Drew Gai, APCC

Hello, I’m Drew, and I love people. The more I get to know someone, the more I tend to find things to like about them. What’s more, I think that the things people consider “unlikable” about themselves present opportunities to bring compassion where there has previously been only pain, judgement, and fear. Maybe you don’t like the way your behavior feels out of control, or how stuck you feel, or the hurt that you’ve caused yourself and others, or even the person you’ve become since someone else hurt you. Personally, the only way I’ve ever healed from my own wounds was when someone cared enough about me to be curious about those unlikeable parts, and gave me the tools to heal myself. As a therapist, I’m lucky enough to work every day to be that person for my clients.

I believe that the client is the expert on their own life, and my job is to follow where the client leads. However, people don’t typically come to therapy feeling like experts. So, I see it as my job to skillfully guide our conversations to places that build up your natural strengths, encourage deeper self discovery, and facilitate healing. I tend to do this by incorporating Motivational Interviewing, Internal Family Systems, and Mindfulness into sessions, but I always tailor my approach to fit the person in front of me. Often, clients need to develop certain skills in order to bring about the change they are looking for, so I help educate and coach when I notice certain blind spots. Ultimately, the client is the only one with the ability to change their own life. I just try to be the best guide I can be.

I provide therapy for (but am not limited to):

Individuals: navigating trauma, grief, sex addiction, depression.

Teen: counseling for suicidality, self-harm, self-esteem, anger.

Children: play therapy and parent-child play therapy.

Faith based integration upon request (Catholic Christian therapist).

My Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling was earned from Colorado Christian University.

Training includes: Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR), Internal Family Systems, and Motivational Interviewing.

Three of my four grandparents were therapists, so you could say this work is in my blood. I didn’t discover that for myself, however, until I spent a few years volunteering with people experiencing homelessness after college. Hearing their stories and walking with them in their struggles was a process of discovering what I was made to do. Since then I have committed my professional life to walking with people as they grow through dark and confusing times. I aim to offer not only skill and expertise as a healing professional, but genuine care for the person in front of me.

I am someone who jumps from hobby to hobby often, so on any given day you might find me gardening, backpacking, rock climbing, playing chess, reading, disc golfing or whatever I’m into that week. However, at this stage of life most of “free time” is spent with my wife and three children. These steady and loving relationships keep me grounded and committed to the things of most enduring importance.