Danika Pflueger - Porta Verum Psychotherapy Services

A lot of young men grow up getting the message that they're supposed to have it handled — keep it together, don't make it a big deal, figure it out on your own. So when anxiety, anger, low motivation, or just feeling lost starts piling up, reaching out for help can feel like the last thing they'd want to do. If that's you, or if you're a parent watching your son struggle and shut down, I get it — and I can help.

I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and I work primarily with teenage boys and young men. I've spent years working with guys in some of the hardest settings there are — residential treatment, high-acuity programs, and intensive work helping young men take an honest look at their choices, their patterns, and who they want to become. That experience taught me how to actually connect with someone who doesn't necessarily want to be in therapy, and how to make this feel less like a lecture and more like a real conversation.

My style is warm but direct, and I don't think therapy has to be heavy or stiff to work. I'll meet you exactly where you are — no judgment, no pressure to have it figured out — and we'll get into the real stuff at a pace that feels right. I also work with adults navigating anxiety, life transitions, and figuring out who they are, bringing that same grounded, real presence to the work.

The most important thing I do is make therapy feel like a space you actually want to be in. A lot of the young men I work with show up guarded, or sure that therapy isn't for them — so I lead with realness over formality. I'll meet you exactly where you are, without needing you to be different or "better" before we start, and I bring a sense of humor, because real conversations don't have to be heavy to go deep.

From there, I do two things at once. I help you understand what's actually driving the anxiety, anger, or stuck feeling underneath the surface — and I give you practical tools you can use in real life, not just in session. Because I care about you actually getting somewhere, I'll also challenge you when it counts: I'll gently push you to look at the patterns or beliefs that might be holding you back, always with respect for the fact that you're the one steering your own life.

I draw on evidence-based approaches — including CBT, DBT skills, ACT, and motivational work — but I scale and adapt them to fit you, never the other way around. Whether you're a teen just starting to figure yourself out or a young man navigating what comes next, my goal is the same: to help you walk away more confident, more grounded, and more like the person you actually want to be.

The first session is low-key on purpose. There's nothing you have to prove and nothing you have to "perform" — it's really just a chance to get a feel for each other and see if this is a good fit.

If you're a young man coming in yourself, we'll talk about what's been going on, what's feeling off, and what you'd actually want to be different. No pressure to spill everything on day one; we go at your pace.

If you're a parent booking for your son, that first conversation often starts with you — I want to hear what you've been noticing, what you're worried about, and what you're hoping for, before I start building trust with him on his terms. Earning a teen's trust is something I take seriously, and I know it doesn't happen by forcing it.

Either way, my goal for that first meeting is simple: that you leave feeling like you were actually heard, with a clearer sense of where we'd go from here — and the sense that this might just be something that works, not one more thing to dread.