Day Adams (he/him)

Narrative 

Narrative therapy is a collaborative, non-pathologizing therapeutic approach. Two central ideas of this approach are that people are separate from problems and that we make meaning, act, and relate based on the stories that we know about our lives and the world. I first met narrative therapy in my graduate program and have since done extended graduate-level narrative therapy development through the Evanston Family Therapy Center.

Feminist

To me, a feminist approach to therapy involves being aware and critical of power differences and the way that narrow and culturally-influenced ideas about our identities can negatively impact our wellbeing. I try to center often-marginalized voices and question what might seem like "common sense". I work hard to practice therapy as horizontally as possible, leaning on collaboration around direction, self-disclosure, and not pretending to have the best answers.

Relational 

I was educated and trained at Lewis & Clark to practice therapy in a relational way. To me that means always recognizing that we are not just individuals cut off from the world and acting in a vacuum. We are fundamentally in connection with others, from before birth until long after death, and that, more than anything else, is what gives our lives shape and meaning. I do my best to always honor and center that connectedness in the therapeutic relationship.

Relationship / Marriage Issues

Conflict exists in all relationships, but it can get disconnecting and distressing. Habits, expectations, and values all impact how we collaborate with the people we love. Through talk about how we experience these things with our partners, we open doors to being able to relate in preferred ways and reconnect. I also work individually with people who have engaged in affairs and want to understand and change those behaviors, as well as individuals concurrently in couples/relational therapy.

Men's Issues

Men face a particular array of challenges these days and we are prone to feeling isolated and burdened with expectations and uncertainty. It can be helpful to have a space to talk with another man and consider what we're up against and what might be done to live in preferred ways. It's my honor to hold space for men to share what's really on their hearts and minds and talk it through together.

Political Climate

This historical moment is a scary one for many people. I believe we take care of us and that therapy can play an influential role in how we orient and respond to what is happening. As a leftist and someone who has been involved in a variety of leftist organizing and political projects, I feel strongly about how personal and political struggles are interwoven and how acting collectively with others has a powerful influence on our own sense of agency and hope for a better future.

Family Conflict

Families bear all kinds of histories, as well as habits of living, communicating, and connecting. Not only this, but they must also grow and change together over time, as everyone involved is always in the process of "growing up". This can cause all manner of stuck or sore spots. Let's take the time to slow down, explore what has influenced the relationship to be the way it is and determine ways of being together through life's changes that feel more connective.

Personal Growth

Everybody grows and changes throughout their lives, sometimes in preferred ways and often in unexpected ways. There is a kind of power in exploring and learning how to make the kind of commitment and direct the kind of energy necessary to develop those areas of life that seem most vital.