Chris Bradshaw is a psychologist and licensed professional counselor living in Tucson, Arizona.  EH and EHI have deepened, enriched, and opened his world in many ways, and he is humbled and grateful to be part of this community. He learns greatly with every consultation group, workshop, salon, and experiential retreat.

Chris works in private practice, with a strong foundation in Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy. He also integrates Somatic Experiencing (SE) within an existential integrative framework, along with dream work. He 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 forthcoming book from the American Psychological Association (APA) on the evidence-based foundations of EH 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 that keep him inspired.

At Saybrook University, Chris 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. 

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris moved to Chicago to complete a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing where he worked as a tutor and legal copy editor. In 2009, he moved to Arizona. 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 🙂