JD Goates, Ph.D.

jd.goates@birchpsychology.com | 303.834.1026 ext. 875

Dr. JD Goates (they/them) is a post-doctoral fellow who provides individual psychotherapy services to adults of all ages and adolescents, as well as assessment services to individuals 8 and older. JD specializes in working with queer and transgender individuals, as well as trauma work and identity development.

JD believes that authenticity and collaboration are core to an effective therapy process with them. They also recognize and emphasize the role of identities and culture in mental health. JD also individualizes treatment based on the client and can integrate aspects from other therapies, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, to help clients develop skills to improve emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. 

JD has previously worked with clients across a range of settings, including community mental health centers, integrative care settings, college counseling centers, and community-based organizations. They have experience working with clients navigating suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, emotional regulation, and interpersonal and relational difficulties. They have also conducted assessments for academic, personality, mood, and neurodevelopmental concerns as well as pre-employment evaluations and disability evaluations in the citizenship application process. They believe assessment can be an empowering experience that can help guide treatment, connect individuals with appropriate resources, and provide insight into concerns impacting a client’s life.

JD earned their doctoral degree in counseling psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and holds a masters in Bilingual (Spanish) Mental Health Counseling from Teachers College at Columbia University. They completed their predoctoral internship at Aurora Mental Health and Recovery in Aurora, CO where they provided individual, group, and assessment services to adolescents, adults, and refugee and immigrants experiencing a wide range of concerns. 

JD integrates a Liberation Psychology into their relational-cultural and emotion focus therapy approaches to assist clients in healing JD focusing on helping clients reinforce their strengths and develop self-empowerment and self-advocacy in their own treatment.

JD can be reached at: jd.goates@birchpsychology.com | 303.834.1026 ext. 875