Benjamin Klaassen, M.S. 

I love being a therapist because sitting with someone and engaging in authentic relationships energizes me and brings me great fulfillment that I haven’t been able to experience elsewhere. This has grown deeper over time as I myself have grown more authentic.

I utilize an existential-humanistic approach of talk therapy. I believe you are responsible for the changes you wish to see in your life while my goal is to join you in your self-exploration as an understanding and non-judgmental guide. I do not claim to be an expert on life but come from a place of understanding since I’ve had my own challenges and dark periods.

Non-judgement and unconditional acceptance are key to having a therapeutic relationship. Without these things, it is impossible to get anywhere in therapy. It is my job to make sure that you, the client, are receiving these things from me always. I do this by welcoming any issue, concern, identity, and background into my room. I will not shirk away from any story and there is nothing that will scare me away. 

I may employ visualization with clients to help them work through stuck points and fears. I am also EMDR trained and may utilize EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help clients work through experiences of trauma and painful events. I have completed specific training to work with issues including addiction, trauma, identity, and transpersonal and mystical experiences and have experience working with professionals, achieving altered states of consciousness, and spiritual and religious issues. I love to work with emerging adults, young adults, and individuals. 

I believe: Growth can hurt but it’s worth it. Clients heal by courageously confronting themselves, their past, present, and future. Sometimes this means getting “real” with one’s self and acknowledging all aspects of one’s identity. Other times, this means processing through painful experiences from the past. Together, our mission is to discover what it means for you to heal and how to get there. I often quote the therapist Irvin Yalom: 

“Not yet does he understand that there is a my way and a his way, but that there is no “the” way”.  

Perhaps weird or quirky, but I will almost always talk about the character John Wick and the fictional world that character is set in. I think it is a masterpiece and I simply cannot get enough of it. Some of my hobbies include gardening and indoor plant care-taking, hiking and camping, cooking and watching cooking shows, riding my bicycle, playing video games, reading, mushroom hunting, and pestering my cat. I also enjoy anything I can sing along to. Some of my favorite artists are Penny and Sparrow, Frank Ocean, Incubus, Tool, A Perfect Circle, J Cole, Allen Stone, and Hozier.

I am excited to work at Mindful Path Counseling and Wellness because I get to work with others who share the vision of helping individuals achieve holistic health and wellness and believe in integrating the mind, body, and spirit. You can count on me to treat you with dignity, respect, and understanding no matter what you bring into counseling.

What are the three words that clients use to describe you? Accepting, Humorous, Gentle.