Philip Bower

I believe therapy should be a place where you do not have to edit yourself to be accepted. My work is warm, collaborative, and grounded in the understanding that people are more than a diagnosis or a collection of symptoms. I bring both professional experience and lived understanding to this work, including my background as a military veteran and my own experiences with grief, change, identity, and rebuilding.

I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker serving adults in Massachusetts, Maine, and Washington. My education and clinical training are grounded in social work, trauma-informed care, and whole-person approaches to emotional well-being. I am also continuing my education in behavioral health leadership and organizational psychology, with a particular interest in how our relationships, communities, identities, and environments influence healing.

I work primarily with LGBTQIA+ adults, veterans, men, and people whose identities, relationships, or life experiences have not always fit comfortably within traditional expectations. My treatment areas include trauma and shame, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, burnout, identity exploration, major life transitions, men’s mental health, military and veteran experiences, and religious or cultural shame. I also provide kink-affirming and polyamory/ethical non-monogamy-affirming care.

I approach therapy as a collaborative relationship rather than a process in which I sit back, take notes, and tell you what is wrong. You are the expert on your life. My role is to help you understand the experiences, relationships, beliefs, and environments that have shaped you—and to support you in deciding what you want to carry forward and what you are ready to change.

My work is trauma-informed, strengths-based, and centered on the whole person. I draw from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, self-compassion, and polyvagal-informed practices. I adapt these approaches to the person in front of me rather than expecting every client to fit into the same treatment model.

Therapy with me includes room for reflection, practical tools, honest conversation, and sometimes humor. We may explore patterns from the past, but we will also pay attention to what is happening in your life now and what can help you move toward greater authenticity, connection, and emotional safety. I will gently challenge you when it may be helpful, but I will not rush you or take control of your story.

Most importantly, I want therapy to be a place where you can bring your full self—including the parts of you that may have been misunderstood, judged, or asked to remain hidden.

Our first session is an opportunity for us to begin getting to know one another and determine whether working together feels like a good fit. I will ask about what has brought you to therapy, what you are experiencing now, and what you hope may become different. We may also discuss important relationships, life experiences, identities, strengths, and sources of support.

You do not need to arrive with your story perfectly organized, and you will not be expected to share every difficult experience at once. We will move at a pace that respects your comfort and emotional safety. I will also explain how I approach therapy, answer your questions, and begin working with you to identify meaningful goals for our time together.

By the end of the session, my hope is that you have a clearer sense of what therapy with me may look like—and that you feel heard, respected, and able to bring more of your authentic self into the room.