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I've been fascinated by mental health and relationships for most of my life. Becoming a therapist allowed me to discover how to show up and help people tell their story while giving them new perspectives and tools to identify solutions to their problems. I enjoy helping individuals and couples discover their strengths and utilize the attachment center in their brain to improve their mental health and the relationships that matter most. I've found mentorship from both sex therapists and emotions-focused therapists, before eventually settling into my voice as an attachment-based, narrative therapist.
While 2020 was a year like none other, during this time I graduated from Friends University with a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and earned a Graduate Certificate in Sexuality Studies from Kansas State University along the way. I've also earned my clinical licensure in both Kansas, Colorado, and Illinois which allows me to independently practice and provide therapy services to residents of these states. I've also earned my clinical fellow designation from the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy.
My favorite moments in the therapy room are those moments where my clients find their voice and begin using it relationally to help them write new possibilities; while at the same time, leaning into what it means to be human and building safety and security through attachment.
How can you expect me to show up in the therapy room, though? Often, I take a stance of curiosity and ask a lot of questions to help you develop your thoughts and identify the patterns that contribute to the "problem." For me, the most important element in therapy is your ability to tell your story on your terms. We'll highlight your story with compassion, honesty, and humor.
Therapy is a collaborative process; it's not something done to you. What this means is, you are in charge of your own growth and development and to bring topics to process/discuss in session; I'm here to help you carry and guide your work. Therapy happens outside of the one hour we meet each week when you begin applying and incorporating new ideas into your life and way of being. Therapy is a sacred space for your story to be told and for you to be seen and accepted as you are.
My clients know that I'll challenge their thinking when necessary, but my honesty is always layered with compassion. I also use a hell of a lot of metaphors, allegories, and stories to highlight the major themes and help give you a different perspective.
My dog, Phoebe, is my official therapy assistant. You might see her make cameos in our sessions.
In my spare time, I enjoy playing board games/RPGs with friends, writing, listening to audiobooks/music/podcasts, making pottery/writing poetry/being creative, and most recently, cheering on the KC Currents! I spend as much time as I can with Phoebe and we try to take the occasional daytrip somewhere to let myself get lost and connect with the world differently.
My full fee is $165/50 minutes for both individual and relational therapy. I'm also able to offer you a superbill to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
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—Colby Bruner, MS, LCMFT, LMFT (He/Him)
—Phoebe
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WRITING NEW POSSIBILITIES
Table of Contents
Individual Therapy
In the therapy room, I'll follow your lead. You get to direct the course of therapy and bring in the topics that you care most about. Some examples of topics we might cover are: ways to cope with mental health/daily life stressors, building a better work/life balance, navigating your sexuality in the dating scene, how to build a better relationship with yourself and others, boundary setting, understanding and naming your emotions. I'll also help you identify your personal and professional goals and show up in the ways I can to help you problem-solve and plan for the future.
As a therapist, I've sat with and heard stories from people who struggle with depression, anxiety, OCD, and suicidal ideation. I particularly enjoy working with men on understanding and bettering their mental health and relationships.
In order to attune to your own unique needs to better manage your mental health, I'll combine my own blend of Narrative Therapy, Attachment, Mindfulness, and Emotionally Focused Therapy. I may bring in other modalities like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Dr. Lindsay Gibson's model of
"Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents," and/or Solution-Focused Therapy.
Friend/Family Therapy
Our friendships and family relationships are incredibly important. They sustain us through storms and difficult times. But, just like any relationship, miscommunication and disconnection happen.
It can also feel tricky to navigate these relationships. The norm in the therapy world has been to prioritize only romantic relationships. We've normalized getting help for couples struggling to communicate, but these same problems show up with our best friends and (chosen) family members. And friends are left to struggle in conflict alone.
In order to help you strengthen your friendship, I'll modify existing family therapy treatments to fit the dynamics of your friendship. You'll learn how to reconnect and communicate when issues arise.
My job is to be curious and provide you with tools to strengthen your friendship. Each friendship is different, so my approach in therapy will be customized to fit your needs.
Please note that at this time, I am only working with adult chosen families.
Couple's Therapy
The relationships we have with our romantic partner(s) are unlike any other. Your person gets to see you, the real you, even when others can’t. And they’ve chosen to stay time and time again. The fact that you’re both willing to try says a lot about your love.
Long-term relationships take work. Communication breaks down. Fights happen. And it’s all okay.
I approach couple’s therapy from a place of curiosity. I want to know what your perspective is. How you experienced a fight or communication breakdown. And I want to know how your partner experienced that same conflict. When you’re in a place of pain, it’s hard for you to see how your partner might be in pain, as well. My job is to help you each turn towards one another, rather than away.
I firmly believe that couple’s therapy is a space for you each to learn: how to communicate, even when you’re at your most vulnerable, your most triggered; how to name the emotions when they arise; and finally, how your own past influences how you’re reacting in the present.
In order to attune to your own unique needs as a couple, I’ll blend my own combination of the following therapy styles: Narrative, Attachment, Mindfulness, and Emotionally Focused Therapy. Additionally, I’ll bring in Gottman Method worksheets, exercises, and homework activities.