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My name is Travis Fortenberry, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and I practice in California. I have been fascinated with depth-oriented therapy, narrative therapy, and humanistic/existential therapy techniques as tools to connect with my clients in my practice. During my journey, I have received multiple trainings in mindfulness, dreamwork, sandplay therapy, and other holistic/alternative ways to help my clients.
My approach
My theoretical background is rooted in many concepts from Carl Jung and Carl Rogers and their contemporaries. I am most fascinated with the work of modern thinkers Thomas Moore and James Hillman. I focus on client dreams and narratives in session and use many of Thomas Moore's and Jame Hillman's theoretical frameworks for helping my clients.
My focus
I have had many rich experiences in my practicum and internship that allowed me to work with many different age and cultural groups about various problems they were facing. I currently work with clients 18 to 100 years old. Many of my clients suffer some form of grief or spiritual and/or artistic crisis that is manifested in their dreams and maladies in their waking lives. My ideal client will work with me to devote the majority of our time together focusing on processing and augmenting their dreams, reflecting on the dream world with an open and curious mind without having the goal of reaching a final interpretation. Some knowledge of depth-oriented psychology can be helpful but is not required.
My communication style
I create a relaxing and friendly environment during our sessions. I want clients to feel emotionally and intellectually engaged in our sessions without feeling of anxiety about doing the correct or most productive thing. I also like using creativity, spontaneity, and counterintuitive approaches during sessions in an attempt to offer an alternative perspective on a situation and experience conversation in a unique way. I may redirect clients at times, in order to avoid falling into familiar traps of the ego or getting caught in a cycle of "venting" difficult feelings related to conflict-riddled stories and refocus our discussion to a topic about a dream or new story that is filled with more hope and curiosity. Overall, I give the aura of being neutral and serene, which is my overall goal and focus as a practitioner of the sacred art of counseling.
