I’m John Kopp; it’s a pleasure to meet you!
Living as a human being is inherently difficult: pain, change, and loss are guaranteed. When you couple these principles with the slings and arrows of trauma and the unprecedented challenges of our present moment on Earth, our identities can become compounded with suffering and confusion. Knotted up in these ways, it can be very difficult for each of us to connect with others, to feel fulfilment, and to give the unique gifts that only we bring to the world. Whether we label this with a diagnosis or simply call it suffering, the effects are very real. I suspect you are quite familiar with this territory.
One challenge, however, is that without compassionate assistance, this experience can be overwhelming, and the internal healing wisdom that resides in each of us may remain unexpressed. One view of therapy is that it is a process that supports us in becoming “Self-led”—in our ability to embody or inhabit our Highest/Wisest Selves. (If you’re familiar with or interested in Internal Family Systems therapy, then you likely understand where I’m coming from.)
Paradoxically, a good deal of this healing change can come from moving towards our disturbance rather than away from it. With the right support, our suffering can illuminate our stuck points, scars, and open wounds, and each can then begin to be reintegrated or healed to the greatest extent possible. It’s my experience that these same principles generally apply to individuals and couples (to say nothing of humanity in general).
About Me:
I am inspired by the courage and vulnerability that folks bring when they choose to engage in therapy, and it’s a privilege for me to be trusted with the care of their souls. After all, “psychotherapy” traditionally meant to serve (Greek: therapeia) the soul (Greek: psyche). While I absolutely want to support people in “getting better,” my first priority is to simply be with them. Incidentally, various biomedical disciplines have increasingly demonstrated that safe and attuned presence is the bedrock of preventing and resolving trauma.
I’m comfortable working with couples and with individuals from their teens onward. And while I think I understand men/masculine people particularly well, I work well with all genders, sexual orientations, etc. If your suffering looks like relationship conflict, communication and boundary issues, trauma (e.g., accidents, sexual assault, combat, etc.), emotional dysregulation, dissociation, anxiety and depression, disordered eating, and existential/spiritual issues, to name a few, we might be a good fit.
While I can’t guarantee any result or “cure,” I will do my best to support you in your healing, transforming, and growing.
Professional Experience:
I’ve worked in the mental health field since 2022. During the early part of the COVID pandemic, I worked in a homeless services organization in Olympia, Washington, and before that, I spent about 10 years as an enlisted member of the U.S. Coast Guard. After graduating from Meridian University with my Masters in Counseling Psychology, I was credentialed as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (#MC61469025) in Washington State. Throughout all of these ventures, I’ve honed my ability to translate across worldviews and I’ve learned a tremendous amount about human passion, suffering, growth, and healing (my own and others’).
A good deal of my training and experience centers around topics like meditation, eastern spirituality, developmental psychology, existential philosophy, trauma, embodiment, and attachment theory. Though these foci are not very aligned with psychiatry’s conception of “mental illness,” I believe there’s abundant research linking them to optimal health and functioning—and abundant research suggesting that they offer constructive ways to help individuals and society heal.
