Introduction

Hello! My name is Oliver (he/him). Living as a trans person has a unique set of experiences and challenges that have impacted the way I interact with the world and by default, has also impacted how the world interacts with me. My goal and special interest have always been to work with and help other members of the LGBT+ community, as I know the social and political risks that can come with just being ourselves.

I emphasize and focus on trauma-work with a personal belief that each client should leave a session having processed or learned something about themselves, something for them to contemplate, and something that made the appointment worth coming to.

I take a Health at Every Size approach and specialize in anxiety, bipolar, body dysmorphia, depression, disordered eating, dual diagnosis, gender affirming care, gender dysphoria, relationship concerns, personality disorders, PTSD, sex/intimacy concerns and substance use/addiction. I am a pre-licensed counselor working on obtaining my LPC.

Education

Master’s in Community Trauma Counseling from Thomas Jefferson University
Bachelors in Psychology from Thomas Jefferson University

About Me

I identify as trans, FTM (female to male) and you will likely find me drinking coffee or some form of caffeine at any point during the day. I’ve always enjoyed art, writing, and music (mostly indie and alternative with a little bit of punk rock), while also cherishing my solo and quiet time. My cat, Romeo, always keeps me company and when he’s not biting my hands he’s sleeping on my lap while I watch The Office or Bob’s Burgers.

Growing up, I was often the ‘therapist friend’ that people would come to just to talk about their life and the things that were bothering them (with varying levels of severity). As I got older and learned about human behavior, cognition, memory and how the mind works, it solidified my feelings of wanting to listen and help others professionally. Before joining the team at Arrive, I worked at medical clinic where I counseled women trying to recover from substance use while they also battled homelessness, food insecurity, mental health crises and extensive trauma (both past and ongoing).

Ages

Teens – Adults

Focus

Anxiety
Bipolar
Body dysmorphia
Depression
Disordered eating
Dual diagnoses
Gender affirming care
Gender dysphoria
Relationship concerns
Personality disorders
PTSD
Sex and intimacy concerns
Substance use/addiction

Modalities

CBT (assessing the main areas of distress or dysfunction and changing how these problems are being cognitively processed by challenging your negative thought patterns, emotions, and behavior to effectively cope with symptoms brought on from mental health conditions)
DBT (expanding your window of tolerance by practicing skills and techniques to manage uncomfortable or upsetting emotions by strengthening your ability to sit in discomfort, cope, accept what is out of your control, and make positive behavioral changes for what IS within your control)
Narrative Therapy (looking at your life from a birds-eye view to follow patterns of behavior, notice inconsistencies and allow you to see yourself from an “outside” perspective to inform decision making and encourage self-analysis)
Person Centered (your autonomy and goals are the main priority in sessions, empowering you to make decisions, bring up topics at your own pace and allowing you to steer the session based on your needs and values)
Psychodynamic (exploring your conscious beliefs and feelings while simultaneously analyzing inconsistencies between motivation and behavior to better help you uncover any underlying emotions, memories or believes that may be contributing to cyclical self-sabotaging behavior, unresolving issues and patterns of ‘symptom swapping’)
Trauma Informed Therapy (understanding how traumatic experiences have impacted your understanding of the world, the people in it, and how you “function” in response to these perceptions)

*Health at Every Size aligned

Oliver U., MA

Fees w/ Karen J. (she/they)