ABOUT LARRY
A Christian Counselor
I have decades of experience helping people find healing and freedom in Jesus and form healthier relationships. My practice is working with individual men and with couples. I believe that through honesty, greater self-awareness, taking personal responsibility for our choices and forming a closer relationship with God, we can experience the life God intends for us. I offer presence and attunement, encouragement, tools and insight so you can grow in your relationships and in your true self.
My relational and theoretical approach to counseling:
I strive to foster a caring, welcoming and safe environment in which you can explore your deepest emotions, thoughts, concerns, and hopes and feel understood. I tend to conduct therapy from a psychodynamic, attachment based, and cognitive-behavioral framework. I desire for my clients to be as honest as they can, know themselves as well as they can, and take responsibility for their own choices. Honesty is the foundation for positive change and for
trust and intimacy with others. Self-awareness of one’s emotions, perceptions, needs and behaviors, the impact of one’s choices on others and of one’s past on the present, generates options and cultivates empathy which is the key to emotional connections and love. Self-agency, responsibility and wrestling with choices often yield the fruit of deeper character and maturity. I want to know your story, will heighten your awareness of self and urge you to be proactive and intentional in ways that reflect your values. As I get to know more about you and your needs, I will provide interpretations, resources, and coaching for enacting change. For those with faith in Christ, I want to support and leverage your faith to address your goals. My counseling approach is highly relational, and our work will be collaborative.
Qualifications & Experience:
I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Washington, and I hold two advanced degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary: a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in Marriage and Family ministry, and a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship. I have counseled people of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances for over three decades, both as a pastor and as a licensed marriage and family therapist, at times working simultaneously in senior ministry roles and in a counseling practice. My wife and I have co-led marriage and family enrichment courses to church leaders in the United States and Asia. Throughout my life I have felt compelled by God to help people experience freedom, purpose, and strong relationships. From my early years of pastoral ministry I came to value the integration of biblical truth, behavioral & social sciences and Christian spirituality. I was ordained as a minister of the gospel in 1987 and licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1993.
I enjoy family and friends, hiking, team sports, pickleball, listening to and making music.
Professional Affiliations:
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT)