Our LGBTQIA+ Team | iAmClinic | Denver LGBTQIA+ Counseling

Our iAmClinic Team

After confronting devastating questions of sexuality and gender with parents who pastored a conservative church, Isaac quickly realized there were very few resources for his family. He also learned that there were very few safe places where he could learn about his true identity without judgment or predetermined agendas. Over 10 years later, Isaac has grown the iAmClinic team to 10+ therapists and launched a sister company, iAmCouncil, to provide life and relationship coaching to individuals nationwide!

 

After years of struggling with anxiety, unwanted behaviors, and utterly debilitating low self-esteem, I knew there was something better for me, my family, and people just like me.” – Isaac Archuleta, MA, LPC


Adam Charny, MA, LPCC

He/Him

About Adam

Throughout my childhood and early adolescence, I took on the story of being “too much or too weird” for this world, and never quite able to fit in with the majority, which trickled into my own internalizations about my self-worth and place in this world. This sparked a fire in my curiosity about the field of mental health. I was on a quest to turn my loneliness and insecurities into my own superpowers. I decided to step into a role as a counselor in order to help others do the same; to become more empowered in themselves, and embrace their unique perspective. As a gay/queer cist-gendered male therapist, my goal is to create a safe space for clients to process layers of trauma related to hetero-normative standards, societal pressures, gender dysphoria, interpersonal relationship dynamics, and/ or religious oppression. Before working at iamClinic, I gained experience at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) in Boulder, CO, focusing on trauma-informed care for survivors of domestic violence. It was here that I grew my knowledge in understanding the impact that abuse has on our nervous system and the steps that need to occur to become more safe and regulated after a traumatizing experience.

I believe in a holistic approach to therapy, focusing on the mind, body, and soul connection. I draw from practices that invite clients to heighten their awareness in the present moment and explore how they react and deal with situations in real life. I believe that therapy can be a space to build the internal tools to be able to better communicate and express emotions. My hope is to help you build on these tools, to expand your potential for a more embodied connection to yourself and the environment that you inhabit. 

Credentials

  • Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC)
  • Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling 
  • Trained in Neurofeedback

Alexa McElroy, MA, LPCC

She/Her

About Alexa

I identify as a bisexual/queer cis-woman and I honor therapy as a space where all of our identities are important. I believe that when we experience hardship without support, we learn to defend against emotions that would be simply too much to hold alone.  My goal is to undo that aloneness through regulating your nervous system and accompanying you as my real, genuine self. My clients typically come to therapy when their defenses hold them back from loving relationships or a fulfilling life. Together, we can place trust in your emotions as powerful guides towards healing while learning new ways of coping that enhance your wellbeing. 

I draw from Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Processing (AEDP) which is based on attachment theory and affective neuroscience. I have experience working with individuals dealing with trauma, identity exploration, substance use/addiction, grief and loss, self-esteem, chronic illness, perfectionism, and anxiety and depression symptoms. My perspective is shaped by the years I have spent in educational and non-profit settings as a clinician, teacher, client advocate, advisor, and researcher. I adapt my treatment methods to your specific needs and goals for therapy to provide the best quality care.

Credentials

  • Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC)
  • Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling 
  • Harm Reduction
  • HIV Related Affirming Care

Alnora Sights, MA, LPC

She/Her

About Alnora

 I specialize in trauma counseling with teenagers and adults. The focus of my professional career has been providing treatment to individuals and communities who face developmental, systemic, and intergenerational trauma. I have been privileged to work with communities in the rural and urban parts of Latin America and across the United States. Through this work I witnessed the universality of trauma and the strength within humans to hope, to heal and to grow.  

My bicultural background allows me to support different communities through a culturally-sensitive framework. I specialize in the treatment of teenagers and adults using attachment theory, integrative, neurobiological and somatic-based approaches. I believe in the capacity of the brain to change throughout life and in the healing power of safe and validating relationships. I am passionate about client-centered therapy, individualized treatment and empowering clients through self-understanding and self-compassion.

Credentials

  • Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology & Mental Health
  • 13+ years of experience in the mental health field
  • Bilingual in English and Spanish
  • Tained in: Attachment Based Therapy, Polyvagal Theory Based Psychotherapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), DBT, MI, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Neurobiology Based Psychotherapy, Socio-Emotional Therapy, ERP, Emotionally Focused Therapy

Everett Dietzler

He/They

About Everett

I identify as a queer, trans, non-binary Chicago transplant residing in Denver. I hold a BA in Cultural Studies with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Columbia College Chicago and am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy at Naropa University. 

I believe the most profound healing opportunities happen when connecting with others and nature. I am also passionate about social justice and the intersectionality between communal and individual healing. I work to create a collaborative relationship, blending client centered and mindfulness techniques with nature-based healing modalities. I love the pursuit of depth and meaning on a journey towards getting to the root of what matters most to others.

Eric Schaffner

He/Him

About Eric

I believe in therapy because it has been a key tool in my own healing journey. Growing up as a gay/queer cisgender male in a conservative religious community left me struggling with worthlessness. I felt divorced from my body, my spirit, and the wider world around me. I found self-compassion and healing through my work with caring therapists, mindfulness meditation, and personal inquiry.

Prior to becoming a counselor, I worked first as a molecular biologist, then as a software engineer. Although I found both fields interesting, I found that my real passion was exploring how my own mind worked and healing the false body-mind split. The more I discovered, the more passion I felt to share that experience with others.

My goal is to accompany my clients in rediscovering their true self, their source of self-compassion, their innate healing power, their autonomy, and their personal authority.

I believe in addressing the psychology of the whole person. I am training in techniques such as Gestalt, the evidence-based modality Internal Family Systems, and somatic techniques such as Focusing. Additionally, when it fits the client, I like to incorporate mindfulness meditation to help build resilience and self-resourcing skills. I am passionate about these approaches because I’ve personally witnessed how using these techniques to integrate mind and body can enable profound healing.

I hold a BA in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology/French Language from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and am completing my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in mindfulness-based approaches from Naropa University.

Hudson Johnston, MSW, SCW

They/Them

About Hudson

From childhood to adulthood, I have felt a deep pull to understand and connect with the human experience. That pull is what caused me to attend college out of state at 18, move to Thailand alone at 22, and not only survive, but expand and grow through a multitude of romantic, relational, and emotional experiences.

I pull from my own varied life experiences to continually develop a deep empathy I use to help clients feel safe, seen, and heard. My therapeutic approach is rooted in compassion, empathy, warmth, understanding, and humor—and I strongly believe in the power of positive affirmation. With a background in community mental health, and experience working with the homeless population in Denver, I am passionate about supporting underserved communities. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and received a Master of Social Work from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Credentials

  • Master of Social Work
  • World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) trained
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained
picture of Jamie Leach

Jamie Leach, LMFT, LPC

Clinical Associate

They/Them

About Jamie

From a young age, Jamie has been fascinated by relationship dynamics and the inner workings of the human psyche – the limitless learning and development around these subject matters invigorates Jamie in both their personal and professional life. Jamie has been blessed to experience redemption and healing on an individual, spiritual, familial, and relational level throughout their life. Many years of clinical training, experience, and personal healing have served to ground Jamie in an authentic posture of hopefulness for the clients they support.

Jamie lives and believes that intentionality, self-awareness, connectedness, and compassion are core attributes of functional relationships. Attachment patterns and emotional needs have to be nurtured to form the base of a relationship; additionally, the pragmatics of life also need to be addressed. Past wounds from previous relationships, family of origin dynamics, spirituality, and expectations may also need to be addressed in order to reach secure connection and daily functioning.

Whether it is your relationship with a current partner, family member, a friend… or the relationship with yourself, Jamie can help you to work through the issues you are facing. The fluidity of attachment, lifelong brain development, insight, and the ability to form new habits anchors the hope that we can choose and experience healing, and that relationships can heal too.

Jamie has a Masters in Arts in Clinical Mental Health, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Marriage and Family therapy. They have facilitated relationship and life-skill workshops over the past seven years throughout Colorado. In addition to their work at iAmClinic, Jamie currently serves in a non-profit leadership role, and volunteers on the board of directors for a local non-profit organization.

Credentials

If you are ready to accelerate your self-awareness, growth, and healing relationally or individually, Jamie would love to support and partner with you.

Katie Cass, LPC, BCN

She/Her

About Katie

I began working in the community mental health field in 2012 in northern Arizona, learning the best practices for working with culturally diverse populations addressing a breadth of mental health concerns. I believe in a holistic approach that involves assessing our brain, mind and context. Our thoughts, values and beliefs are molded by not only our experiences but informed and endless bombardment of information. Peace and ease come from alignment of all of our parts. 

In addition to working with the individual, I work with couples using the Gottman Method emphasizing communication and recognizing how trauma impacts our experience in intimate relationships.

Credentials

  • Master of Arts in degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

  • Board certified with the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA)

  • Trained in Gottman Method

Monique Sledd, LPC

She/Her

About Monique

I graduated from the forensic psychology program at the University of Denver and started my career at a local community mental health clinic in Minnesota prior to working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. My career has centered on addressing the needs of marginalized communities (e.g. LGBTQIA+, people of color, individuals in the justice system, etc.). I have done extensive research and presentations in diversity, equity, inclusion, and intersectionality (the layers of our identities).

My approach to therapy is to meet my client where they are at along their lifelong journey towards contentment, success, and understanding their own intersectionality. Many of us bring different “selves” with us to each interaction in life, whether that be our gender, race/ethnicity, mental health diagnosis, or attachment style. My goal is to help individuals understand how all of these parts of ourselves interact and how we can best approach a life worth living while navigating daily obstacles and life’s transitions. I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing techniques, and provide both person-centered and trauma-focused treatment. My counseling style is interactive, compassionate, and collaborative with an appropriate use of humor, when applicable. We will work alongside one another as a team throughout your treatment with you leading as the expert on your life, needs, and wants the entire way.

Credentials

  • Master’s of Arts in Forensic Psychology 
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Minnesota)
  • Trained in Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adults (DBT)
  • Certificate of Completion in Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) Training from American Association of Suicidology

Rae Stout, LPC, CCC

She/Her

About Rae

I have over 10 years of experience in identity formation, career counseling and trauma, particularly in the field of career trauma. My clients often come to me looking to better understand themselves and how they wish to ‘show up’ in the world. I work with clients to explore who they are, where they want to go and how they will get there. Often this looks like walking alongside my clients as they untangle their authentic parts of self from internalized shame and societal pressures in order to step into their own self-authored story.  I incorporate mindfulness and narrative therapy techniques in my work, infused with cognitive information/cognitive behavioral modalities. Additionally, I am EMDR trained and use this in both mental health and career counseling settings.

Outside of work, I am an active volunteer in the National Career Development Association (NCDA), a branch of the American Counseling Association, serving on the Government Relations Committee. I also serve as an adjunct faculty member at two local Denver universities, teaching in their graduate counseling programs. In my spare time, I love spending time with my wife, our two dogs, and getting junior ranger badges from all the national parks. 

Credentials 

  • Master of Arts in Community Counseling
  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
  • Certified Career Counselor (CCC)
  • Clinical Supervisor Training
  • 10+ Years of Experience
  • EMDR Trained
  • Adjunct Faculty, CU Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver 
  • Certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Facilitator, Qualified Administrator for Strong Interest Inventory, YouScience and CliftonStrengths, Career Construction Training

Sarah Clark

She/Her

About Sarah

Life is full of twists and turns, dark tunnels, and sunny skies. With proper tools even with the unpredictability, it is possible to enjoy the full spectrum of life. Sarah is passionate about building a robust toolkit. She did her undergrad many years ago in West Texas, then married, and had four kids. The tools she learned through religion during that stage no longer worked for her, leading her to explore other possibilities. Through hard work in therapy and self reflection, she created a new toolkit for personal and relational growth. Taking a new approach which focuses on social justice, she is working on her Masters in Counseling at Naropa University in the Mindfulness Based Transpersonal Program.

Isaac Archuleta, LPC

Founder, Chief Executive Officer

He/They

About Isaac

I chose counseling because I was once a young closeted kid that felt incredibly lonely, anxious, and lost. In wanting to heal and grow, it was important for me to find the answers for kids like me and families like mine, so that we could all experience the true connection and utter satisfaction I so deeply craved. It was with this motivation that iAmClinic was born. Before iAmClinic and the completion of my graduate studies, I spent time workin in Child Protection and served as a project supervisor for a counseling program in the nonprofit world. I also worked in the main operating room at The Children’s Hospital. 

 

As a professional counselor, I use the techniques and insights given to the field of talk therapy by seminal authors/researchers like Pia Mellody, Terrence Real, Peter Levine, and Bessel Van Der Kulk. I interweave research-based modalities like Neurofeedback, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Somatic Experiencing, as well as empirically-based theories such as Attachment Theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Feminist Theory into my practice. As I stepped out of the closet with anxiety, depression, and many unwanted behavioral patterns, I saw my healing journey as not only personally necessary, but as professionally worth it. I not only wanted to talk the talk, but also walk the walk. And as a clinician I believe it is important to be equipped with the knowledge, treatment interventions, and the skills to be effective in all facets of my clients lives so that I can offer the healing that changed my life to others. I believe in therapy, not because I have read a bunch of books, but because I am one major success story. When clients walk out of my office for the last time, I want them to feel the same liberty, connectedness, and internal peace therapy helped me discover. 

 

Credentials

  • Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • 11+ Years Of Experience
  • Served as Executive Director for one of the longest standing LGBTQIA+ organizations
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Certified
  • Neurofeedback trained in the Othmer Method
  • He is invited to speak at conferences and forums across the nation, and a contributor to The Huffington Post

Administrative Team

Nicole Rascon |Chief Operations Officer, Intake Program Manager

Nicole is the first voice you’ll speak to when contacting iAmClinic. She has been with the clinic since the beginning, and identifies as a straight ally. She enjoys hearing each client’s story of what brings them to the clinic and works diligently to help match clients with the right type of therapist that is equipped best for each client’s unique needs.

Rae Stout | Director of HR & Clinical Operations

Rae (she/her) oversees the clinic’s human resources, hiring and student internship programs. She also serves as the manager for clinical operations. Interested in working with the clinic? Check out our “Work with Us” page!

 


© iAmClinic - LGBTQIA+ Therapy, LLC 2022