Caring and creative therapy, to help your garden flourish
Who I am
I'm Ken, the Therapy Gnome. I have been providing outpatient therapy services since 2019, having worked in community-based supports, group homes, and community clinics before that. I earned my MSW from Simmons College in 2016. My experience has included a wide range of mental health needs, but my focus has never been on diagnoses.
Prior to becoming a Social Worker, I earned a Master of Divinity degree from the University of Chicago. My undergraduate degree was in Religious Studies. While I am not a faith-based counselor, the depth that spirituality in all its forms and the profound questions of philosophical thought deeply inform how I support clients in better knowing themselves, with the goal of living out their values more each day.
Why a gnome?
Perhaps it seems slightly unprofessional to have such a silly name. And that is exactly my goal. If the right therapist for you is quiet, serious, and always calm, I can help you find them. I am a therapist who relies on conversation, humor, creativity, and occasional bad language to support the people who come to me, but I don't take myself seriously, whenever possible.
I chose the gnome for many reasons. One, I just like them. Traditionally, gnomes were seen as helpful and protective spirits of the farmstead or household, with a slightly mischievous side. Gnomes are also associated with digging, like the process of turning inward, to better know ourselves. I like to say that I wield a compassionate pickaxe when clients want to break through emotional walls. Finally, gnomes are found in gardens, which are my favorite metaphor for self growth and our whole lives: we must till and prepare the soil; choose what we want to grow and nourish, and what we don't; and we must accept the winter periods when rest is required for future growth.
