Michael Bjornson

Hello, My name is Dr. Michael Bjornson. Most of my clients simply refer to me as Dr. "B". I have been a licensed clinical psychologist for over 26 years, with active licenses in California, Utah, and Wyoming. I am honored that you are considering me to help you in whatever life challenges have lead you to seek help. Whether this may be your first time seeking help or not, I recognize starting therapy is a big decision requiring courage and trust in another human being, to be there for you in a professional, caring capacity, to facilitate and guide you through important and difficult concerns. I consider myself a privileged participant in people's lives as I "journey" alongside them in their struggles. I strive to help people through caring, compassionate, non-judgmental and confidential services, emphasizing a positive psychology perspective, including CBT, ACT and humanistic approaches. I have spent most of my career working alongside physicians and other primary care providers, in primary and specialty care settings. The following are some of the things I provide services for. Physical health concerns, including chronic pain, neurological disorders, GI problems such as heart disease, and cancer. Anxiety, including worry, fear, uncertainty. phobias, panic attacks, OCD. Depression, including major depression, bipolar and other forms of depression, Stress coping strategies, PTSD, trauma healing & coping, Feeling stuck, constantly trying to improve life and change patterns of behavior, Life transitions, including college success, career decisions, relationships, divorce coping, aging, Grief and loss, Peak performance, maximizing your potential in career, personal & sports, Optimal brain health strategies, Insomnia/improving sleep, Relationship therapy, utilizing Gottman method and other evidenced- based therapies, Goal setting and attainment, Weight loss, nutrition, fitness/exercise strategies to start and maintain for life and Ways to maximize life satisfaction & happiness.

My approach

As a formally trained Clinical Health Psychologist, I emphasize what is known as the biopsychosocial model of health, which recognizes that our overall health and quality of life involve a complex interplay of physical, psychological and social determinants. We cannot separate our mind from our body and optimal health involves a holistic approach, whereby its important integrate mind-body methods of health promotion and healing. I teach mindfulness meditation and integrate mindfulness based stress reduction, guided imagery, biofeedback, exercise, nutrition and other lifestyle behaviors to promote optimal health and well-being. I utilize positive psychology, solution oriented approaches. I also utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. On a less formal note, I believe that we all have within us, innate unique abilities, strengths, and skills that can help us deal with challenges. Sometimes we need help uncovering or discovering these abilities, while other times, we can benefit from learning new methods.

My focus

I typically work with clients from middle teen years (16), young adults, middle age adults, and older adults, ages 75+. My services are LGBTQ+ friendly. As previously described.

My communication style

Most clients have described me as easy to open up with, whereby I create a safe non-judgmental setting in which trust is naturally established, leading to discussing anything one feels comfortable with during our sessions. Even though therapy can bring up strong emotions and obviously be very serious, many previous clients have appreciated my sense of humor during certain times in therapy. Well-timed humor can also be part of the healing process. Regarding my "style", I'm easygoing and definitely not an uptight person. I strive to maintain clear communication so that I can fully and accurately understand whatever your concerns are, and I often will seek input to ensure things I talk about make sense to you, vs. assuming. I will also do my best to minimize any "psychobabble" and ridiculous psychological textbook terms! ; ) That said, many of my clients are very psychologically savvy and of course, may use whatever terms they so choose!

My journey to mental healthcare

My becoming a therapist is multifactorial, but likely started as an "acting-out" edgy middle school student. I reluctantly had to see the school counselor and found that it actually felt pretty good to have someone to talk to, learn more about myself, and learn ways to better handle situations. Fast forward many years, when being in therapy was a requirement of my graduate school en route to obtaining my Ph.D. I found that being a client was beneficial not only to deal with graduate school stressors but also to increase my self-awareness and psychological insight. I have found that being a client is the only way to truly understand what the experience of being a client is like. I have had many seasons of adversity in my adult life, which have deepened my compassion and understanding of others' life struggles. I believe my life calling has been and continues to be, guiding and helping others toward a better life, filled with with deeper purpose, meaning, and significance.

My goals for you

I believe goal setting is most effective if it is done in a collaborative manner. Some people are very comfortable and experienced with goal-setting methods, while others may be less experienced with it. In either case, I aim to seek your input and will help facilitate the goal-setting process. I also help establish observable ways in which one can identify and recognize signs of progress in order to improve therapeutic results.

My first session with you

My first session with someone serves as an opportunity to discuss whatever concerns you are experiencing. It is helpful to know the history of problems and concerns, as well as previous therapy experiences, either positive or negative. It's important to know that you do not necessarily have to discuss things on a "deep" level when we first talk. That can be emotionally exhausting, counterproductive and in my experience, it can lead to significant anxiety even before ever meeting with me. Establishing a sense of trust in a setting where you can feel safe to discuss important things is most helpful to establish, before diving deeper into troubling things. As an experienced therapist, I will do my best to utilize my best professional judgment to help you transition into therapy as smoothly as possible. I will also offer you my thoughts /impressions as to how I could envision being of most help to you. This also serves as an opportunity to get your input and thoughts as to how I can best help you. Therapy should ideally be a collaborative experience, where we co-create goals together. In the first session, I will also give an overview of the "nuts and bolts" of therapy, such as informed consent, etc. followed by an overview of how I envision being of most help to you and how best to address your concerns. Most importantly, the initial session(s) also serve as an opportunity for you to get a sense of my interpersonal style and allow you to decide further if you feel working with me would be a good "fit" for you. It's important to know that just because someone has had an initial session or even several sessions, does in no way obligate them to stay with a particular therapist if it doesn't feel right.