Sam Birkemeier
(he/they)
counseling student intern
Every day, external forces fight to shape our views of ourselves, our bodies, and our relationships. As a client-centered clinician, I believe that you are the expert on your experience and the ultimate authority on your path to healing. I do not believe that healing and conformity are equivalent, which is unfortunately too often the message that many queer folks who have sought out therapy implicitly or explicitly receive.
In our work together, questions such as the following may surface:
How can we explore how past experiences can provide insight into our psychological blind spots?
What does it look like to non-judgmentally accept ourselves in the present moment, and can we give our self-acceptance the power to lift the heavy burden of shame that often keeps us from living the life we dream of?
How can we write our futures emphasizing freedom, intentionality, and meaning?
Together, we can explore themes of internalized shame, relational dynamics, self-concept, and/or navigating the world while feeling like an “outsider.” The most important thing for me as a therapist is to first develop a relationship based on trust and respect where you can be your full unapologetic self, and use that foundation to co-create a space that opens the door to a values-centered, meaningful, and fulfilling life that we as humans long for.
As a student intern, I am receiving on site supervision from Paige Meyers-Matthews, LPC and Lewis & Clark faculty supervision from Dr. Rafe McCullough, PhD, LPC.
