Hi, I’m David Lechnyr. I work with people who truly want to get unstuck and make some actual impact in their life goal of being a better version of themselves. I have discovered that insight can be found in almost every area of our lives, if we know where to look for it and are paying attention.

Of course, that’s pretty boring stuff. Let’s try that again with something more interesting:

• Eugene is my home town.
• I graduated in 1992 with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work.
• In addition to having an office in Eugene, I’m licensed to provide therapy in both Oregon and Arizona.
• Two of my sisters are also therapists, and my father is a retired Psychologist.
• My wife and I have a small fluffy white dog that we absolutely adore.
• Growing up with three younger sisters, I’ve never learned (or cared) to understand the rules for football.
• I’m pretty good with Star Trek trivia.
• I both love, and detest, the 80’s.
• My two favorite books for personal growth are The Alchemist and Who Moved My Cheese (only 95 pages; you can’t beat that!).

My approach to therapy has been influenced greatly by Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis, and Pema Chödrön. I have a strong belief that each patient already has the innate skills and potential for tremendous growth, and is not “defective”. I feel strongly that we can help you accomplish your goals by working on what I like to call the 8-Key Life Skills together:

1. Face life openly (what we avoid imprisons us)
2. You must be curious to learn about your hidden thoughts and motivations, without assigning blame – this part is tricky
3. Accept yourself as you are and stop trying to prove yourself
4. Let you past inform your future, but not control it
5. Our thoughts and actions can directly affect our emotions.
6. How we respond to a situation is just as important as the situation itself.
7. Personal growth can be difficult to achieve when pursing dreams rather than goals.
8. How we talk to those we care about is more important than what we talk about.

My background includes training for CBT for depression & anxiety from the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Level 3 Practicum Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

It’s no surprise that how we think and act can directly impact how we feel. Specifically, it is our thoughts and behaviors, not other people, situations or things, that make us feel bad. When we use unhelpful thinking patterns, we tend to get “stuck in the muck” and end up spinning our wheels. Some of these patterns come from how we have learned to relate (or react) to life; others come from deep inside of us and are tightly connected to our views about our self worth, our beliefs about other people, and the world in general.