Aaron Kolstad, LMFT
I am passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families to understand their unique experiences, perspectives and how events in their lives have impacted mental health and associated beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. I strive to provide an environment where people can be vulnerable, honest, and open without feeling judged.
As a relational therapist, my approach with clients is to help identify current beliefs and explore past experiences that have influenced thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and current difficulties to collaborate and identify solutions to individual and shared goals. I focus on meaning, communication, and behavioral patterns to identify intentions and impact to gain additional understanding of self and others. I also look at environmental experiences, societal expectations and social injustices to ensure each individual feels heard, understood, and empowered to achieve their goals. I appreciate feedback from my clients to further understand their perspectives, needs, wants, and goals. I believe in the power of empathy, understanding, validation, accountability, and shared effort in relationships to overcome challenges together.
My therapeutic approach involves identifying desired change and using evidenced based techniques to work towards understanding, meaning, improvement, increasing empowerment, gaining acceptance, and building confidence. My framework comes from attachment and meaning based therapy to strengthen relationships by building trust, vulnerability, and support to identify and overcome internal distress and conflict. I also utilize Structural Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Mindfulness, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to provide interventions to strengthen attachment and increase emotional exploration and expression.
I have experience working with Anxiety, Abandonment, Adjustment, Affair Repair, Anger Management, Attachment, Betrayal Trauma, Blended Families, Complex Trauma, Conflict Resolution, Co-Parenting, Couples Therapy, Depression, Divorce Care, EMDR, Family Conflict and Support, Guilt and Shame, Grief and Loss, Identity, LBGTQ+, Life Transitions, Meaning , Parenting, Peer Relationships, Pornography, PTSD, Self-Esteem, Self Image, Self Worth, Sexual Addiction, Sexual Issues, Sexuality, Social Anxiety, Stress Management, Substance Use and Recovery, Therapist Support and Therapy.