Hi, I’m dr. david houston murphy.
I’m excited you’re here—excited that you’re exploring the possibility of therapy, or entering the therapeutic relationship for maybe the first time or the tenth time in your life. For me, it was one of the best relationships I’ve ever entered into, and I can honestly say that my first therapist, way back in my twenties, changed my life.
I went to therapy for the first time after struggling with relationships, particularly romantic relationships. I really enjoyed understanding myself better, learning better ways to relate to others, and developing healthier coping strategies with relational conflict. After my first therapy experience, I thought that I might enjoy providing the same experience to others by offering a place of healing and restoration.
So I went back to school. After receiving a PhD in Counseling Psychology (Florida State University, 2021) and a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Career Development (Colorado State University, 2016), I’ve worked as a psychologist in diverse settings: from hospitals to university counseling centers to private practices and ADHD and autism testing centers.
It is my belief that both the journey of comprehensive psychological testing and therapy offer a space to be real and authentic, to let your guard down, and to explore how your brain works and what’s bothering you. As an eclectic therapist, I utilize a variety of approaches to address your concerns. Below are just a few of the approaches I take in therapy.
My Approach
My primary theoretical orientations in therapy are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Person-Centered Therapy. I also sprinkle in other approaches, including Faith Integration, Motivational Interviewing, Reality/Choice Therapy, Gestalt techniques, and Trauma-Informed approaches.
cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt)
With a CBT approach, I help clients gain insight about how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors (CBT triangle) are connected. Through different activities both in and out of session, we work to address how changing one aspect of the triangle, i.e. thoughts, has a direct influence on the other two sides of the triangle. Assignments are given to work on between sessions and checked on each week during therapy.
person-centered
With a person-centered approach, I will allow you to direct the session in order to explore your issues of concern. I do this by being genuine, accepting you where you are without judgment, and providing an empathic understanding of your situation.