Joshua E. Stanley, LCSW

The Practice:

We work with traditional (monogamous) and nontraditional relationships (consensual non-monogamous, open, polyamorous partnerships), and we are LGBTQIA+ competent, informed, and affirming.

We help partners engage with themselves and their beloved in a space of empathy and compassion, motivating growth, healing, and change in each other–to be and live authentically.

We support individuals and relationships as they address past trauma, so they can heal and grow together.

We assist parents to better understand their own histories, ways their pasts influence how they parent, and learn, heal, and grow beyond what might not be working anymore. Recognizing and celebrating successes, no matter the size, each step of the way.

About me…

As a therapist, I work with teens (15+), adults, relationships (traditional and non-traditional), and families.

Having a background in education, I find it rewarding to hold space for clients as they are discovering, learning, uncovering, and re-encountering the parts of themselves that have been hidden, lost, tamed, taken, shamed, forsaken, abandoned, and/or exiled. Helping clients learn that advocating for themselves, and developing deeper levels of compassion and curiosity for themselves and others is offering healing to those same parts; empowering my clients in new ways.

I specialize in trauma and how it impacts relationships. I love working with couples, especially those who have experienced the hurt from early child trauma, infidelity, or struggle connecting around parenting. It provides a wonderful opportunity for couples to re-envision their relationships anew: what it can become by re-connecting and experiencing emotional resonance, while also learning how to face the pain and hurt they experienced; sometimes learning how to be in relationship vulnerably for the first time, after being in a relationship for years. Working with non-traditional relationships has been a lot of fun. We get to explore how each person wants to share and receive love from their partners, while maintaining an open dialogue to share what wounds and adaptations come up along the way, learning to define or redefine the relationship based on their experiences, wants, and needs—which is what every healthy relationship needs.

Regardless of the client, my lasting hope is for anyone to experience emotional resonance, discover their truth, and be empowered to live authentically through life’s challenges. It’s a calling I humbly accept. Helping increase awareness and offering a safe space to process uncomfortable feelings so each client can make intentional choices for their life is so rewarding. I also enjoy helping those who are empathic learn how to establish routines for self-care and ways to work with their emotions and body sensation so they can engage with life and others in a way that can help them learn to self-regulate..