Dr. Patrick Preston | Psychologist in Fort Collins

I find meaning in helping people heal after hardship. Life confronts us with moments that can shake our sense of ground. Sometimes the accumulation of disappointments becomes too difficult to metabolize on our own. Even outwardly successful people can carry a quiet feeling that something is not right. Why do we hide from these goldmines?

Therapy, to me, is a deeply human process of slowing down, making contact with ourselves, and untangling the emotional patterns, histories, and beliefs shaping our lives. Much of our sense of self is developed outside our rational and conscious mind. I find fulfillment in helping people move through suffering while reconnecting with vitality and a greater sense of freedom. I believe people often carry far more potential than they realize. I look for the unique spark that makes you, you.

My journey into psychology began while studying Psychology and African American Studies at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). Early in my career, I worked at a residential facility for traumatized children, where I witnessed how profoundly relationships, family systems, culture, and environment shape our developing sense of self. After earning my undergraduate degree, I worked as a case manager supporting adults with severe mental illness transitioning from state hospitals and prisons back into the community. Those experiences deepened my understanding of human resilience and how biology, socioeconomic limits, and temperament can complicate healing.

I later earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University of New England, where I immersed myself in the philosophy, research, and practice of professional psychology. Through my clinical training, I developed an interpersonal, existential, and psychodynamic approach to therapy. Over time, I have come to believe that people make more sense when we understand them deeply within the context of their histories, relationships, defenses, losses, and adaptations.

During graduate school, I served as Director of Mental Health Services at an AIDS Service Organization. This work profoundly shaped my understanding of homophobia, discrimination, identity, grief, mortality, and the psychological impact of social rejection and stigma. It also deepened my appreciation for the courage required to face illness, uncertainty, and death. I remain humbled by the opportunity to sit with people as they navigate existential suffering and questions surrounding meaning, loss, and mortality.

I completed my postdoctoral training at the counseling center at the University at Buffalo, where I worked with individuals and groups and supervised developing clinicians. I later spent eight years as a staff psychologist within a college counseling center, working with a diverse student population and advocating for underserved and marginalized communities. Much of this work involved helping individuals disentangle themselves from shame, rigid family systems, extreme religiosity, identity confusion, and internalized criticism. Many people intellectually understand their struggles long before they emotionally feel free from them.

While working at the University of West Florida, I also developed violence prevention programming focused on engaging men as allies against sexual violence. This work expanded my understanding of how culture, gender expectations, power, and identity shape behavior and relationships. It strengthened my commitment to empathy, accountability, and compassionate advocacy. I am a staunch advocate for men being allies against violence.

From 2011 to 2023, I operated a successful private practice in Pensacola, Florida. Although I consider myself a generalist, I became known for trauma-informed treatment and for providing continuing education and professional training to therapists and counselors.

My work today is informed by modern psychodynamic theory, existential psychology, interpersonal psychotherapy, schema-focused cognitive therapy, EMDR, Buddhist psychology, Eastern philosophy, Somatic Therapies, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic medicine, Feminism, and social constructionist thought. I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and in Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAP). I was trained within the scientific traditions of psychology, yet I have also learned the limitations of purely reductionistic models of human suffering. Every person carries a unique cultural background, personality structure, relational history, and way of making meaning. While theories can offer valuable maps, I place greater importance on authenticity, collaboration, curiosity, and genuine human connection than rigid adherence to any single framework.

Outside of therapy, meditation, yoga, music, nature, and reflective practices remain important parts of my self-care. I believe healing often involves learning how to relate differently to ourselves, our attachments, our suffering, and the uncertainty inherent in being human.

My move to Fort Collins was driven by a desire for deeper alignment with both community and lifestyle, as well as an interest in the evolving frontier of psychedelic and integrative mental health treatment. I currently offer therapy both in person and virtually.