Joseph Van Dorf
ABOUT ME:
I hold a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of St. Thomas, and I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the state of Minnesota (LPCC #cc04571) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC #1736771). I view psychotherapy as an invitation into a collaborative relationship that can facilitate a life-long process of personal growth and self-discovery.
For many people, painful symptoms or difficult relationship patterns create the initial impulse to seek therapy, and at the beginning the desire for relief is a powerful motivator to keep returning. The primary insight of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, though, is that symptoms are meaningful communications from unconscious parts of ourselves calling out for a different kind of attention. In time, the focus begins to shift toward developing a new relationship with these parts, fostering curiosity and compassion for your inner experiences
and for the necessary adaptations you have made throughout life to ensure your needs were met and you remained safe. As we look together at the roots of your difficulties, insights will develop into the ways that old solutions have been perpetuated in the present and new possibilities for more satisfying ways of being will begin to emerge.
My work is informed by contemporary psychoanalytic theory and existential-humanistic therapy approaches. I work with adults in individual therapy from a variety of backgrounds and identities. In my experience, many kinds of people find benefit from my therapeutic approach. In particular, I specialize in working with people who are experiencing difficulties in intimacy and connection within their relationships, with men, and with members of the LGBTQ+ community. I have also found that artists, writers, musicians, performers, and other creative types are often well-suited to my approach.
BACKGROUND
I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in English literature from Bethel University. Prior to beginning my career as a psychotherapist, I spent over a decade working in residential and community-based settings with adults experiencing long-term mental health needs and as a systems administrator and data analyst for a mental health non-profit. I came to Core Psychotherapy while in graduate school to complete my master’s practicum experience. In 2022 I received my master’s in counseling psychology from the University of St. Thomas, and afterward I began working here at Core full time. When I am not at work, I enjoy reading, cooking, spending time in nature, and trying to help plants grow.
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. “Through the shelter of each other, people survive.”
