Colby Christensen, MFTI

My Story

Looking for a good couples therapist? Someone you'll both like and who won't gang up on you? Someone who actually wants to help you both get more of what you want? Someone kinda smart, funny, and easy to talk to? I try to be all of those things.

I also work one-on-one with individuals, especially those dealing with anxiety, OCD, or a faith transition. If you're used to holding it together on your own but think you might benefit from talking to someone straightforward and supportive, I'm your guy.

I spent over 20 years in high pressure professional environments before becoming a therapist. I have ADHD. My family has ADHD. I know what it costs to keep performing when something underneath is breaking down. I did not come to this work from a textbook. I know this firsthand.

A free 15-minute call is where we start. I'll give you my honest take on whether I can help, no pressure and no sales pitch, just a real conversation about what's going on.

I am currently completing practicum requirements for my Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at North Central University. I see clients in person in Murray, Utah and via telehealth throughout Utah. I am not independently licensed.

How I Work

I am direct. I am not going to sit quietly for fifty minutes while you describe your week. I am going to ask questions, push on things, and engage with you as a real person. That does not mean I am harsh — it means I respect you enough to be honest.

I draw primarily on Bowen Family Systems Theory, which looks at how the patterns in your family of origin show up in your current relationships and in how you handle stress, anxiety, and differentiation — the ability to stay connected to the people you love while remaining yourself. I also integrate elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples work.

I believe the problems people bring to therapy are almost always relational, even when they look individual. Anxiety does not exist in a vacuum. Neither does OCD, faith deconstruction, or the feeling that your marriage has drifted somewhere unfamiliar. Understanding the system around you is usually the most efficient way to understand what is happening inside you.

What You Can Expect

• A therapist who actually engages with you — not just reflects questions back
• A focus on real, measurable progress rather than indefinite weekly check-ins
• Honesty about what I know, what I do not know, and what might be outside my scope
• Respect for where you are in your relationship with religion, faith, or any belief system
• Sliding scale fees — cost should not be the reason you do not get help

Areas of Focus

These are the areas where I do my most focused work — where I have both clinical training and lived experience that informs how I show up.

Training & Background

Education

Masters-level graduate student in Marriage and Family Therapy at North Central University. Completing practicum requirements toward my graduate degree. Clinical hours are practicum hours required for graduation, not DOPL licensure hours.

Clinical Supervision

Therapeutic Approaches

• Bowen Family Systems Theory — differentiation, triangles, family of origin patterns
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) — evidence-based OCD treatment
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — values-based living, psychological flexibility
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — attachment-based couples work
• Structural Family Therapy — boundaries, hierarchy, family reorganization

Before Therapy

Prior to entering the mental health field, Colby spent over 20 years in high pressure professional environments including corporate leadership and business ownership. That background — the pressure, the people management, the financial stakes, the relational complexity of running an organization — informs how he works with clients who are navigating high-stakes situations, professional stress, and the particular kind of exhaustion that comes from being responsible for a lot.