Therapist Evan McGown Photo

Evan McGown, LMFT

Stress, Anxiety Trauma, Abuse Self esteem, Motivation Career difficulties Coping with life changes
Video Phone Live Chat Messaging

About me

As idealistic as it may sound, I do therapy to change the world. When we as individuals each become who we truly are and live our unique lives of irreplaceable purpose and passion, not only is the world made more whole and beautiful, but we each feel fulfilled, vibrantly alive and part of the interrelated magic of life. I believe the challenges we each face are what lead us to the most important breakthroughs and transformations into the true shape of our hearts. This is why I'm a therapist, because I get to help others turn adversity into opportunity, and post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth.

I also do therapy because I get the privilege of repeatedly experiencing the the depth and spontaneous beauty of the healing process, often leaving me and my clients in sheer awe. To me, therapy is like jazz, where extremely dedicated study and practice leads to artful improvised utilization of that training, where the custom-made moments become sparklingly alive with healing, and pregnant with new possibility. Carl Jung called this encountering the "unconscious," which is the source of both our disturbance and our healing, as well as where genuine insight and art comes from.

In our confidential sessions, I do my best to listen and respond to you as a unique and evolving person, continually. I want our sessions to feel like you are returning home to a safe abode that's just for you, where you can take a deep sigh, stop needing to be anything for anyone else, and just be yourself and receive support. I believe that the quality of the relationship with one's therapist is the most important factor in successful therapy, so in the first couple of sessions I want us to make sure it feels like a good fit for both of us, and that it feels like a relationship you can eventually trust and open up within.

I utilize what I have found to be the best evidence-based methods of Western therapy methods, including Internal Family Systems, Mindfulness, Jungian, Existential and Somatic Therapies, as well as utilize wisdom from indigenous and non-Western, multicultural perspectives. I have learned to trust nature and the wisdom of our bodies and emotions, and my primary goal is help clients learn to trust themselves and their own inner guidance.

Prior to being a therapist I was a nature-based wilderness educator, author and organization founder. For over 5 years now, I have served as a therapist in schools, in private practice seeing with the homeless as well as the affluent, and in a psychiatric hospital setting. I specialize in working with people with issues of anxiety, trauma recovery, life transition, and personal purpose.

A quote by San Francisco-based theologian Howard Thurman nicely sums up my approach: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Instead, ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." I believe we've all been traumatized in different forms and on different levels, and the tragic result of this is the loss of vitality and childlike play and wonder, a closing-up of our vulnerable aliveness due to the fear of being hurt again. I don't want you to just get through life; I want you to come alive. To me this is healing, this is the coming-home to ourselves we've been waiting for. If you want this, too, I'd be honored and excited to work with you.

Professional experience

5yrs in practice
Stress, Anxiety Trauma, Abuse Self esteem, Motivation Career difficulties Coping with life changes

Additional areas of focus: Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Anger management, Bipolar disorder, Depression, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, Attachment issues, Communication problems, Dissociation, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Multicultural Concerns, Post-traumatic stress, Self-love, Young Adult Issues

Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Existential Therapy, Gottman Method, Imago Relationship Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy

Services offered

Video
Phone
Live Chat
Messaging

License information

CA LMFT 117784