Mitchel Pendergast, MA Candidate - 2025
He/Him
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Psychotherapy
Neurofeedback​​​​
Hello there! I’m Mitchel, and I have always had an incredible interest in human emotion and behavior. I was ultimately led to pursue a career in counseling by my own experience of the healing journey, where therapy played an essential role. As a child of divorce, I dealt with feelings of shame, guilt, and unworthiness. A desire to escape these feelings led to substance abuse, which ultimately permeated my relationships and exacerbated the very feelings I was aiming to push away. Since my efforts to cope were failing, and actually creating a host of new problems for me, I took the brave step of asking for help. It was in the context of a safe therapeutic relationship that I was finally able to explore, resolve, and release the feelings I didn’t want to hold anymore. I also received the support I needed to start engaging in new behaviors that were necessary for my growth.
I believe that therapy should be a collaborative experience; we are in this together! While I have advanced education and a collection of theories and techniques to draw from, I believe that you are the true expert when it comes to your own experience. My goal is to create a space where you, too, can feel safe and supported, as this is the foundation of all therapy. I would love to hold space for you to share your experience, feel what needs to be felt, and develop the skills needed to both hold the past and look to the future, with strength, grace, and self-compassion.
I will be interning at Hazel House through May 2025, and I’d welcome a free, no-obligation phone call to see if we might be a good fit for one another.
I am a student intern working towards my Master’s degree at Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I have professional membership in the American Counseling Association and I am currently being supervised by GCU faculty and Dr. Lindsay Vaughn, Psy.D., HSP, CSP.
"While I have advanced education and a collection of theories and techniques to draw from, I believe that you are the true expert when it comes to your own experience."
Education:
MS Candidate - Clinical Mental Health Counseling,
Grand Canyon University
BS - California State University - Fresno
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Licenses, Certifications, and Trainings:
Somatic Experiential Therapy (SomEx)
​​​Special Interests:
Trauma
Addiction
Artists / Musicians / Athletes
Anxiety disorders
Grief and Loss
Existential concerns
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​​​​My Favorite Things:
Skateboarding
Playing sports
Spending too much time outside
Laughing with loved ones
Cooking, including pizza dough tossing!