Lou Bardach, MSW

Mental Health Counselor Student Intern 

Coach 

     Hello, my name is Lou Bardach, and I am an IFS-Informed Life Coach and psychotherapy student intern. My approach to coaching is similar in some ways to psychotherapy. I graduated with honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and I am a member of both the Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology and the Phi Alpha National Honor Society in Social Work. I am also an IFS-informed practitioner, having studied the Internal Family Systems psychotherapeutic model through the IFS Institute’s introductory Online Circle program (more info). I additionally hold a degree from the Colorado Institute of Art, and view people connecting with their “art” (in all its many forms) as central to claiming and living in one’s truth.
     I have been trained in Tibetan-style (Samatha) meditation and mindfulness practices and bring a grounded, person-focused approach to helping and supporting others. I believe each person is an expert on their own life, and partner with my clients to create a safe environment to foster self-exploration, healing, and transformation. I believe that health and well-being are cultivated through self-care -- by learning to become one’s own compassionate caregiver.
     

Areas of focus with my clients tend to include:                  ​​

​​

• getting "unstuck" when feeling stuck in work or school, in relationships or with family, in life patterns, etc.          

• addressing loneliness or feeling a sense of disconnection

• exploring and healing the effects of childhood trauma including abandonment        wounds and shame

• addressing addictions and compulsions, and the wounding that drives these behaviors

• providing support in a psychiatric drug withdrawal/tapering process

• exploring spirituality or purpose in one’s life

• addressing inner conflict that perpetuates stress, anxiety, and depression

• working with existential issues (aka - dark night of the soul, midlife crisis, etc.)

• addressing harshness within oneself (an “inner critic), and challenges with self-compassion, self-forgiveness, and self-love

​

     As a gay man experienced in working with LGBTQ+ adolescents and adults, I am particularly interested in helping others heal from the effects of homophobia and other types of social oppression through the lens of intersectionality and empowerment. My own “arts” include writing -- poetry, fiction, and non-fiction (I am a published author), public speaking, meditation, stretching/bodywork, gardening, engaging nature, befriending animals, encouraging children (and inner children) to laugh, traveling to places I have never been and walking a lifetime path of personal growth and discovery.