I’m a psychotherapist based in Boulder, Colorado.

I specialize in supporting people navigating the effects of trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges.

My Approach

I use an evidence-based psychodynamic approach to support individuals, couples, and groups.

Together, we explore conscious and unconscious dynamics influencing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and create room for growth and change.

You can learn more about psychodynamic practice and who might be a good fit for this therapeutic approach here.

About Me

I began my career as a staff member to a Democratic U.S. Senator in Washington, DC. After nearly four years on Capitol Hill - and a concussion that launched a journey of healing and self-discovery - I left my job in politics and returned to school to pursue a passion for mental health, human development, and self-reflection.

I started my Colorado practice after completing clinical training at Harvard University, where I provided psychodynamic support to undergraduate and graduate students, including students marginalized on account of gender, race, and sexuality, and young adults recovering from traumatic experiences.

Before Harvard, I completed clinical training at Painted Brain — a Los Angeles-based non-profit addressing community mental health challenges and social injustice through art, advocacy, and entrepreneurship — where I supported low-income and unhoused clients in California.

I hold an MSW from the Smith College School for Social Work and a BA from American University. I am authorized by the state of Colorado to provide clinical mental health support under SWC credential #2364.

I invite you to follow and subscribe to me on Substack to learn more about the teachers, thinkers, and other people who inform my work.

Supervision

My supervising clinician is Katherine Ward, LCSW, JD, who provides consultation to improve the quality of care I deliver to my clients.

Katherine has been a psychotherapist for the past 30 years, following what she calls an "early midlife crisis," that led her to leave the practice of law and pursue her interest in psychology.

She has been in private practice for over 25 years, first in the Washington, DC-area and for the past 20 years in Boulder, CO.

Before establishing her private practice, she worked with hospitalized patients and counseled students at Georgetown University.

Katherine holds an MSW from the Smith College School for Social Work and a JD from Yale Law School.

More about my approach

I use an individualized psychodynamic approach to help you increase awareness of conscious and unconscious patterns, identify and use your strengths, learn new coping skills, improve your communication, and create lasting changes in perception and behavior.

Together, we identify challenges you’re facing, develop goals for our work, and use the therapeutic relationship itself as a launching pad for change.

My approach to therapy is rooted in the belief that humans are oriented toward meaning and self-actualization. I practice with the stance that you deserve someone who can listen to you without judgement and see you for who you are, and I value warmth, gentleness, and compassion in our work together.

I use a psychodynamic approach informed by trauma-informed practices, liberation health, humanistic psychology, and various other schools and wisdom traditions. My work is also influenced by the therapists, guides, and teachers who have supported me along the way.

  • Psychodynamic therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic approach that helps clients develop insight into conscious and unconscious thoughts, emotions, and behaviors influenced by life experiences, and create room for growth and change.

    Psychodynamic practice can be applied to individuals, couples, and groups, including family units.

    The psychodynamic approach relies on the interpersonal relationship between the therapist and the client or clients.

    People who have the capacity to be self-reflective and who are looking to develop insights into their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are best suited to this type of therapy.

    You can learn more about psychodynamic psychotherapy here.

  • Trauma-informed care recognizes the impact of trauma on clients’ lives and seeks to create safe and supportive environments for healing and recovery.

    My approach to trauma-informed care includes collaborating with clients, offering different options for treatment, and avoiding practices and policies that might activate feelings associated with traumatic experiences.

    I try to be as transparent as possible with clients. My process is to:

    (1) establish safety and trust with you;

    (2) conduct an assessment of how past experiences are impacting your current well-being;

    (3) support you with processing traumatic memories, when you feel ready;

    (4) identify defense mechanisms and potentially unhelpful coping strategies;

    (5) work through transference and countertransference in our therapeutic relationship;

    (6) promote insight and integration.

    If you have any questions or concerns, I welcome you to contact me: joe@joereidpsychotherapy.com.

  • Humanistic psychology emphasizes our inherent potential for growth and self-actualization.

    A humanistic approach to therapy accepts the whole person and views individuals as complex, unique, and interconnected with all other elements of the natural world.

    Humanistic therapy aims to create a supportive and empathetic environment where individuals can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and make choices that align with their own unique values.

  • I support clients interested in developing self-care strategies and coping skills to navigate hard moments.

    “Self-care” includes any behavior that supports your mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual well-being.

    Together, we support your involvement in things you already enjoy doing, and strengthen your ability to draw joy, meaning, and fulfillment from the activities and relationships that are important to you.

  • I support clients interested in starting or developing a mindfulness practice.

    Mindfulness practices are techniques to cultivate present-moment awareness and cultivate a non-judgmental attitude toward thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

    Some common mindfulness practices include meditation, yoga, and noticing sights, scents, and sounds in nature.

    I work with clients to draw conscious attention to the things they already enjoy, and do my best to infuse mindful self-compassion into our work together.

  • The liberation health model is a theory of human behavior that conceptualizes the challenges facing clients within the context of economic, political, cultural, and historical conditions.

    This method of practice helps people develop insight into the personal, cultural, and institutional factors that contribute to their challenges or impact their well-being and act to change these conditions.

High Quality, Online Therapy

I offer online sessions to clients who’d like to meet and can’t travel to my Boulder office.