Josh Montrenes, PhD, LP (They/Them)
Hi there! My name is Josh. My identities include being nonbinary, fat, and neurodivergent. In our work together, I will help you challenge ingrained notions of ableist, capitalist productivity and unlearn harmful anti-fat narratives. Do you feel like your emotions grab the wheel and tell you where to go? Or do they pull you away from the things that are most important to you? Do you find yourself looking at the dishes you haven’t washed, the work you haven’t finished, and felt that it was impossible to keep up? Does it feel like your heartbeat won't slow down or you can’t quite catch your breath when you’re trying to fit yourself into a box that wasn’t made for you? I’ll be right there with you as we work through your painful emotions together. We’ll not only process these emotions in the session but explore what these emotions mean in the context of your life: the why’s, how’s, and who’s of it all, and give you greater insight into what is really going on under the surface. I also want to work with you to recognize your worth as an individual outside the pressures of capitalism and constraints of ableism and cisheteropatriarchy. We’ll experiment with ways to get through tasks that actually fit your brain, not some imaginary ‘should’ brain.
Through our work together, we’ll release those pent-up emotions and give you some space to breathe. We’ll work to not only make day-to-day tasks more manageable, but also to allow yourself some grace and honor your own capacity. I also provide support to COVID-Conscious folks and bring lived experience as a member of this community. I will be right there with you to work through the hurts from isolation, invalidation, and ableism that often come with being COVID-Conscious.
If you are feeling lost, like you need support, or like your experiences are often invalidated, I'm here to provide kindness, compassion, and understanding. I am happy to follow your lead in therapy, focus on goals and concerns that you bring to each session, and provide support in a way that feels right for you. I want to explore with you different ways of being in the world outside of oppressive norms in order to help you live as your truest self.
Outside of my therapeutic work, I enjoy spending time in nature, playing videogames, and cuddling with my cat, Walnut.
Specialties: Neurodivergence, LGBTQ, Gendernonconforming, anxiety, depression, trauma, executive function support, psychological testing
