FAQ

225 Minnesota Ave, Paonia, CO 81428, in the historic Linden Building, just outside downtown.

Driving, walking, or biking through town all get you there without much effort, and it's quiet once you're inside.

A good deal of my work happens over video, and it's the same work.

We meet on a platform that meets HIPAA privacy requirements. You'll have the link beforehand, and clicking it is the entire setup.

What you need at your end is a door that closes and an hour where nobody needs you.

The first step is to reach out. You can call me at (612) 234-1265, email me, or use the contact form on this site. You do not need to prepare a summary of your history for our first contact; simply stating that you’ve read this page and would like to talk is enough. I will guide the conversation from there.

This is a brief, 15-minute conversation designed to help us determine if we are a good fit. You can share what is currently on your mind, ask questions about my approach, and get a sense of how I work. There is no charge for this call, and it is a low-pressure way to ensure you feel comfortable before committing to a session.

Fifty to fifty-five minutes, which is long enough to get into something real and come back out of it before you have to go be a person again.

I keep an eye on the clock so you don't have to.

Adults, one to one, mostly somewhere between their thirties and their sixties.

All genders and identities are welcome here, and LGBTQ+ clients make up a meaningful share of my caseload.

Disposition matters more here than diagnosis. The work goes best with people who want to do something with what we work out, not only understand it.

Couples and adolescents sit outside what I offer.

The overlap between complex trauma and neurodivergence. That intersection is the middle of my practice rather than the edge of it.

Most people who come to me found out they were autistic or ADHD well into adult life and are now working out what a lifetime of masking cost them and what it would take to stop.

No. Some people arrive with a formal diagnosis and a report. Others arrive with a strong suspicion and nothing on paper.

The patterns we'd be working on show up in a session either way.

Yes, over video. Testing is a separate piece of work from therapy, though plenty of people do one and then the other.

You'll end up with a description of how your attention behaves when the demands go up, and my honest read on the diagnostic question. People tend to make more decisions off the description than off the diagnosis.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy holds the structure. EMDR, somatic methods, and the Flash Technique are what I reach for inside it, chosen according to what's in the way.

In plain terms, we settle the old material that still fires in the present, and we pin down what you'd rather your life be organized around.

Our sessions are active and collaborative. Rather than just talking about your history, we work together to identify the patterns that keep you feeling stuck. Each session typically includes teaching, practice, and clear goals you can take with you. I always check in before introducing any new intervention, ensuring you feel empowered and in control of your healing process.

Yes, in the sense that you'll agree to test one specific thing before the next session and then tell me what happened.

The telling is where the work lands. An idea that made perfect sense in this room has to survive your real schedule and your real people before either of us knows anything about it.

EMDR is a core part of my trauma work, but it does not require you to narrate every detail of your past. I will provide a full explanation of how it works well before we begin, so you know exactly what to expect.

We often begin with the Flash Technique, which is a gentle way to lower the intensity of a memory without needing to focus on the trauma itself. This makes the work accessible and manageable, especially if you have spent years keeping certain experiences private.

The pace of our work is entirely up to you. We will always agree on our approach before beginning, and you have complete autonomy to pause or stop at any time. Your comfort and sense of safety are the most important parts of this process, and your boundaries are always respected.

Most of it runs somewhere between six months and a year. Trauma and neurodivergence both tend to need about that long to shift in a way that holds.

Shorter courses happen. When the thing bringing you in is one event rather than a childhood's worth of them, or panic by itself, three months is the more usual figure.

What sets the length is how much of your history is involved. You'll have my estimate from the 15-minute call, and you'll hear from me if it changes.

You'll spot it outside this room before you spot it in here.

A memory you used to steer around comes up, gets recalled, and leaves again with nothing attached to it. Plans get made without a rehearsal. People become friends at ordinary speed, and there's a working assumption underneath the week that whatever turns up next is something you can handle.

Our last stretch of sessions tends to run short on urgency. I'll say when I think we're close, and you're free to disagree with me.

A PhD in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and 30 years of practice since.

Teaching has run alongside it. I've been at Iowa State University since 1996, and doctoral students in psychotherapy and psychological testing have been part of my week for more than 25 years, which is a reliable way to stay honest about your own methods.

The training that matters most for what you're here for came later, in complex trauma and in neurodivergence, and I keep adding to it.

Yes, as a clinical psychologist in Colorado, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Those three states set where I can see you, in the office or over video. You'll need to be physically located in one of them at the time of the session.

Ask. You'll get a real answer to most of them.

When I decline one, I'll tell you I'm declining and why, so you're never left guessing what just happened. Then I'll probably want to know what made you curious, because the reason behind a question is usually the more interesting piece of information.

If you'd rather not go into that, say so and we'll leave it.

It is, and comfort was the only thing it had to be good at. I picked it for people who'd be sitting in it for an hour at a time doing difficult work.

If something about the room bothers you, say so. I'd rather change it than watch you spend the hour managing it.

Nobody here is going to tell you to sit up straight.

No. Nobody has done that since the movies decided it was a good visual.

Sit however you sit. Feet up, coat on, standing if sitting isn't working that day. Some people want the chair with arms, some want the corner of the couch, and some want to face slightly away from me while they talk, which is a perfectly sensible thing to want and something I'll never remark on.

If you are prone to tears, waterproof mascara is probably a practical choice. Crying is a natural and healthy part of this work; it often happens when we touch upon something significant for the first time. Please know that this is a safe, non-judgmental space where you are never being evaluated on your ability to 'hold it together.'

The softest and most reliable brand I can get hold of. I don't cut corners on that one.

I take this more seriously than it sounds. If you're already having the worst ten minutes of your month, your nose hurting afterward is an insult you don't need.

On video, tissue quality falls to you. Give it some thought.

I am a strong proponent of any tool that reduces 'executive load.' For many of us, if a system requires us to remember to use it, it will eventually fail. The apps that stay on my phone are the ones that do the heavy lifting for me – holding information and surfacing it exactly when I need it.

I also use tools to help me track my nervous system regulation. These are invaluable for noticing early warning signs – like tension or fatigue – before they become a larger problem. I encourage my clients to adopt this same principle: if a task relies on your memory, move it to a tool that doesn't get tired.

As for music apps, those are essential for my own downtime. They keep me honest about my timing when I’m playing guitar or banjo, which is a great way for me to step away from the work and practice being a beginner at something.

Spock. He vaporizes rock and mind melds scissors, which is two wins before you've had to be clever about anything.

I'll concede that Spock is also the most predictable choice on the board, and I've made my peace with that. Your turn. What did you throw?

I am a lover of both. In fact, one of my dogs and one of my cats are consistent fixtures in my office. They are excellent at providing a calm, grounding presence during our sessions.

You may occasionally see a cat tail pop up on screen if my cat decides to join me in my chair, or you might hear a dog sighing contentedly in the background. I find that their quiet companionship is a wonderful counterpoint to the deep work we do; a dog, for instance, will sit by your side for an hour without ever asking how that makes you feel. Given the nature of my work, I find that kind of uncomplicated presence to be incredibly restorative.

The fifteen-minute discovery call costs nothing and settles the one question that truly matters: whether we are the right fit to work together.

If you have other questions that aren't answered here, that call is the perfect place to ask them. You can reach me at (612) 234-1265 or email whp@timberlinepsych.com to get started.