Phoenix Hughes

About

In a first session with me, nothing is required of you. Some people talk for the whole hour; others need twenty minutes of small talk before anything real; both count as starting. I began in a campus counseling center, where I learned that the first honest conversation is usually the hardest one anyone has had in years. These days most of the people I see are combat veterans. Hypervigilance is a frequent companion, and much of our work is convincing the watchful part of you that it's allowed to stand down sometimes. Plenty of my clients are twelve-step people, and I respect what those rooms make possible; therapy with me runs alongside them, never against them. I'm non-binary, and I remember what it's like to wonder whether a room will have space for you; in my practice, that question is settled before you walk in. Take your time deciding. I'll be here when you're ready.