Order up for a “frustrated, angsty, stuck, utterly perplexed dude?” Caution advised; content is hot.

Caleb Keller, Licensed Mental Health Counseling Associate (LMHCA), WA

My Quirks

I don’t prescribe to the notion of therapy where I am the all-knowing master and you are a bumbling padawan. I also don’t counsel in a way where I am only a shell merely reiterating what you say for 50 minutes and calling that work. Although I am a therapist, I am also a person. Here are some factoids about me:

• Raised in Oregon and lover of all things PNW: the vistas, the food, the beer, the “relaxed” vibes, the Blazers, the “weirdness.” I’m all about it

• Been married for four years to my lovely wife Alexis. She is an incredibly talented and gifted researcher and her dance moves are unrivaled west of the Mississippi

• Huge and I mean huge gamer. Presently getting engrossed in the meta and complexity of Overwatch but back in the old days played Rocket League, Halo, Gears of War, and many more

• The gaming extends to the board game scene as well. Getting more and more acquainted with DnD with time but love the games that require hours and hours of learning

• Big hooper. Never did get my ball handling skills up to snuff but in all humility, I do indeed make it rain from 3, always

• Slowly trying my hand at expanding my cooking prowess. I’m no Michelin or Gordon Ramsey type, but I do love making sauces, marinades, and so on (especially buffalo sauce)

• Really, really love to write. There’s a writings section on this website, but I also have a separate blog along with my ongoing writing of an epic fantasy series which one day (one day) I’ll finish.

My Values

I believe in the power of understanding and compassion as the basis for any therapeutic work to… well… work. Simply put, I am convinced my part to play in the therapeutic process is to understand what others previously did not understand and to grant compassion to places where previously you received guilt at best and shame at worst.

What can be utterly confusing for men in our day and age is how to be one’s self and not feel like a misogynist per one group and a total wuss on the other. Some guys are extroverts, others introverted. Some like the rugged rough and tumble outdoorsy stuff; others like the bookish, nerdy, intellectual stuff (that’s my shtick). There’s so much to being a guy that gets royally left unsaid; one of the biggest therapy outcomes I hope for in our work is that all of that shit FINALLY gets said; the good, the bad, and especially that ugly.

I myself subscribe to the Christian faith tradition but my true, honest desire is to work with any clients on any stage of faith exploration/confusion/angst/curiosity. The American Counseling Association prohibits clinicians imposing values and while it is always best practice (and a sign of a good counselor) to pursue what clients want to pursue, I thought it wise to acknowledge upfront what I believe in my personal worldview.

Theoretically, I adhere to the Narrative Therapy framework, which at its core is about helping individuals “re-author” their stories. In the context of masculinity, this would mean “de-authoring” previously labels such as wimp, girly, insufficient, inadequate, cowardly, and so on. Looking at these labels, our work then becomes examining them once more, with a more rigorous, thorough, honest, yet also hopeful lens, describing the kind of man you’d like to be and us doing our part to help you get there.

As a contracted therapist with Mindful Therapy Group, my clientele focus is with Teens, Adults, Spiritual Trauma, ASD, and ADHD. Mindful Therapy Group is committed to compassionate care and evidence-based approaches, aligning seamlessly with my dedication to helping individuals achieve lasting mental well-being through our collaborative sessions.