Max Ruiz DeZarate

Max is currently working on his master’s in Social Work at Portland State University. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Temple University.

Max practices from a trauma-informed lens, finding the relationship between people’s experiences and the systems/environments they exist in is a key component to his work with clients. Orienting through a trauma-focused lens, Max hopes to help clients find meaningful, supportive connections in their lives along with tools they can practice outside of the therapeutic environment.  Before entering his graduate training, Max spent years working in wilderness therapy, guiding teens and young adults using nature-based, experiential interventions. Using his person-centered approach, Max is passionate about helping clients understand themselves better through mind-body connections made through movement, breath, and conversation. Max likes to make full use of the farm in sessions, making the most of animal-assisted interventions and immersive nature interventions, as well as more traditional talk therapy.

Max has a special interest in working with adolescent/adult men around issues like socialized masculinity.