Riley Kastenhuber

Hi, my name is Riley and I am a Professional Counselor Associate here at Connective Therapy Collective. I studied Psychology at the University of Maryland where I also received a Certificate in LGBT Studies. I went on to complete my master's in Professional Mental Health Counseling at Lewis and Clark College. I am a white, able-bodied, neurodivergent, queer trans man and 2nd generation American.

As a white man who carries non-visible marginalized identities, I recognize that I am afforded numerous unearned privileges and that the oppression of others is an inextricable systemic consequence of those privileges. I also acknowledge the experiences of oppression I endure. As someone who identifies as queer and trans, I have inhabited different identities throughout my life. This has offered me the unique perspective of understanding marginalization from different points of view. The complexity of these intersections I embody informs much of my lived experience and consequently impacts my counseling style.

Collectively, I carry years of personal, educational, and work experience with the LGBTQIA2S+ community. I work from a trauma-informed, intersectional feminist lens. I believe in preemptive radical inclusion, which is a practice of actively including all identities, and this affects the ways in which I mindfully use language in session. I also draw from psychodynamic, existential, and emotionally-focused modalities.

All of us are constantly changing, our internal and external landscapes are fluid—the roles we inhabit shift and evolve, as do our feelings, thoughts, identities, relationships, and environments. Nevertheless, sometimes we find that these changes mimic patterns of the past and appear as cyclical processes.

Coming into therapy with this in mind can help us lean into the fluidity of change that is inevitable and learn how to move with the unknown, while exploring the familiar themes that emerge. We will navigate the areas that are important to you and build awareness. I believe there is power in learning from the self, and this power has the potential to heal and liberate. I look forward to collaborating and creating space for us to explore and discover together.