Dan Schmitt
Marriage & Family Therapist Intern | Claimed

As a clinician my practice is rooted in systemic therapy which is based on looking at people and the context of their environment/circumstances and how this impacts behavior. As a systems therapist I practice from a narrative and person centered approach. I believe we all story our lives against the backdrop of our personal discourse, family discourse, and societal discourse. Some of the stories we identify with have been beneficial yet others have been less helpful or even hinder us to reach the goals and contentment we seek. I work from a strengths-based approach to work collaboratively with clients to create change and to coauthor their stories and strive for the change they are seeking.

Some of the things that help me relate to clients as a therapist are having had a broad range of career and life experiences to draw on, being compassionate and caring, and fundamentally believing in the good of all people. I also feel one of my greatest gifts as a therapist is being able to see the unique strengths in my clients and to help them foster and develop their own excellence.

To me one of the most challenging things about being a therapist is to realize that change will only occur when the client is ready and that change is most often nonlinear. It is to realize that change happens once we've let go and exhausted all the possible ways that we can hang on to the way things were. To me this means meeting clients at their current state of change and helping them cultivate the space for growth to happen.

I work with individuals, couples, and families with a variety of presenting concerns. I have experience working with couples in non-monogamous relationships, working with the LGBTQ+ community, life transitions, career transitions, anxiety and depression, insomnia and sleep issues, chronic illness, infertility and adoption, couples therapy, infidelity, and mens issues. I have experience working with individuals and families struggling with addiction issues and with clients who are in or moving towards recovery.