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It's your time

To start feeling better. To get unstuck. To stop numbing. To heal your past. To own your part. To get your relationship back on track. To know what you stand for. To let love in. To ease the anxiety. To know you matter. To live with clarity. To like being you.

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Bret Hansen, AMFT

AMFT155624

​

Supervised by 

Mena Zaminsky, PSYD, LMFT

Hello and welcome

People come to therapy for all kinds of reasons—because something feels wrong, because they’re tired of feeling stuck, or because they’re ready to understand themselves more deeply. Whatever brought you here, this is a space to slow down, get honest with yourself, and begin making sense of what’s happening inside. Therapy is your time to reconnect with yourself and begin feeling better.

Services

Individual
therapy

Get unstuck, understand your emotional patterns, and move toward a life that feels more connected and purposeful.​

Couples
therapy

Understand your patterns, improve communication, and rebuild emotional connection in a steady, supportive space.​

Group
therapy

Explore how you relate to others and gain insight into the patterns that shape your interactions.

Specialties

Most people reach a point where something in their life feels confusing, heavy, or unsatisfying. I focus on core areas—identity, relationships, creativity, emotional resilience, anxiety, and life transitions—because these are the places where people often begin asking deeper questions about themselves

Identity
& Purpose

Clarify who you are and what matters to you when life feels uncertain or directionless.

Life

Transitions

Find clarity and stability as you adjust to changes that feel unfamiliar or unexpectedly difficult.

Connecting
& Belonging

Understand your relational patterns and build connections that feel safe, nourishing, and real.

Creative

Expression

Work through creative blocks, questions of artistic identity, and the pressures of balancing creativity with everyday life.

Emotional

Resilience

Develop a stronger, steadier relationship with your emotions—including sadness, anger, and anxiety.

Anxiety & Trauma

Address the lingering effects of early trauma and chronic anxiety that keep life feeling unsafe or overwhelming.

Therapy for Gay Men

Growing up in a world designed for straight people is a challenge. Growing up in a world designed for straight people is a challenge. Growing up in a world designed for straight people is a challenge. Growing up in a world designed for straight people is a challenge. 

My Approach

My approach integrates several therapeutic models, each offering a distinct lens for understanding how the mind moves through pain, growth, and change. Together, they help engage the emotional, cognitive, relational, and somatic dimensions of experience—so you can make sense of your inner world, deepen your self-understanding, and live with more clarity, connection, and choice.

 

In any given session, I may offer a reflection or interpretation, draw attention to a physical sensation, guide a visualization, or gently examine a belief that may be keeping you stuck. We might return to a formative moment or slow down to let an emotional experience fully emerge. Over time, the relationship itself becomes an active part of the work—a space where your story can be told, reexamined, and integrated.

 

When working with couples, I take an active stance—helping both partners feel seen while identifying and shifting patterns that block connection.

 

I welcome clients of all backgrounds and have particular experience working with gay men and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether you’re new to therapy or returning after time away, you’re welcome here.

  • Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
    Rooted in curiosity about the inner world, this approach explores unconscious patterns, formative relationships, and the deeper structures that shape how you love, think, defend, and desire. It invites insight and self-compassion. Learn more
  • Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
    AEDP focuses on accessing core emotional truths, especially those long buried beneath shame, fear, or defense. It helps transform suffering into resilience through emotional processing in the safety of a trusted relationship. Learn more.
  • Trauma Resiliency Model
    TRM brings in somatic awareness to support nervous system regulation. It offers concrete tools to help you track and shift internal states shaped by overwhelming experiences, without needing to retell or relive the trauma. Learn more
  • Emotion Focused Therapy
    Originally developed for couples and now adapted for individuals, EFT helps make sense of emotional cycles that keep you stuck. It supports you in building secure, responsive connections—with yourself and with the people who matter most. Learn more.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    ACT emphasizes psychological flexibility—the ability to stay connected to your values and take meaningful action, even in the presence of fear, grief, or uncertainty. It offers clear, usable tools for living with intention. Learn more.
  • What will people think if they know I’m going to therapy?
    ACT emphasizes psychological flexibility—the ability to stay connected to your values and take meaningful action, even in the presence of fear, grief, or uncertainty. It offers clear, usable tools for living with intention. Learn more.
  • How do I even start?
    Rooted in curiosity about the inner world, this approach explores unconscious patterns, formative relationships, and the deeper structures that shape how you love, think, defend, and desire. It invites insight and self-compassion. Learn more
  • What if therapy doesn’t work for me?
    TRM brings in somatic awareness to support nervous system regulation. It offers concrete tools to help you track and shift internal states shaped by overwhelming experiences, without needing to retell or relive the trauma. Learn more
  • Do I really need therapy?
    Originally developed for couples and now adapted for individuals, EFT helps make sense of emotional cycles that keep you stuck. It supports you in building secure, responsive connections—with yourself and with the people who matter most. Learn more.
  • Can’t I just handle this on my own?
    AEDP focuses on accessing core emotional truths, especially those long buried beneath shame, fear, or defense. It helps transform suffering into resilience through emotional processing in the safety of a trusted relationship. Learn more.
The following evidence-based modalities inform my approach:

Book a free consultation

Phone consultations are complimentary and last about 15 minutes. This is a chance to ask questions, share what you’re looking for, and get a sense of what it’s like to work with me. We can meet by phone or Zoom—whichever feels easier for you. 

Perspectives

Articles and resources to help you navigate life and learn more about therapy and other things in your life and everyone elses. 

New to therapy?

Starting therapy can feel strange—especially if you’re not sure what to expect. That’s okay. You don’t need to have the right words or a clear goal. Just showing up is enough to begin. If life feels a little out of sync—or harder than it should—we can start there. 

  • Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
    Rooted in curiosity about the inner world, this approach explores unconscious patterns, formative relationships, and the deeper structures that shape how you love, think, defend, and desire. It invites insight and self-compassion. Learn more
  • Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
    AEDP focuses on accessing core emotional truths, especially those long buried beneath shame, fear, or defense. It helps transform suffering into resilience through emotional processing in the safety of a trusted relationship. Learn more.
  • Trauma Resiliency Model
    TRM brings in somatic awareness to support nervous system regulation. It offers concrete tools to help you track and shift internal states shaped by overwhelming experiences, without needing to retell or relive the trauma. Learn more
  • Emotion Focused Therapy
    Originally developed for couples and now adapted for individuals, EFT helps make sense of emotional cycles that keep you stuck. It supports you in building secure, responsive connections—with yourself and with the people who matter most. Learn more.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    ACT emphasizes psychological flexibility—the ability to stay connected to your values and take meaningful action, even in the presence of fear, grief, or uncertainty. It offers clear, usable tools for living with intention. Learn more.
  • What will people think if they know I’m going to therapy?
    ACT emphasizes psychological flexibility—the ability to stay connected to your values and take meaningful action, even in the presence of fear, grief, or uncertainty. It offers clear, usable tools for living with intention. Learn more.
  • How do I even start?
    Rooted in curiosity about the inner world, this approach explores unconscious patterns, formative relationships, and the deeper structures that shape how you love, think, defend, and desire. It invites insight and self-compassion. Learn more
  • What if therapy doesn’t work for me?
    TRM brings in somatic awareness to support nervous system regulation. It offers concrete tools to help you track and shift internal states shaped by overwhelming experiences, without needing to retell or relive the trauma. Learn more
  • Do I really need therapy?
    Originally developed for couples and now adapted for individuals, EFT helps make sense of emotional cycles that keep you stuck. It supports you in building secure, responsive connections—with yourself and with the people who matter most. Learn more.
  • Can’t I just handle this on my own?
    AEDP focuses on accessing core emotional truths, especially those long buried beneath shame, fear, or defense. It helps transform suffering into resilience through emotional processing in the safety of a trusted relationship. Learn more.
Common questions people have when considering therapy
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