Benji Hurston

Hi, my name is Benji! I’m a White, queer, able-bodied person trying my best to navigate the complexities of gender, relationships, and the stress of being a dynamic human in a culture that wants us to be static. Though I was socialized as male and carry varying degrees of that privilege, I currently identify as trans non-binary and use they/he pronouns. 

I am a graduate-level intern finishing my degree in Professional Mental Health Counseling from Lewis & Clark College with over 7 years of experience in working in the mental and sexual health fields. Using a blend of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Relational Cultural Theory, and parts work, my goal is to help my clients own the various truths of their personal and relational experiences, even when those truths seem conflicting (as they often do). I look at every person—every expression of gender, sexuality, and personality—as inherently natural because, well, they are. And though I offer an unconditionally accepting space for my clients to explore and heal from their pain, I also strive to emphasize the necessity of joy, pleasure, and community in all our lives. 

At its core, my work is based on my belief that true freedom is found through acceptance and true healing through connection. Alongside my professional training, my lived experience greatly informs my practice. As an unmistakably queer kid growing up in a fundamentalist Christian community in Mississippi, I learned very early to navigate life using fear, self-denial, and shame. Though my healing journey has been long and hard, it’s given me the capacity to hold the deep suffering of others and to help them find their ways to the freedom, joy, and relational intimacy that we all crave.