About Ryan
One thing many of my clients delight in knowing about me…
… is that I am a card-carrying nerd.
From knowing the name of Jabba the Hutt’s Kowakian monkey lizard to having strong opinions about my favorite comic book characters, I am familiar with nerd culture.
Many of the people I work with have strong connections to the stories from sci-fi, fantasy, and comic books. Sometimes the only way to really explain something to your counselor is to reference a scene from Star Trek or Blade Runner! Years ago, a patient noticed I was wearing R2-D2 socks during our first session, and during our last session, she told me: “I knew when I saw you wearing Star Wars socks that I was going to be in good hands.”
I’m one of you. You won’t get a blank stare of confusion when you bring your love of nerd culture into session.
How did I get here?
It all started in a 9 am managerial accounting class. I was planning on going into business and maybe being a CEO one day. I’d read that one of the best pathways to the top of the company was having a background in accounting because it gave you insight into a business’s inner workings.
On this particular morning, I was mostly asleep as our professor droned on about cost variance when I was awakened by a sharp elbow jabbing between my ribs. My friend woke me up for a pop-quiz on accounting calculations for manufacturing plants. I’m not usually the sort of guy who falls asleep in class, but here I was dozing off in the class that was supposed to be setting the foundation for my career. To be honest, it was far from the first time I’d fallen asleep in class that semester.
I realized that I didn’t really like accounting. If I was falling asleep now, what were the next 40-50 years of my career going to be like? So I took a hard left turn into the helping professions to become a counselor. However, what drove me to accounting, wanting to understand what goes on underneath the hood, still drives me as a therapist.
There are thousands of therapists in Texas; why should I see you?
Therapists can be stuffy and uptight. I know I’ve been to some of them. When you’re in the office with one of them, you can feel yourself squirming and thinking, “When can I get out of here?” When you see me, you get a real human being instead of a therapy robot that strokes its beard and asks, “How did that make you feel?” at semi-regular intervals.
I have a sense of humor, and I know that you sometimes need a laugh during talking about heavy things going on in your life. I might use a metaphor from your favorite TV show to help you get some insight into what’s going on in your life. And I’m happy to share my story to help you on your journey.
I am also deeply committed to therapy that works. I once worked at a clinic where a client was referred to us after spending four years and $40,000 on psychoanalysis – with little to no results. That’s a story that breaks my heart to this day.
My goal from day one is to get you to fire me. In the very first encounter you have with me, I ask one of the most important questions in therapy, “What would have to be different in your life for you to say, ‘I don’t think I need therapy anymore.’” Once we answer that question, we plan our way backward and continually move you toward your goal.
What you might not know about me…
I am a voracious reader. I aim to read a minimum of 52 books a year. At any given time, I try to have at least one fiction and one non-fiction book going.The topics I read range from dismal cyberpunk novels to whimsical fantasy to historical perspectives on life during the Black Plague. And I think reading a lot makes me an excellent therapist for you. Not just because it helps keep me updated on therapy, but because I make it my goal to know a little bit about everything.
A famous character from the Game of Thrones television series once said, “I drink, and I know things,” and I think it’s my job to “know things” for you so that you can have a therapist that files away useful tidbits of knowledge on the likely chance that it might be helpful for you.
If you want to know the dry, boring stuff, here it is…
I got my master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling from the University of North Texas, one of the top 20 counseling programs.
In addition to my formal training, I have pursued training and/or certification in the following disciplines:
- Meyers-Briggs Temperament Indicator Master Practitioner
- Certified “Prepare/Enrich” Pre-Marital Counseling Facilitator
- Gottman Method of Couples Counseling
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
Ready? Let’s Connect.
Knowing your therapist is important. I would never see a therapist who didn’t give me some clue as to who they are on their website or at least put up a picture. So now you know a little bit about who I am, and you’ve got some important questions to ask yourself.
Are you ready to start taming the anxiety and depression that you’ve been struggling with? Will you invest in the life you deserve to have?
Are you ready to start being successful everywhere and not just at work? If so, please give me a call at (469) 225-0344.
or Book a free 15-minute consultation online.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation so that you can ask me all the questions you need to make sure I’m the right fit for you.