Justin Van Elsberg

Welcome.

My name is Justin Van Elsberg, and I work with individuals, couples, and communities who are navigating life complexities of all kinds and supporting their movement toward something that feels more whole. If you are encountering grief, conflict, alienation, transition, longing, fear, or uncertainty, I am honored to walk beside you and provide the therapeutic space for what is needed.

My approach is rooted in relationship. This includes learning about your world and the many systems you are a part of: family, culture, body, imagination, environment, and the future you are growing into. I believe the healing process needs to work directly with the depth of a person's story, patterns, and possibilities, and that aspects of this process cannot always be measured, named, or rushed. I view my role in this process as a deep listener supporting you as you process, integrate, and transform your experience through values-based action.

For the past 15 years I have worked in education, group facilitation, program development, and research across varying cultures and contexts. Recently, I have moved into the counseling seat as a counseling associate at Riverside Therapy Center, although I still wear those other hats from time to time.  

My lens is primarily psychodynamic, although I use the psychological flexibility model from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and dimensional clinical models to think with and help organize treatment goals. I also work from a perspective attentive to how systems of oppression shape emotional life. If you would like to know more, feel free to reach out.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Justin