Ron Paul, LCSW
OWNER | EMDR PSYCHOTHERAPIST
I came to this work later in life.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent 30 years as an engineer. From the outside, my life looked successful—but internally, I was struggling. I experienced depression, addiction, and a deep sense of disconnection. In 1991, I spent six weeks in an inpatient mental health program—an experience that ultimately changed the direction of my life.
Through therapy, recovery work, and a long personal journey, I came to understand something that now shapes how I work with clients:
You are not broken.
What you’re experiencing makes sense in the context of your life—and healing is possible.
That realization led me to return to school, become a therapist, and spend the last two decades helping others find their own way back to themselves.
If you’re coming into therapy feeling unsure about what’s going on, or frustrated that things haven’t shifted despite your efforts, you don’t have to sort it out on your own. We can take the time to understand it together.
My Approach to Therapy
I often think of therapy as an inner journey. It is an opportunity to explore the parts of yourself that may be harder to access, to begin healing past experiences, and to create the possibility for something different moving forward.
I believe that we are born whole and complete. Over time, life experiences—such as trauma, relationships, loss, or ongoing stress—can lead us to lose touch with that sense of wholeness. The ways we think, feel, and respond often develop for understandable reasons, even if they no longer serve us.
In our work together, we take the time to understand those patterns more fully—why they developed, what they’re trying to do for you, and how they might begin to shift.
My role is not to fix you, but to help you reconnect with your own strengths and resources, so that change comes from a deeper level of understanding.
I draw from several approaches in this process:
EMDR – to help process and resolve the impact of past experiences
Internal Family Systems (IFS) – to understand and work with different parts of yourself
Mindfulness – to build awareness and create space for new ways of responding
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – to change thought patterns and core beliefs that are no longer serving you
These approaches are not applied in a rigid way. What matters most is that the work feels relevant, thoughtful, and grounded in your actual experience.
Clinical Specialties
I work with adults and couples navigating:
Trauma and PTSD, including complex trauma
Anxiety and depression
Addiction and recovery
Relationship challenges and couples counseling
Life transitions and questions of meaning
I take a trauma-informed perspective, recognizing that many of these challenges are interconnected and often rooted in earlier experiences.
My Professional Credentials
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Arizona (#13675)
Master of Social Work, Arizona State University
Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering, Cornell University
19+ years of clinical experience
Advanced Clinical Training
EMDR Basic Training (Weekends 1 & 2), EMDRIA – 2012
EMDR Resource Development & Installation (RDI) – 2017
Internal Family Systems Trauma Treatment (Frank Anderson, PESI, 20 CEUs)
Developmental Model of Couples Therapy (36 CEUs) – 2017
I’ve been living in Flagstaff since 2007, and it’s a place that continues to feel like home.
When I’m not working, I enjoy playing music and spending time outdoors—whether that’s walking, exploring, or simply being in the quiet of the mountains and open space that surround this area.
I’ve been married to my wife for over 30 years, and family remains an important part of my life. I also draw from my Buddhist practice, which influences how I understand suffering and change—while always respecting each person’s own beliefs and perspective.
A Bit More About Me…
