Services
About My Clients
I have worked with a wide variety of people and hope to continue to do so. I have a special affection for the academic world (students and faculty) and the world of the creative and performing arts, as well as the LGBTQ community. My ideal client is introspective and interested in how their history affects their current life, whether they are struggling with anxiety or depression, difficult life situations, or relationships.
My Background and Approach
I have always drawn from training in several therapeutic approaches, from psychoanalytic, Gestalt, and psychodrama, to DBT and CBT, and in recent years from IFS. I also believe in the value of working with people's religious and spiritual needs and values. Whether you are in a difficult situation and can use some extra support beyond what you get from friends or family, or you have some long-standing patterns that have frustrated or bewildered you, I look forward to working collaboratively with you. Please email me for first contact at DrJoelHencken@gmail.com.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
I believe that therapy should be playful and creative, and I try to assist each person to find their unique ways of being. I try to understand each person in their own terms. Although I have learned any number of ‘techniques,’ I think different things work for different people, and I believe in custom tailoring rather than expecting anyone to fit into ready-made garments ‘off the rack.’ I also believe that understanding our past can enrich and help us to deal more effectively with our present. The formative influences of our families, our cultures, our regions and religions, do not disappear when we become adults. We carry them within us in ways that we can learn to identify and then develop compassionate internal relationships. No part of us needs to be exiled or locked up. Rather, it needs to be heard first, so it can then be more inclined to listen -- and join the team.