Colby Christensen, MFTI

My Story

Most people who reach out are carrying something they haven't said out loud yet. Intrusive thoughts about sin or worthiness that won't quiet down. A faith that used to feel like home but doesn't anymore. People carrying the weight of work, family, and identity with no one to talk to about it.

This is exactly who I work with.

I spent 15 years in business before becoming a therapist. I understand high-pressure environments, identity disruption, and what it costs to keep performing when something underneath is breaking down. I didn't come to this work from a textbook. That's not backstory. It's why I understand what you're carrying.

I specialize in OCD, scrupulosity, anxiety, and faith transitions for people from high-expectation religious and professional backgrounds. I work primarily from Bowen Family Systems theory and use ERP for OCD — approaches that get to the root rather than just managing symptoms. If you look fine on the outside but are exhausted inside, I know how to help.

You don't have to have it figured out before you call. Most people just know something needs to change. A free 30-minute consultation is where we start. I'll tell you honestly whether I think I can help and we'll go from there.

I am currently completing practicum requirements for my Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at North Central University. I see clients at A Pretty Good Therapist, the practice of Patrick Powers, PhD, LMFT, under his direct supervision 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 fifteen years as a business owner and entrepreneur in Utah. 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.