My name is Joseph Fuhrmeister, and I use he/him pronouns. The focus of my therapeutic practice is to help individuals living with post-traumatic stress and complex trauma, the LGBTQIA+ population, relationship difficulties, phase-of-life transitions and challenges, and those wishing to understand and manage anger. If you struggle to move past your past, feel disconnected and frustrated in your relationships, and it feels like you are stuck in the same patterns over and over, I think I can help.
The work with me involves reframing and challenging unhelpful ways of thinking, practicing new adaptive behaviors, and developing a new perspective on life. My primary approach is a therapy called Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In EMDR therapy we process through your adverse experiences with a technique called bilateral stimulation (see https://www.emdria.org/ for more info) with the intent to improve how to view yourself, the world, and other people. In addition, I pull from other psychotherapy modalities as needed, such as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills for emotion regulation and distress tolerance, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) skills for OCD and anxiety, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
My professional background is in community agency settings providing outpatient therapy for individuals and couples and group therapy services for a diverse population of adults with mental health and social concerns ranging from mild to severe. I also have experience working with clients navigating the legal system, child protective services, homelessness, and other stressors experienced in the community.
In 2017, I completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at University of Florida. I then completed a Master of Arts in Counselor Education from University of Central Florida in 2021 and was a member of my local chapter of Chi Sigma Iota International Honor Society in Counseling. I am also a member of the Florida Mental Health Counselor’s Association. A fun fact about me is that before I became a counselor, I worked in property management for seven years. After I got married, my husband and I decided it was time for us to focus on our passions. So here I am, doing what I love most, helping others. I am also a plant parent of more plants than I can count!
