The Intentional Clinician: Psychology, Philosophy, Therapy, & Change

Dr. Edward James III and Paul Krauss MA LPC discuss the importance of using prevention methods in your relationship. Dr. Edward discussed many communication ideas for couples looking to repair or deepen their connection. Dr. Edward discusses his experience as a therapist and professor in this episode of the Intentional Clinician. In addition, Dr. Edward discusses the "Annual Relational Check Up" that he offers via tele-health or in person.

Dr. Edward James III  DSW, MSW, ACSW, LMSW is a Social Worker/Marriage Therapist/Life Coach as well as an Organizational and Educational Consultant in Scottsdale, Arizona.

You can contact Dr. Edward James on Psychology Today.

Dr. Edward James can be contacted on Black Therapists in AZ.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"Fight for Love" from 11 by SAULT (Spotify)

"My Love Mine All Mine" from The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski (Spotify)

Paul Krauss MA LPC speaks with Kelly Benzin LMSW and Brittani Decess LPC about Non-monogamous Relationships and the Importance of Communication. The conversation covers many aspects including: Myths and Facts of Non-monogamous Relationships, Important Terminology, Intersectionality, Judgements and Stereotypes, Cultural Bias, Intersectional Lens, Safety, Weaponizing Non-monogamy, Jealousy, Communication, etc. 

For further exploration:

Books

• Polysecure by: Jessica Fern

Podcasts

• Multiamory

Instagram and/or TikTok

• @chillpolyamory

Kelly Benzin, LMSW is therapist serving clients in Grand Rapids, MI. She focuses on working with women, the LGBTQIA + community, and those in non monogamous relationships. Kelly works through a Feminist Theory lens and how the current systems in our society impact our community’s mental health. She is a trauma informed and EMDR trained clinician, as well as a self identified Relationship Anarchist. 

Brittani Decess, LPC is a mental health therapist at Health For Life Counseling and has been practicing since September 2021.  Brittani identifies as a queer cis-gendered white female and uses she/her pronouns . Brittani has worked with a variety of individuals and families across the life span using talk and creative therapies to aid clients in healing and processing. Brittani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy and a Master’s Degree in Counseling with a focus on Marriage, Couples, and Families. Brittani is also continuing training in EMDR techniques and Couples Therapy Modalities. Brittani has several years of trauma-informed work including facilitating a Cognitive-Behavoral-Therapy curriculum to youth in court system, being a public speaker and educator on topics related to sexual assault and domestic violence, and counseling children, teens, and caregivers moving through the adoption and foster care system before coming to Health for Life Counseling- Ada, MI. Brittani specializes in topics and issues related to lifespan changes/transitions, trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship dynamics (couples, families, and other relationship groupings), attachment, communication, self-esteem, LGBTQ+ experiences , sexuality and intimacy, and impacts of unhelpful social narratives. Brittani approaches therapy by working towards processing the meaning of experiences by exploring the intersectionality of cultural identities and how connections to people, places, and events have impacted the client(s) mental health and other areas most important to them.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. You can find Paul on Insight Timer. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"Cherry Colored Funk" from Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins (Spotify)

"Heaven or Las Vegas" from Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins (Spotify)

Paul Krauss MA LPC and Stephen Whiteside PhD, LP speak about how parents and caregivers can learn to play an important role in helping decrease anxiety and OCD symptoms in children. Stephen Whiteside has authored a new book entitled "Anxiety Coach: A Parent’s Guide to Treating Childhood Anxiety and OCD."  Dr. Whiteside's book gives parents and caregivers an entire outline of what constitutes clinical levels of anxiety and OCD and what is normal in childhood development. He then explains many different types of treatments that are available and especially the current research on exposure therapy. Through reading this book, parents and caregivers can not only locate the most appropriate care of their child, they can also learn to assist their child in gaining confidence and possibly lowering their symptoms as well.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate / Share with your network

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. You can find Paul on Insight Timer. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"Adrifting" from Casio Jazz by Kelley Stoltz (Bandcamp)

Paul Krauss MA LPC shares the unedited audio of his interview with NBC 12 News in Phoenix, AZ. Paul Krauss MA LPC was asked to give a few quotes about the growing violence that Phoenix is experiencing due to gangs of youths forming in the suburbs and beating up (and filming) other teenagers.  NBC 12 was particularly interested in the National Violence Prevention Hotline that Paul is working on creating.

Some segments of audio that were recorded professional by NBC 12 may be used in upcoming segments. The audio for this podcast was recorded by Paul and he was not able to use a professional microphone.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"May Ninth" from A LA SALA by Khruangbin (Spotify)

Merle Yost, LMFT and Paul Krauss MA LPC speak about how to go beyond recovery from trauma, depression, and anxiety---and actually how to become empowered and live your life with enjoyment. Merle Yost is a major advocate for people going beyond the "unstuck" paradigm and owning their power as they move into their next phase of the journey.

Merle believes in his mission so much, that he is offering his book FOR FREE to listeners of the Intentional Clinician. Just please give us a rating on your podcast app and then claim your free gift BELOW.

Facing the Truth of Your Life by Merle Yost, LMFT <--(Free GIFT DOWNLOAD)

Merle Yost, LMFT writes, speaks, and consults full-time. After 25 years in private practice as a psychotherapist, he is now a lecturer and consultant, and provides intensives, helping individuals move past their grief and make meaning of their life. After more than 35 years of working both personally and professionally, Merle has used his expertise and experience to aid others.

The theme of all his books is improving people's lives. Merle is dedicated to carrying on with his instruction and self-education initiatives.

Merle's personal recovery journey shaped his great faith in people's ability to recover and take back control of their lives, as well as his intense empathy for the emotional suffering they endure.

You can find out more about Merle on his website, merleyost.com , and about his workshop, Unspoken Boundaries, at unspokenboundaries.com. If you’d like to reach out to him, you can email him at [email protected] , and you can find him on Instagram @loveyost. Merle is a writer, speaker, and consultant. He also does Intensive trauma work as a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist In California, which you can also learn about on his website. He is also the author of six books, his last one Facing the Truth of Your Life; you can find links to them on his website, merleyost.com , and Amazon.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"This Time Around" from Quiet Signs by Jessica Pratt (Spotify)

"World on a String" from Here in the Pitch by Jessica Pratt (Spotify)

Dr. Melanie Joy, PhD speaks with Paul Krauss MA LPC about her new book How to End Injustice Everywhere: Understanding the Common Denominator Driving All Injustices.  Melanie's How to End Injustice Everywhere shows the underlying denominator driving all types of injustice and provides an assessment of unjust structures and behaviors, as well as practical techniques to help increase awareness, eliminate infighting, and develop more resilient and successful justice movements. She explains that all injustices, including racism, patriarchy, animal exploitation, environmental degradation, and domestic abuse, have one common denominator: relational dysfunction, or dysfunctional ways of relating to other people, social groups, nonhuman animals, and the environment. This is an interesting discussion that discusses something so simple, yet so difficult to change: human relationships and the way that systems function relationally. 

Also discussed: Relational dysfunction, forms of injustice, different mentalities, toxic communication, non-relational mentality, how are we being socialized, changing our thinking, reduce infighting, produce more equitable social justice movements, producing healthier systems, polyvagal theory, integrity, dignity, morale values, practices, compassion, caring, justice, the golden rule, humanistic perspectives, etc. 

Dr. Melanie Joy is an award-winning psychologist specializing in the psychology of oppression. A longtime advocate for justice, she was a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts for 11 years, has written seven books, and is a recipient of the Ahimsa Award—previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela—for her work on global nonviolence. She’s also the founding president of the international NGO Beyond Carnism. Melanie's work is a call for anyone working toward justice for humans, animals, or the environment to unify behind a shared “metamission” of creating a more relational world. Her book provides an empowering and unique approach to ending injustice, and it offers not only an examination of non relational systems and behaviors, but also practical tools to help raise awareness, reduce infighting, and build more resilient and impactful justice movements.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

“Prayer of Peace” by Beautiful Chorus (Spotify)

From early labels like “kindergartner” or “English-language learner” to later designations such as “honor roll student,” how do categories assigned in school affect a young person’s life? Paul Krauss MA LPC speaks with Dr Emily K Penner and Dr Andrew M Penner about their new book “Schooled and Sorted: How Educational Categories Create Inequality.” 

Schooled and Sorted: How Educational Categories Create Inequality, a new book by Andrew M. Penner, UC Irvine professor of sociology; Emily K. Penner, UCI associate professor of education; and Thurston Domina, professor of educational policy and organizational leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Also discussed: What messages are students getting from their schools when they are divided into categories, what types of categories are there, Who makes the decisions that affect students, the history of schooling in the United States, social categories, instructional categories, a trauma-informed perspective, contradictions, how can educational institutions make more equitable choices, some examples of problematic categories in education that tend to advantage some students over others, What practical steps can higher education practitioners take to address issues of inequality stemming from educational categories & sorting, etc. 

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

“Show Me How” from Oncle Jazz by Men I Trust (Spotify)

“Sugar” from Untourable Album by Men I Trust (Spotify)

Barbara Lane speaks with Paul Krauss MA LPC about her extraordinary true story of living in the foster care system, suffering abuse, healing, and reuniting with her sisters after 43 years of separation.

• At three, orphan life with my sisters wasn't bad--it was basically all I knew. Love filled the void left by our parents. But our separation shattered that love and we were lost in the system and separated for most of our lives. The pain lingered for 43 years until a miraculous discovery and reunion occurred. "Broken Water" tells my story - surviving foster care abuse while searching for my sisters. It's a journey of reunion, shared histories of hardship, and a testament to resilience, sisterhood, and faith.

• In her writing, Rev. Barbara Lane incorporates her experiences as a foster kid, educator, ministerial counselor, speaker, entrepreneur, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and author. Barbara de-stigmatizes the fate of child abuse survivors by sharing her own story, which inspired her to create "Broken Water." In addition to her 25 years of experience working as a ministerial counselor in private practice, Barbara is inspired to share her knowledge of related topics by her education in human development, social sciences, and family psychology with a focus on child abuse. These topics include the family, family separation, the foster care system, attachment and bonding, child maltreatment, relationship formation, the human spirit's resiliency, healing from trauma, and the strength that comes from believing in a force bigger than oneself. 

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"Time (You and I) " from Mordechai by Khruangbin (Spotify)

Brittani Decess, LLPC speaks with Paul Krauss MA LPC about the importance of relationship counseling programs for the LGBTQIA+ community in the lives of those involved in a relationship as well as the community that surrounds them. Brittani and Paul discuss the current offerings of a Premarital & Commitment Relationship Counseling Program for LGBTQIA+ Couples and a Healthy Relationship Dynamics program for LGBTQIA + Couples (for those who have been together for a time).  Also discussed: What each program entails, why they can be effective, the research surrounding couples therapy in the LGBTQIA+ community, why health insurance doesn't cover couples counseling, Research and Literature by Julie Tilsen and Joe Kort, Drs. Julie and John Gottman's love lab, existential couples therapy, solution-focused couples therapy, and more.

• All Relationship Programs at Health for Life Counseling in Grand Rapids, MI are listed here.

• How many queer folks want examples of healthy queer relationships, instead of toxic ones? In the 1990s a lot of the movies involved one of the members of a queer couple dying. 

• Little to no premarital counseling programs designed for queer relationships in the Grand Rapids, MI area

Brittani Decess, LLPC is a mental health therapist at Health For Life Counseling and has been practicing since September 2021.  Brittani identifies as a queer cis-gendered white female and uses she/her pronouns . Brittani has worked with a variety of individuals and families across the life span using talk and creative therapies to aid clients in healing and processing. Brittani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy and a Master’s Degree in Counseling with a focus on Marriage, Couples, and Families. Brittani is also continuing training in EMDR techniques and Couples Therapy Modalities. Brittani has several years of trauma-informed work including facilitating a Cognitive-Behavoral-Therapy curriculum to youth in court system, being a public speaker and educator on topics related to sexual assault and domestic violence, and counseling children, teens, and caregivers moving through the adoption and foster care system before coming to Health for Life Counseling- Ada, MI. Brittani specializes in topics and issues related to lifespan changes/transitions, trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship dynamics (couples, families, and other relationship groupings), attachment, communication, self-esteem, LGBTQ+ experiences , sexuality and intimacy, and impacts of unhelpful social narratives. Brittani approaches therapy by working towards processing the meaning of experiences by exploring the intersectionality of cultural identities and how connections to people, places, and events have impacted the client(s) mental health and other areas most important to them.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"Jackson" from Full Coverage, Vol 1. by Trixie Mattel ft. Orville Peck (Spotify)

"Breath" from ALGORHYTHM by Todrick Hall (Spotify)

Brittani Decess, LLPC speaks with Paul Krauss MA LPC about the importance of relationship counseling programs in the lives of those involved in a relationship as well as the community that surrounds them. Brittani and Paul discuss the current offerings of a Premarital Counseling Program and a Relationship Maintenance Counseling Program (for those who have been together for a time).  Also discussed: What each program entails, why they can be effective, the research surrounding couples therapy, why health insurance doesn't cover traditional couples counseling, Drs. Julie and John Gottman's love lab, existential couples therapy, solution-focused couples therapy, and more.

• All Relationship Programs at Health for Life Counseling in Grand Rapids, MI are listed here.

• How many adults out there wish that their parents had enrolled in a relationship counseling program?

Brittani Decess, LLPC is a mental health therapist at Health For Life Counseling and has been practicing since September 2021.  Brittani identifies as a queer cis-gendered white female and uses she/her pronouns . Brittani has worked with a variety of individuals and families across the life span using talk and creative therapies to aid clients in healing and processing. Brittani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy and a Master’s Degree in Counseling with a focus on Marriage, Couples, and Families. Brittani is also continuing training in EMDR techniques and Couples Therapy Modalities. Brittani has several years of trauma-informed work including facilitating a Cognitive-Behavoral-Therapy curriculum to youth in court system, being a public speaker and educator on topics related to sexual assault and domestic violence, and counseling children, teens, and caregivers moving through the adoption and foster care system before coming to Health for Life Counseling- Ada, MI. Brittani specializes in topics and issues related to lifespan changes/transitions, trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship dynamics (couples, families, and other relationship groupings), attachment, communication, self-esteem, LGBTQ+ experiences , sexuality and intimacy, and impacts of unhelpful social narratives. Brittani approaches therapy by working towards processing the meaning of experiences by exploring the intersectionality of cultural identities and how connections to people, places, and events have impacted the client(s) mental health and other areas most important to them.

• Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3)

• Donate

• Looking for excellent medical billing services? Check out Therapist Billing Services. A behavioral and mental health billing service developed by therapists for therapists.

Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress) as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433. 

If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.

For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization.

Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids:

Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

 Original Music:

”Alright" from the forthcoming album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)

"Unforgettable" from Unforgettable by Nat King Cole (Spotify)

"I'm Glad There is You" from When You're Away by Carmen McRae (Spotify)