What I do

My goal is to co-create a working relationship with you where personal transformation is possible.

At times, I wear a more traditional therapist hat, asking questions and encouraging you to explore your thoughts, feelings and actions. I also act as a coach, giving you encouragement and providing emotional support as you do what it takes to make changes in your life. I can be direct, calling you on your old patterns when I see them. I can also listen and witness when you are in the vulnerable place of speaking from your heart.

Therapy, like church, is not something you do for one hour a week. It is a living practice. I will sometimes encourage “homework.” This could be something as simple as reading a relevant article, or a doing some sort of mindfulness practice. As the therapeutic relationship is established, I also offer something I call “field therapy,” where I can do a home visit or even coach you in the parking lot of an audition or job interview.

Counseling for Creatives

You are unconventional. So am I.

Artists and people who work in the creative professions often have needs that are different from others. When you choose a counselor, you want to talk to someone who understands the particular things you struggle with as an artist.

I can help you navigate the sometimes difficult terrain that comes with being a creative person. These difficulties can manifest in different ways:

Having to work at a job that feels meaningless
Difficulty communicating with your significant other around your needs
Trying to function as an introvert in a culture that can seem highly extroverted
Performance anxiety or stage fright.
Feeling creatively blocked
Fear of failure
Fear of success
Emotional regulation
Depression
Excessive self-criticism
Time management

Is this you?

Scenario 1:

“Something’s missing…”

Maybe at first this is just a fleeting thought or dim awareness. Maybe you’ve done well for yourself; you’ve got a good job and a decent marriage, but…it feels like something’s missing. Maybe you have thoughts like “Is this all there is? Is this IT for the next 20, 30, or 40 years?

“I don’t know whether to stay or go…”

Are you currently in a job or a relationship that you feel is killing your soul instead of feeding your soul? Have you had one foot out the door for the past few months? And are you reluctant to leave because the job or relationship meets at least a few of your needs?

“I feel like a fraud…”

Do you feel tired of making an effort to fit in? To a relationship, to a job or career, to a way of life? Are you stuck somewhere that just isn’t YOU? Are you looking forward to a time when you can just be yourself and no longer have to pretend to be something or someone you are not?

About Me

Whether I’m on the stage, in the studio, or in the therapy office, my goal has always been to create a space where a person’s perceptions may be transformed. I believe there is always more to life than what we are immediately aware of in any given moment.

I have been helping and guiding people as a counselor since 2004. In addition to private practice, I have worked for the Mental Health Center of Boulder County, Boulder Community Hospital, The Art Institute of Colorado, and The Rose House, a treatment center for women in recovery from addiction. I am currently on the staff at Centennial Peaks Hospital, where I run outpatient groups for teens.

I grew up on the east coast and lived on the west coast before settling in Colorado. I’ve been influenced by both places, and I’m aware there’s a part of me that is New York Italian, and part of me that is California Visionary. I love tropical places, and I have an affinity for all things British!

Contact Me

Neville Harson, LPC – Counselor and Creativity Coach

I have offices in Boulder and Denver, and I would be happy to schedule a free 30 minute office consultation with you.
Contact me for a free consultation.
Phone: 720-987-5353 | Email: nevilleharson@gmail.com

Blog

Making a Living as an Artist: An Interview with Laura Heck

September 10, 2018 / Neville Harson

During one of my recent explorations of Denver’s Santa Fe Drive Art District, I stopped in a store called ReCreative. If you’re an artist in the Denver area, you will want to stop in–regularly! ReCreative is basically a thrift store for artists, and they have everything from minimally used paints […]

Pour Painting and Play

August 6, 2018 / Neville Harson

A recent article in the New York Times stated that creativity was the new midlife crisis “thing.” Instead of the now-cliched responses to midlife, like buying a sports car or having an affair with someone younger, the article noted how people were instead enrolling in painting classes and taking singing […]

Teaching Radical Arts

October 30, 2017 / Neville Harson

For the past two months, I’ve been teaching a Radical Arts course at a local high school. Every Wednesday afternoon, I get together with a group of 10-20 students and barrage them with what I hope are new and interesting ideas. Rather than present the material as a historic thing […]

6 Overlooked Factors that Influence Depression

April 25, 2017 / Neville Harson

When your tell your doctor you are depressed, the first thing they will usually do is to prescribe antidepressants. If they have a more holistic orientation, they might ask you about your eating, sleeping and exercise. All of these are good things to take into account when treating depression. But […]

Sensitivity Needs Expression

June 9, 2016 / Neville Harson

I was facilitating a group for teens and their parents the other night when I had one of those sudden epiphanies; a moment where everything became clear for me about How It All Works. A realization that crystallized both what I do and why I do it. A moment that […]

Does Your Band Need a Therapist?

March 17, 2016 / Neville Harson

In the documentary “Some Kind of Monster,” the band Metallica hires a therapist to keep them from falling apart. Their bass player has just quit the band, and their frontman enters rehab to try to get a grip on his alcoholism. The therapist (or “performance-enhancing coach”) encourages the band members […]

Art and Grief

February 4, 2016 / Neville Harson

Grief comes in many shapes and sizes, and how grief is expressed can look very different from one person to the next. Beware of anyone telling you specifically how you should or should not be grieving the loss of someone or something you love–there is no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes […]

How David Bowie Used Music and Art to Keep Himself Sane

January 15, 2016 / Neville Harson

I’ve been thinking a lot about David Bowie this week. His death has left me not with a David Bowie-shaped hole, but shot full of little David Bowie-shaped holes. What I mean by this is that I have been listening to his music throughout my life, from fifth grade, when […]

Creative Life Strategies