DOUBLE DIAMOND COUNSELING
Zachary M Kruger, LPC
Contemplative Psychotherapist
720-593-4701
COUNSELING & PSYCHOTHERAPY
Those I work with are often seeking relief from generalized anxiety and depression or working with specific stressors such as relationship issues, life transitions, career changes, overindulgence, or just looking to better understand themselves. I work with people who want to step more fully into their life, to live a life that is rich and lively and aligned with their values, that want to engage more deeply with spirituality, and who want to broaden their capacity to handle the inevitable swings of life while staying grounded and connected to themselves and the world around them.
At one point or another, we discover that life is full of ups and downs. The bad news is that no matter how hard we try to hold on to the good times and avoid the bad times, both seem to eventually dissolve into the other. The good news is that this isn't a problem and doesn't need to be feared. Successful therapy helps clients learn to understand how our lives ebb and flow, clarifies the confusion that comes when things feel particularly stuck and unsettled, and helps to draw out the wisdom of our mind, body, and spirit. It can help us to more easily understand and recognize how we avoid the pain points of life at the cost of feeling fully alive and engaged with the world.
$80 - $160 per 50-minute session
Medicaid Accepted
WHAT IS CONTEMPLATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Contemplative Psychotherapy marries Eastern and Western psychology and utilizes mindfulness as a baseline practice and method by which we learn to face and touch our fears. As a contemplative psychotherapist, I practice mindfulness to cultivate compassion and awareness and deepen my connection to myself and others. This extends to clients as I help my clients develop the skills and methods of being mindful of their body, speech, and mind which best suites their life and personal style.
As part of my ongoing practice and continuing education, I help teach therapists in training and spend at least two weeks a year on mindfulness meditation retreats. Changing class schedules may at times require we change our scheduled meeting time, and during the time I am on retreat, I am unavailable to clients. I understand how disruption to schedules and time away from therapy can impact the therapeutic relationship, and welcome any conversation about how this, or any other matter, may impact our relationship as therapist and client.
BIOGRAPHY OF INDESTRUCTIBLE WAKEFULLNESS
Zachary is a contemplative psychotherapist who holds the view that all people have access to an inner source of inexhaustible clarity, wisdom, and compassion - our indestructible wakefulness. Zachary’s approach to therapy is non-pathological, gentle, and centered around helping clients move towards integrity in all areas of their life by synchronizing logical mind with emotional body and spiritual aspirations. As a contemplative psychotherapist, Zachary blends classical approaches of Western psychology with time-tested offerings from Eastern wisdom traditions. Zachary offers a warm, compassionate, and curious presence to help clients deepen their understanding of themselves, their relationships, and how to navigate life’s challenges.
Zachary uses a body-centered approach relying on tools and techniques from Gestalt therapy, ACT therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, attachment theory, sandtray, mindfulness-based therapies, and Buddhist psychology. Using a combination of talk therapy, mindfulness-based activities, games, and play, Zachary encourages clients to incorporate the wisdom of their bodies alongside their discursive mind. Zachary works with those addressing issues such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem and low-self worth, bipolar symptomatology, codependency, relationship difficulties, domestic violence, screen/game addiction, trauma/PTSD, family dynamics, LGBTQ issues, addiction, sexuality issues, abuse, attachment, grief and loss, health issues, chronic pain, death and dying, existential crisis, spiritual emergencies, men’s issues, and those seeking mental-emotional wellness.
Zachary holds a Master’s Degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado and Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He is a Licensed Professional Therapist in the state of Colorado. He helps teach therapists in training at Naropa University and attends meditation retreats annually. Additionally, he is a former snowboard instructor, youth skateboard instructor, avid outdoorsman, and has a lifelong love of video games. He has a daily meditation practice and helps teach therapists in training at Naropa University.
His areas of study include the intersection of Eastern Wisdom Traditions and Western Psychology, the integration of spiritual and psychedelic experiences into everyday life, the underlying causes of addiction, explorations of masculinity, and the compassionate inquiry of mania and psychosis.