“Before becoming a talk therapist, I planned to teach high school English. Both are honorable professions (a few of the people I love most in this world were teachers), but a few specific differences between teaching and counseling ultimately clarified my decision and some of the ways I believe therapy works to help people. In therapy, there’s no curriculum, only what clients bring into the room, which allows me to remain fully present and responsive to them. Therapy also offers a rare kind of privacy where silence is welcome, there are no expectations to perform, and clients can feel safe enough to share something deeply personal. In this setting, you are an expert about yourself. I am privileged to be a talk therapist because it allows me to work in a way that fits exactly who I am, and how I relate with and prefer to serve others. It is very rewarding to hear “I’ve never told anyone that” or to witness the courage and generosity required for someone to make the choice to open up their life for consideration and appraisal.
It’s common for people considering whether to ask for help to make assumptions about therapy — and themselves. I know how hard it can be for me to ask for help in my own life. I don’t believe there is any problem too little or too big for therapy. You don’t need to fully understand the problem or how to talk about it, let alone have solutions in mind before beginning. That’s what therapy is for. And while you may have been able to endure difficult times all by yourself in the past, it doesn’t mean you should continue to have to.”
Because the quality of the therapist–client relationship is the strongest predictor of success, Gordon places particular emphasis on building an authentic, collaborative partnership grounded in earned trust, mutual respect, and shared humor and goals. He strives to create a space that feels consistently welcoming and nonjudgmental, and describes his style as relaxed enough to support openness, and direct enough to help clients roll up their sleeves and make meaningful headway. He lets his clients set the pace.
Gordon draws from a range of evidence-based approaches (e.g. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Process-Based Therapy, and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy) which he adapts to each client’s unique circumstances, preferences and needs. His practice is trauma-informed, attentive to cultural context and respectful of each client’s lived experience.
Gordon’s previous experience includes case management with unhoused and psychiatrically hospitalized members of the Grand Rapids community, and crisis response with corporate employees from across the country following critical workplace events (e.g. accidents, fatalities, armed robbery, the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay shooting). He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and a master’s degree in social work from Western Michigan University.
