Ben Bjorgaard (he/him)
MA, LPC, LPCC, LMHC, LMFT, RCC, Clinical Supervisor
My goal is that you will come to feel whole, connected, and purposeful through our work. I believe shared humor and a genuine connection with your therapist are crucial for effective therapy. Therapy is a space for you to explore your self, your preferences, your conflicts, and your action plans, in order to create a life where your individuality can flourish. I am dedicated to helping you overcome adversities, heal old wounds, and resolve outdated patterns so that you can grow into yourself with greater skill, choice, and intention. Most importantly, I am here to help you get where you want to go.
I don’t adhere to a singular, contrived therapeutic approach. Instead, based on your feedback and my expertise, I custom design a therapy just for you. Problems of living and psychological symptoms are unique to each situation. I am deeply attuned to what is happening for you and between us from moment-to-moment in our sessions, and am focused on you having new and generative experiences for you—not just developing new understandings.
While I like to help individuals and couples address specific, targeted problems and goals, I also like to take a look at their personalities, life trajectories, and how they relate to others as a whole. Early formative experiences can significantly impact your personality, character, and sense of self—as do choices you make throughout your life and the work you put into yourself here and now. Psychotherapy is not only effective for addressing symptoms and “dark nights of the soul.” It has a lot to say about human potential, meaning, purpose, and general life satisfaction.
Online psychotherapy, couples, therapy, and therapeutic coaching.
Session fee: $300
Asynchronous coaching through email.
Professional consultation.
Clinical supervision.
Journal therapy and expressive writing group
Self-persecution, severe self-criticism, and beating yourself up
Transcending dysfunctional family systems
Adulting, at large, and the many challenges that come along with it
Thriving in early stages of your career, or when making career transitions
Flourishing with atypical personalities and atypical lifestyles
Deep feelings of being misunderstood and not knowing how to bridge the gap
Compulsive maladaptive coping patterns, such as disordered eating, substance misuse, addictive behavior/process addictions (shopping, gambling, gaming, porn, internet use, etc.)
Struggling to maintain fulfilling relationships
Needing to tweak communication in your relationship, or struggling to communicate and get on the same page about particular topics
Setting boundaries, asserting your own needs, maintaining connection with your emotions, and de-gaslighting from present and past relationships
Fielding and navigating relationships and systems that involve challenging personalities, such as personality disorders
Imposter syndrome
Complex developmental trauma
High-functioning existential dread and angst
Navigate subcultural or countercultural systems
Being self-sabotaged by your own intelligence and/or empathy
All of the challenges that come along with being an emerging therapist or therapist in training
Bouncing back from devastating traumas and losses
PhD Candidate and Adjunct Faculty in Integral and Transpersonal Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies
My current research focuses on how to best customize methods of professional development for individual therapists.
MA in Counseling, Southwestern College
BSc with distinction in Geography, Minors: Sociology and Studies in Cinema and Media Culture, University of Minnesota
AAS in Health Sciences, Certificate in Massage Therapy, Certificate in Neuromuscular Therapy and Myofascial Release, Northwestern Health Sciences University
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Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy: Immersion and Level 1 and 2
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: multiple intensive and advanced courses
ADHD Professional (ADHD-CCSP) Intensive Training Course: Evidence-Based Strategies for Managing ADHD Across the Lifespan
Ayurvedic Life-Style Consultant Certificate, American Institute of Vedic Studies (David Frawley)
Brainspotting: basic training
CBT: multiple intensives and advanced trainings
Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP) Training Course: Applied Neuroscience for Treating Anxiety, Panic, and Worry
Compassionate Inquiry with Gabor Mate
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Professional (CDBT) Training: 8 ¬Week Intensive
Engaging Adolescent Sexual Assault Survivors in Treatment Promoting Sexual Health and Well-Being, The New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs Inc.
EMDR: basic and advanced trainings
Emotionally Focused Therapy: Multiple basic and advanced courses with Sue Johnson for EFT with couples and individuals.
Food and Mood: A Therapist’s Guide to The Role of Nutrition in Mental Health
Gender Equity and Reconciliation International: Professional Immersion and Facilitator Trainings
Gottman Couples Therapy: Level 1 and 2, Treating Affairs and Trauma, Couples and Addiction Recovery
Guilt, Shame & The Trauma Survivor: Integrated Modalities to Move Therapy Forward
Integrative Psychopharmacology: The Future of Medications, Nutrition and Genetics
Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy: Multiple immersions with Allan Abbass
Internal Family Systems: comprehensive training
Lifespan Integration Level 1
Mindfulness-based Emotional Processing: Activating and Supporting Felt-Sense Awareness of the Body’s Affective Experiencing
Motivational Interviewing: Engaging People in a Meaningful Change Process
Personality Disorders Certification Training: Advanced Diagnosis, Treatment & Management
Polyvagal Theory in Trauma Treatment with Stephen Porges & Deb Dana: Integrating the Science of Safety, Trust, Self-Regulation and Attachment
Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT): Level 1 and Level 2
Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT): Level 1
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: mutliple workshops
Schema Therapy: basic training with Wendy Behary
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy workshop with Pat Ogden
Solution Focused Brief Therapy: mutliple trainings with Elliot Connie along with conference workshops.
The Prevention and Relationship Education Program (PREP) Approach to Couples Therapy: Prep 8.0 facilitator training and PREP Couples Therapy training
Windz Institute: 5-day Brief & Narrative Therapy Certificate Program
Yoga Teacher Certificate,Prajna Yoga (Tias and Surya Little)
Favourite Books
