Dayton Olsen, LPC treats persons age 12 and up. With few exceptions, Dayton sees symptoms, pain, and distress not as elements of sickness or pathology per se, but as normal and universal parts of living. He relies less on techniques and theory than on the relationships he builds with his patients. In therapy, he works in the pursuit of qualities of love, understanding, belonging, peace, and safety that we all strive for in our own ways.

In Their Own Words

1. Why did you decide to become a mental health clinician? I spent much of my childhood and adolescence with various therapists. I had a large amount of both good and bad experiences, both of which compelled me to pursue being a therapist myself. 

2. What types of clients do you work best with? That’s a tough one to answer; I think I work very well with patients who are unsure of themselves; unsure what they want, unsure who they are, unsure what they expect out of therapy. I often work well with starting from scratch. 

3. Why type of clients are you most excited to work with? Another tough one; I guess I am most eager to work with patients who have felt ‘stuck’ and without solution. 

4. What’s one thing you wish all clients knew? That the pain or suffering (grief, sadness, loneliness, etc) that lead us to seek help are not necessarily things that are done away with through therapy. Therapy, like most things, is additive rather than subtractive; it can allow us to adapt, grow, and ultimately live alongside pain. Rarely does therapy, or anything else for that matter, insulate us from pain or absolve us of our feelings. This is not a bad thing. 

5. Why did you choose to practice at Pura Vida Counseling and Wellness? I was attracted to Bruce’s model of care, his background, and the philosophy he brings to his practice. It is much needed in our field. 

6. What can clients expect in their first session with you? A casual, warm atmosphere, where they get to decide where to ‘start’ 

7. What do you want to accomplish with an individual in their first session? Connecting with them in an authentic way; I want a patient to leave an initial session feeling seen, heard, understood, and felt. 

8. What should clients know about you before scheduling a first counseling session? - I begin therapy largely without any concrete expectations outside of getting to know someone. Therapy is flexible, fluid, and dynamic. There is rarely any consistent ‘starting point’. 

9. What do you do for fun/on your time off? Lots of dog walks, reading, working out, thrifting, and impulsive traveling 

10. What’s one thing about you that defines you (non-professional)? Sensitivity 

11. What inspires you? Poetry, sad music, strangers being kind, silence, rural areas, old photographs, travel, cold weather, meeting new people