About Ryan
Dr. Ryan Knutson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, addiction, and relationship concerns. He works with issues like trauma, depression, parenting strain, body image, and career challenges.
He also supports people navigating ADHD, compassion fatigue, and life transitions. He prefers straightforward conversations that feel useful and down to earth. He adapts his approach to what each person needs rather than using a single method for everyone.
Background and approach
Sessions are meant to be practical and focused on small, achievable changes. Dr. Knutson holds a doctorate in counselor education and supervision, a master’s degree in mental health counseling, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
He has about 10 years of clinical experience and more than seven years supervising other clinicians. He has worked in correctional settings, outpatient clinics, group homes, and as a volunteer counselor. His background includes teaching as an adjunct instructor in a graduate counseling program, and he brings that training perspective into skill-building work with clients.
He aims to help people notice patterns, try new coping strategies, and build on their strengths. In sessions he blends practical skill work with a collaborative, person-centered stance. He listens for the things that matter most to each person and then tailors techniques to fit those goals.
The overall focus is on usable tools and steady progress over time.
Approaches that guide online work
Dr. Knutson draws from evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioral strategies and motivational interviewing. Cognitive behavioral strategies focus on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety, improve mood, and change patterns that keep problems stuck. Motivational interviewing uses a collaborative conversation to clarify goals and strengthen a person’s own motivation to change, which can help with addictions, ambivalence, or making lifestyle shifts.He also brings a person-centered, strengths-based stance that emphasizes active listening and building on what already works for someone. Finding the right mix of approaches is a team effort - the therapist and client talk through preferences, goals, and early results to refine what is most helpful. That collaborative process helps tailor each plan to the person’s needs.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions are good for face-to-face interaction and teaching skills. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can fit into a busy day. Live chat and messaging allow short check-ins, flexible pacing, and ongoing reflection between scheduled talks. These options aim to make therapy more accessible and easier to fit into everyday life.
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Workplace issues
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English
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