Attune to Self - Counseling and Consultation, PLLC

Hi, I’m Kole! Thanks for taking the time to visit my site. Who is Dr. Kole Mason? I’m a descendant of enslaved Africans, trans-guy, survivor of many broken hearts (personal and systemic), and a believer in the existence and power of true love and personal choice/responsibility. I’m also a psychologist, small business owner, psychic/medium (I'm known as "the man with ears" or "the one who listens" amongst those in spirit form), priest/ess of the ones, reiki master of two lineages, and hobby musician. What are Kole's experiences and approach to therapy? I enjoy my work as a therapist! Over the last decade, I've worked in the university/college and private practice settings. My clients have ranged in age from 18 - 60 and presented with a variety of concerns/symptoms, social identities, and lived experiences. In general, I’m passionate about working with members of one or more marginalized groups, especially transgender and non-binary people who also identify as black. I work best with those who want to develop a more intimate and truly loving relationship with themselves. When working with clients, I focus on deeply listening to the stories they share about themselves, others, and their lived experiences. Which includes exploration of their emotions, body sensations, what they heard themselves say, and so forth. This helps me understand the various ways their lived experiences, family histories, and current contexts relate to their presenting concerns/symptoms. With this in mind, it is easier to identify what they want, what actions they're already taking and/or can take as well as the resources the client has or needs in service of their goals. I firmly believe that a healthy therapeutic relationship provides a solid foundation for psychological and emotional transformation. As a result, I sometimes use the therapeutic relationship as a tool for growth. That involves mutual sharing about observations and experiences of the therapeutic relationship. This is especially important when clients act out well-practiced safety behaviors (e.g. people pleasing, indirect communication, approval seeking, avoiding certain topics, deferring, dissociating/forgetting, starting fights/creating conflict, lying, etc...) in sessions. When this happens, it is an opportunity to understand the origin, function, impact, and effectiveness of those behaviors. Finally, it provides a second chance to make different choices and learn what happens. Sometimes, we need to do things twice, or nth times, to create the reality we want to experience :)