Hi, I’m Calvin

I believe that healing is both deeply personal and rooted in relationships. It is also impacted by the systems we navigate, and acknowledging these challenges can help us understand ourselves in the context of our social ecosystems. This perspective has been helpful to me, and here’s a bit about how I arrived at this point in my life and career. I had a pivotal experience with several therapists in high school that helped me through a chaotic and dark time in my life. Their support gave me language for things I felt but didn’t understand yet, and it helped me navigate a time that felt heavy and uncertain. Those relationships showed me what was possible through connection and trust, and ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in psychology. My lived experiences, including the challenges I faced within my family and larger systems, continue to shape how I show up with clients: grounded, honest, and forever in awe of people’s innate capacity for growth and perseverance.

After starting my career in youth and family services, I became an outdoor educator and guide, working seasonally in national parks and wilderness areas. I was drawn to organizations that served youth with historically limited access to outdoor spaces. That work felt deeply fulfilling and inspired me to continue finding ways to grow and, in turn, help people connect with themselves through experiences with the natural world. Eventually, I became more drawn to supporting students with their social-emotional learning and shifted back to a social work position in the nearest city. After another five years, I realized that counseling was where I could make the most meaningful impact.

My approach is humanistic, collaborative, relational, and grounded in deep respect for your lived experience. Therapy should be a space where all parts of you are welcome, your strengths, questions, contradictions, and longings. I'm especially drawn to working with people who feel caught between versions of themselves—between who they’ve been and who they’re becoming. I view therapy as a space to explore that in-between.

I draw from internal family systems (IFS/ parts-work), somatic therapy, mindfulness, and strengths-based modalities, continually adapting to meet the needs of each individual. In practice, this might look like slowing down to notice how something lands in your body, exploring internal voices, or working with patterns that once protected you but may no longer serve you.

Being human is not just a social experience; it’s also ecological, and I like to incorporate aspects of experiential and outdoor education into my counseling practice. I believe we shouldn’t be confined to social constructs or defined solely by society—we are part of a larger living ecosystem. Seeing ourselves this way opens the door to a more authentic, deeply human connection with both ourselves and others.

This perspective shapes how I work—with curiosity, humility, and a commitment to honoring the whole of your experience. It helps us accept our behaviors and stress responses as natural neurobiological reflexes and make sense of how we’ve adapted to survive and thrive within our unique bio-psycho-social ecosystems.

This approach can be especially grounding for those who find meaning in nature, movement, and embodiment. It can also be a refreshing alternative for those who haven’t had much luck with “top-down” approaches like CBT. While it’s not required in our work together, feel free to ask if you want to explore this approach and what it might offer.

Outside of therapy, you’ll often find me backpacking, reading, playing music, making a big mess in the kitchen, or marveling at the changing seasons reflected in the plants around me. If I could’ve been in any famous band, it would be The Velvet Underground. For my wellness, I dedicate time to a regular meditation practice and exercise—practices that help me stay grounded and creatively engaged.

If you’d like to learn more about me, feel free to visit my Psychology Today profile or my Approach page, where I share more about my theoretical orientation and practice policies.