Joshua Vander Zwaag, LISW

With over 15 years of combined experience in law enforcement and clinical counseling, I have a clear, real-world understanding of how stress, trauma, and pressure affect people. I take a practical, straightforward approach to therapy—focused on identifying what’s holding you back and helping you move forward with confidence and purpose. I work with individuals, couples, families, college students, first responders, and military personnel. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, burnout, or major life transitions, I help you define your goals and build a focused plan to achieve them. I don’t believe in vague advice or unnecessary steps. Therapy with me is about honest conversations, actionable strategies, and achieving real progress. My approach is straightforward and flexible. I use evidence-based methods like CBT, DBT, solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, Gestalt therapy, and EMDR. These tools help with managing stress, working through trauma, improving communication, and navigating life’s challenges. I don’t follow a script—each session is tailored to what’s actually useful for you. I’m trained in EMDR, a trauma-informed therapy designed to help people process and move beyond painful memories and experiences. It’s especially effective for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and unresolved grief. I’m also certified in individual and group crisis intervention through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), which equips me to support clients during high-stress and critical events. Therapy doesn’t need to be complicated or dragged out. It should be focused, honest, and goal-driven. If you’re ready to do the work, I’m here to meet you where you are and help you build clarity, strength, and resilience—one step at a time. Currently accepting NEW CLIENTS via telehealth. The Wisdom of the Bison: Embracing Life's Storms Life’s hardships are much like approaching storms — unpredictable, unsettling, and often unavoidable. In these moments, we face a choice: to run from the discomfort or to confront it directly. The behaviors of cows and bison offer a striking metaphor for how we respond to adversity. When a storm rolls in, cows instinctively try to outrun it. They move away from the dark clouds, seeking refuge in the opposite direction. Yet their efforts are futile — the storm moves faster, eventually overtaking them. By running alongside it, they prolong their suffering, trapped beneath the very thing they were trying to escape. Bison, however, respond with a wisdom that seems counterintuitive yet deeply profound. Instead of fleeing, they turn and charge directly into the storm. By meeting the turmoil head-on, they pass through it more quickly, minimizing their time in its grasp. The bison understands a truth that many of us resist — that the path to peace is not found in avoidance but in confrontation. In our own lives, pain, fear, and uncertainty are inevitable. Yet when we attempt to outrun these experiences — by numbing, ignoring, or distracting ourselves — we often extend our suffering. Growth, healing, and resilience come not from evasion but from the courage to step into the storm. To live like the bison is to trust that facing hardship directly may be uncomfortable, but it is also the quickest path to clarity and calm. Strength is not found in avoidance but in the willingness to meet life’s storms with open eyes and steady steps. By Joshua Vander Zwaag, LISW – Forward Path Counseling (Inspired by the traditional bison metaphor of facing life’s storms head-on)