HI, I’m Nathan!
Nathan Varvis, LMFT, CCTP
I help children, teens and adults to make sense of their challenges, find more effective ways to manage their struggles, and discover greater calm and joy.
We can all face challenges in any stage of our lives, and many of us have been through early life experiences, or recent experiences, that have made us feel overwhelmed with shame, anger, anxiety or hopelessness. You may be asking yourself “Why can’t I just feel calm like a normal person?” or you may be questioning how you keep getting stuck in the same patterns, or why you just can’t seem to shake off the feeling like something is wrong with you or your life.
I provide guidance and support to help my clients understand the impact of various experiences on their current functioning, helping them to build greater compassion and ultimaltely the ability to practice new ways of regulating their emotions, problem-solving challenging situations, and cultivating better relationships with peers and loved ones. I enjoy working with adoptees, children ages 5+, teens, young adults and adults of various backgrounds.
My Approach
As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, I bring a trauma-informed lens to my work with clients. Whether you have been through a traumatic event or multiple events, I help you to understand how your brain and nervous system have been impacted and encourage the safe exploration of trauma using mindfulness and compassion.
In my work with youth, I appreciate involving parents as strategic partners in the counseling process, offering support and insight to help with the sometimes overwhelming feelings and frustrations of parenting a child who has experienced trauma or current challenges, especially when traditional parenting strategies don’t seem to be working.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (LMFT 136407), and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP). I earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology Fresno Pacific University and a Master’s of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fresno Pacific University. I participated in a year-long program with a leading expert in trauma to obtain a more thorough understanding and practical tools for trauma treatment. Through the years I have had the privilege of working with clients facing a variety of stressors and mental health challenges across multiples settings, including foster care agencies, county mental health programs, eating disorder treatment facilities and school-based counseling programs, where I have gained vast training and experience in depression, anxiety, emotional and behavioral issues, adoption, family conflict, school issues, relationship issues, and more.