Bjanikka Ben (She/They)

My Approach to Helping

I graduated from Lewis & Clark College for Professional Mental Health Counseling and utilize social justice framework and a trauma informed lens. I believe in challenging and shifting old narratives that may not be serving you in your day to day life. I think it is important to help you identify parts of yourself that may be wounded in order to help you heal and gain resilience in yourself. I also believe in the human and animal bond and its ability to heal. With that being said, I have a golden retriever puppy named Wednesday who is training to be a service animal and will eventually train to be a therapy animal, so you may see her in sessions.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

A Beginner's Mind Counseling approaches healing through the lens of curiosity, non-judgement, growth and learning. Allowing individuals to engage in a journey of self discovery where all parts of themselves can equally be felt, seen and heard. I think it is important to foster a capacity for change which helps to shift our unhealthy narratives in order to understand maladaptive behaviors and their roots. By doing so we can actively engage in the healing process because time does not heal, it only creates distance.