As the owner of TherapyDave, I specialize in evidence-based, action-oriented therapy for individuals and couples ready to create meaningful change. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Gottman Therapist serving Eugene, Oregon and Arizona, I provide structured, practical approaches designed to move you beyond insight into lasting transformation. You didn’t come here to talk endlessly about your problems; you came here to solve them.
Services
Couples Therapy
As one of the few Certified Gottman Therapists in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve helped hundreds of couples transform frustration into connection by focusing on what actually works (if you’ve tried couples therapy before without success, learn why my approach is different).
- Research-Backed Method: Utilize the Gottman Method’s 50+ years of relationship science to predict and change relationship outcomes with proven accuracy.
- Pattern Disruption: Break the negative cycles that keep you arguing about the same issues and feeling like roommates instead of partners.
- Skill Building: Learn concrete communication and conflict management tools you can use immediately to rebuild connection and intimacy.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy isn’t about sitting on a couch and endlessly digging into your past. It’s about rolling up your sleeves and doing the work to create the life you want.
- Pattern Breakthrough Focus: Transform recurring relationship dynamics, self-sabotage, and perfectionism that keep you stuck in the same cycles.
- Action-Oriented Approach: Implement specific strategies between sessions rather than just talking about your challenges week after week.
- Direct Accountability: Get honest feedback and structured support to break through self-limiting behaviors and excuses.
- Real-World Results: Develop practical tools for life transitions, self-doubt, and creating authentic change that lasts beyond our sessions.
Discernment Counseling
This specialized service is designed for couples where one partner is uncertain about continuing the relationship, providing systematic analysis of your relationship patterns, concrete insights about what’s fixable versus what’s not, and clear understanding of your potential paths forward.
- Clarity Over Repair: Focus on making informed decisions about your relationship’s future rather than trying to fix problems you’re unsure are worth fixing.
- Mixed-Agenda Approach: Work effectively when one partner wants to save the relationship while the other is considering leaving.
- Individual and Joint Sessions: Explore your uncertainty with structured support that honors both partners’ perspectives without pushing toward any particular outcome.
- Time-Limited Process: Gain the clarity you need to move forward confidently within a clear framework rather than years of painful indecision.
Therapist Support
The helpers who struggle the most are often the ones who care the most. These challenges aren’t a sign you’re weak or unsuited for the profession.
- Burnout Prevention: Address compassion fatigue, emotional overload, and the “3 PM crash” with concrete strategies that actually work in real practice settings.
- Workplace Navigation: Handle toxic supervisors, unrealistic caseloads, and workplace politics without compromising your ethics or effectiveness.
- Professional Confidence: Overcome impostor syndrome and the “am I good enough” voice that keeps you second-guessing your clinical skills.
- Sustainable Practices: Develop boundaries and self-care strategies that let you help others without destroying your own wellbeing in the process.
My Treatment Approaches
Gottman Method
As one of the few Certified Gottman Therapists in Oregon, I use research-based techniques to help couples break destructive communication patterns and rebuild connection. The Gottman Method gives us concrete tools to identify what’s really going wrong in your relationship and practical skills to change it. This isn’t about endless talking – it’s about learning specific techniques that actually work to improve intimacy and resolve conflict.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I use CBT techniques to help clients identify negative thought patterns, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and develop practical coping strategies. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, or relationship issues, CBT gives you concrete tools to change how you respond to life’s challenges and break cycles that keep you stuck.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS helps you understand the different “parts” of yourself – the inner critic, the people-pleaser, the protector. I use IFS to help clients develop self-compassion, heal from trauma, and stop being at war with themselves. This approach is particularly helpful for people who struggle with anxiety, codependency, or feeling like they’re constantly fighting internal battles. It’s about finding your authentic self.
Attachment Theory
Understanding your attachment style explains so much about your relationship patterns. I help clients identify whether they’re anxious, avoidant, or secure in relationships and learn how to develop healthier connection patterns. This work is transformative for people who keep repeating the same relationship problems or struggle with intimacy, boundaries, or trust. Knowledge of your attachment style is the key to changing it.
Couples Counseling
I specialize in helping couples who are tired of the same fights and want real change. My approach combines Gottman techniques with practical communication skills to help partners understand each other’s needs and build stronger connection. Whether you’re dealing with trust issues, constant conflict, or just feeling like roommates, couples counseling can transform your relationship when both partners are committed to the work.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
Flexible Treatment Options
I offer both insurance-based and private pay therapy options. Many clients choose private pay for the added privacy and flexibility it provides: No diagnosis required, complete confidentiality, and treatment designed entirely around your goals rather than insurance requirements. Learn more about the benefits of private pay therapy.