Kenneth Downing

I’m a licensed psychologist with more than three decades of experience in psychotherapy, psychological assessment, and trauma-informed care. My background includes extensive work with adults, adolescents, and children across private practice, medical settings, and the VA’s PTSD clinic, where I provided both treatment and disability evaluations. I completed my doctorate at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in an APA-approved Counseling Psychology program and an APA-accredited internship with broad training in assessment, psychotherapy, and multidisciplinary collaboration. I specialize in trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, dissociation, family-of-origin issues, and helping people untangle long-standing patterns that keep them stuck. My style is warm, open-minded, and direct, meeting people right where they are while helping them move toward where they want to be.

My approach is grounded in a blend of psychodynamic insight, practical support, and straightforward conversation. I work collaboratively and believe that therapy is most effective when it honors a person’s internal world, how they make sense of their experiences, relationships, pain, and strengths. I help clients understand the deeper patterns shaping their emotions and choices while also offering clear, usable strategies for daily functioning. I draw on trauma-informed care, attachment theory, cognitive-behavioral tools, and relational approaches that help people feel seen and supported without being overwhelmed. My style is conversational, grounded, and honest. I don’t force an agenda; instead, I help clients slow down, reflect, and develop the capacity to respond rather than react to the challenges in their lives.

The first session is collaborative, steady, and low-pressure. I focus on understanding your concerns, your history, and what brings you to therapy now, while giving you space to move at a pace that feels safe. I ask thoughtful questions, help clarify patterns that may already be visible, and work with you to identify initial goals that feel meaningful and achievable. My aim is to create an environment where you feel understood, not judged, and where your experiences, past and present, are taken seriously. By the end of the first session, most clients leave with a clearer sense of where we’re headed, what our work could look like, and the reassurance that they don't have to navigate things alone.