Hello! You have reached the website for Joshua Newman, licensed, professional, clinical counselor and author of The Power of Therapy: How to Navigate Change, Transform Trauma, and Make Sense of Your Mental Health Care. On my site you will find information about my professional background and about the services that I provide. You can also learn how to sort out the differences among the various types of mental health licenses (counselors, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc). This can take some of the guess work out of choosing a therapist. I have been in private practice since 2005 and I have worked in the mental health field for over 20 years. It is an honor to serve the people of New Mexico. I look forward to your call.
COUNSELING STYLE: The foundation of an effective and satisfying counseling experience is a balanced, working relationship between counselor and client. This is achieved through skillful communication, empathy, and respect. My counseling style is both supportive and confrontational. In my experience, people benefit from being validated and being challenged. I always seek to understand where my clients are coming from and what they hope to gain from therapy. As a result, my treatment plans are culturally sensitive, and highly individualized to address the needs of each person I serve. TREATMENT PHILOSOPHY: My philosophy of treatment can be best be described as East-West, client-centered, and holistic. I am trained in current, evidenced-based practices of western psychology as well as time-honored, contemplative practices of eastern philosophy. I bring over twenty years of mindfulness meditation practice to my work as a therapist. As I work, I consider the whole person - mind, body, and spirituality - and that point of view guides my treatment decisions. Ultimately, I aim to be in tune with what works best for each individual client, recognizing that there is not a one size fits all approach to life's problems.
THEORETICAL ORIENTATION: Psychotherapy is a constantly evolving profession, with new modalities emerging constantly. I endeavor to learn and synthesize the most useful components of all relevant treatment methods into a comprehensive system of care that is practical, flexible, and compassionate. As a result, I utilize an eclectic approach to therapy. My early training was a combination of client-centered therapy (based upon the work of Carl Rogers) and transpersonal psychology (the integration of psychotherapy and spirituality). After graduate school, I received several years of elective supervision under master therapist Bill Symes, utilizing a combination of psychodynamic (object relations, James Masterson) and strategic therapies (based on the work of Milton Erickson); that multi-year apprenticeship included an in-depth analysis of trauma dynamics and corresponding treatment strategies. Over the years, I have also pursued training in Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Jungian dream analysis, and many other areas. Having studied a wide variety of theories and techniques over the past twenty years, I have arrived at the following conclusion: in order for therapy to be effective, there must be a balance of flexibility and structure, of both art and science.
SCOPE OF PRACTICE: At this time, I primarily see adults for individual therapy. I offer short-term, solution oriented counseling as well as long-term, depth therapy. I am able to address the following issues in my practice: anxiety, depression, anger, trauma, grief, loss, situational stressors, relationship problems, existential issues, career development questions, clarification of values, clarification of purpose, and many other concerns that frequently bring a person into therapy. I have experience working with neurodiversity, including concerns with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's Syndrome. I am a sex positive therapist and my practice is LGBTQ+ friendly. All photos, with the exception of portraits, were taken by Joshua Newman.