Chris Bradshaw is a counselor and writer living in Tucson, Arizona and working in his private therapy and consulting practice, Fully Human Psychology. He works from an integrative depth approach, placing a strong emphasis on Existential-Humanistic, Somatic, and dream work approaches to healing and growth. E-H and EHI continue to deepen his presence and to unlock ever greater potential in healing relationships, and for that he is very grateful. 

Chris has worked in the mental health treatment field for around 15 years. Prior to this he worked in education and elder care. He considers it a great privilege to be able to do this authentic and meaningful work, emphasizing presence and creating a safe environment for growth and expansion.

Writing is a large part of the way Chris accesses his full range of human strengths, enters the present moment, explores and connects with himself, others, and the world. He co-wrote a chapter on “therapeutic presence” for a book from the American Psychological Association (APA) on the evidence-based foundations of E-H psychotherapy, writes a regular blog for Psychology Today titled “The Existential Station,” is co-editing a book forthcoming from University Professors Press on the development of existential therapy worldwide and cross-culturally, and is working on other writing projects.

Chris deeply appreciates spaces where heightened conversation can take place, and deep connection. Sometimes this involves art-making, psychotherapy, and it can also involve podcasting.  To this end, he co-hosts, along with fellow EHI collaborator Sophie Ducrocq Archibald, the “Fully Human Psychology Podcast.”  Also with EHI collaborators Gaspar Segafredo and Sushree Sahu, he co-hosts a soont-be-launched podcast, “The Fellow Travelers.”

At Saybrook University, Chris completed a PhD in clinical psychology  and was awarded the Rollo May scholarship. His dissertation explored the client experience of therapeutic presence using a mixed-methods approach including audio-recorded semi-structured and embodied interviews, the use of the Therapist Presence Inventory (TPI), and reflexive thematic analysis. This dissertation is pending publication with the journal, The Humanistic Psychologist. 

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris moved to Arizona in 2009. Like many, something about the desert landscape called to him. He worked with youth considered “at risk” in the educational system for two years in Phoenix, and met an elder counselor who saw his potential for therapy work. He started his journey in the mental health field in Phoenix in 2011, and moved south to Tucson to continue this work in 2014. He has served in a range of clinical and leadership roles since. For some eight years, he managed large Medicaid-funded treatment clinics in Tucson and operationally supervised an interdisciplinary team of counselors, peer support, nurses, administrative staff, and medical providers.

In addition to writing and reading avidly, Chris pursues meditation, yoga, dance, comedy, and diverse music and art. Chris knows many of the good taco places in Tucson, which is an underappreciated culinary capital of the U.S. all humans should visit. He loves spending time with loved ones, including his Labrabull “Dante,” named after the great poet. Rollo May once said that the character Virgil in Dante’s Divine Comedy, is an outstanding archetype/myth for the depth oriented therapist. Chris leads a zoom reading group every Sunday with a group of fellow therapist seekers where they read aloud this great work of literature. Ask him about it when you meet him!