A few of the questions I hear most often. If you have one that isn’t answered here, text me and we’ll talk it through.
701 NE 136th Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98684.
That’s right across the street from the Firstenburg Community Center, just south of WinCo.
Both.
In-person sessions take place at my Vancouver office. Online sessions are available for clients located in Washington state.
You can call or text to schedule a consultation. We’ll briefly talk about what’s going on and see if this approach is a good fit for you.
Yes. I’m in network through Alma and Headway.
Private pay is also an option if you’d prefer to work outside of insurance.
My primary work is with married men in recovery from compulsive pornography use and sex addiction. I also work with partners navigating betrayal trauma, after a brief screening to make sure it’s the right fit.
Beyond that focus, I work with adults of any background who want to learn the Kirutz method and build a more grounded, peaceful way of relating to their lives.
Kirutz (pronounced “Key Roots”) reflects the focus of this work. “Ki” (pronounced key) is Japanese for tree, and “rutz” is phonetic for roots. Together, it literally means tree roots. That’s intentional.
Kirutz is about working at the foundation of your emotional experience, not just what shows up on the surface. Think of it like a tree. The roots represent the subconscious, what you don’t immediately see. The canopy represents your conscious thoughts and behaviors, what shows up in daily life.
Most people try to change the canopy: their reactions, their habits, their emotions. But those are the result of something deeper. We first become aware of things consciously. Over time, those patterns are conditioned into the subconscious. From there, they begin to drive automatic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, often without you realizing it. That process repeats over and over again.
Kirutz focuses on going beneath the surface, to the roots, where real change begins.
Traditional therapy often focuses on talking through problems, processing emotions, and learning ways to cope. That can be helpful. But for many people, the same patterns keep coming back.
Kirutz takes a different approach. Instead of focusing mainly on the situation or the emotion, we focus on what’s underneath it: the beliefs and thought patterns creating the experience. Most approaches work at the surface, managing the canopy. Kirutz works at the root level. When those patterns are seen clearly and questioned, the emotional response begins to change naturally.
Sessions are active and focused. We establish what you want to experience, like peace, and use that as your emotional compass. We look at real stressful situations and identify the beliefs driving them. Then we question those beliefs: Were they accurate? Did they create peace or stress? If you want peace, is there a good reason to keep thinking that way?
At the same time, we work with the body, learning to calm physical tension. Over time, clearer thinking and a calmer body come together, and your reactions begin to change.
Yes, but not to dwell on it. We look at past moments to understand how you interpreted them and how those interpretations are still shaping your experience. You are never forced to talk about anything you don’t want to.
You’ll learn tools. This isn’t just conversation. The goal is to develop emotional skills you can use in real life.
No. This isn’t about adopting a philosophy or agreeing with a set of ideas. Everything in Kirutz is meant to be observed and tested in your own experience. If something is true, you’ll see it for yourself.
Over time, you’ll begin to experience a level of inner peace and steadiness that feels new to you. Not because your life becomes perfect, but because you relate to it differently. As you learn the skills in this process, you don’t lose them. It’s similar to learning how to ride a bike. And as you apply them in real situations, you become more clear, grounded, and consistent. This isn’t about a temporary state. It’s about building something that lasts.
This is not a quick fix. It’s a cognitive overhaul, a shift in how you understand and relate to your experience.
How quickly you see change depends on how much you engage between sessions: reflection, writing, meditation and awareness, applying the tools in real situations. Most people notice meaningful shifts early. But consistency takes time and practice. This becomes an ongoing way of living, not because you need therapy forever, but because you’re continuing to apply what works.
Yes, but not because life becomes easy. It’s because your relationship to what’s happening changes. I used to stay angry for weeks at a time. Now, when I get upset, it passes much more quickly, often within an hour. The situations haven’t changed. My experience of them has. That’s the shift.
Life circumstances matter. But your experience of them is shaped by how you interpret them. You don’t always control what happens, but you can change how you relate to it. And that changes everything.
No. Life is real. But your experience of life is created through perception and interpretation. That’s where change becomes possible.
No. If anything, it leads to better action. Instead of reacting from stress or frustration, you act from clarity.
I have a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and have spent over 9 years working with individuals and couples. I’ve worked extensively with families facing significant relational and emotional challenges.
In addition to formal training, I bring what I call “the school of life” – personal experience working through the same kinds of struggles many of my clients face.
