, Grief/Loss, Bullying, Peer-Conflict, Sibling-Conflict, & Trauma.

Family Note: During individual counseling with adolescent clients, family members will be asked to participate further into treatment once trust & rapport has been established and maintained, with the focus of these family-joined sessions remaining on the adolescent.

Living in a heterosexist society inevitably poses challenges to people with non-heterosexual orientations. Many LGBTQ+ folks face social stigma, heterosexism, racism, violence, and discrimination in various forms, in addition to the normal/daily stressors that are faced by folks in our current socioeconomic climate.

As a trained and licensed counselor who also identifies as a cisgender gay/queer Latino man, I constantly attempt to understand the multiple dimensions of affectional orientation and gender diversity fundamental to LGBTQ+ clinically competent and affirmative counseling.

Along with my interpersonal theoretical approach, a common treatment approach used is LGBT-Affirmative Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, a therapeutic intervention adapted to address co-occurring health problems at their source in minority stress. Other clinical interventions utilized include: mindfulness-based approaches and EMDR.

Relationship status or configuration*** Single, divorced, separated, widowed, monogamous, polyamorous, kink, open, closed, or BDSM, you are always welcome and safe in my office.

Bisexuality*** I continuously strive to recognize and honor the unique experiences of bisexual individuals. Having witnessed the stigma that bisexual folks encounter not only in the heterosexual world, but also within the LGBTQ+ community, I wanted to highlight my views of bisexuality as a valid sexual orientation and not as a transitional state between heterosexual and homosexual orientations.

Whether they identify as LGBTQ+, do not know how they identify/questioning, struggling with gender identity, or are struggling with any LGBTQ+ related concern, folks who range 5 to 17 years of age are more than welcome at CLV Counseling. With over three years of child therapy training and experience, I am confident we can assess and address most issues and concerns (with appropriate referrals available when needed).

Family Note: During individual counseling with adolescent clients, family members will be asked to participate further into treatment once trust & rapport has been established and maintained, with the focus of these family-joined sessions remaining on the adolescent.

Telehealth Video Sessions/Appointments are available through the secure/HIPAA compliant client portal (Residents of Colorado & Arizona applicable).

An email with an individualized link to your session will be sent to you prior to your appointment.

Traditional phone call sessions are also available.

Please contact CLV Counseling via phone call or email with any questions.