Justin Friel (he/him)

Marriage & Family Therapist

  • Fully licensed in Colorado and Tennessee.

  • 7+ Years of clinical practice.

  • MAMFT - 2013 - Richmont Graduate University.

  • Training in EFT, EFIT, and work with LGBTQ+ clients.

I am currently seeking a part-time therapist position at a private practice in the Denver area with immediate availability. With 7+ years of clinical experience, a background in biblical and theological studies, and ongoing studies in LGBT+ sexuality, I bring a unique mix of training and lived experience to my clinical work. Please review my resume below and the rest of my website to see if I may be a good fit for a position.

Please let me know if you have any questions as you look over my history here. I look forward to potentially working with your team.

A caveat: As you look over my resume, you will see degrees, training, and experience from explicitly Christian institutions. These entries are artifacts from my time within evangelicalism and are not the institutions I would attend or associate with today. I have severed connections with these insitutions primarily because of their stances regarding LGBT+ inclusion.

Sincerely,

Justin Friel, LMFT

Phone: 865.217.6129

Email: justin@justinfrielmft.com

 

Licensure

Tennessee Board of Marriage & Family Therapists

  • #1508 issued August 2018, expires April 2024

Colorado State Board of Marriage and Family Therapist Examiners

  • #2453 issued August 2023, expires August 2025

Education

University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology Joint Doctoral Program, Denver, CO | In Progress

  • Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies

  • My research looks at the ways religion, politics, and culture all shape one another and how that influences the formation and performance of Queer identities. In particular, I am looking at the role of utopia and the experiences of community among Queer people.

  • I have a secondary focus on evangelicalism in the United States, especially as it relates to white Christian nationalism.

Richmont Graduate University, Chattanooga, TN | Graduated August 2013

  • Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy

  • Specialization in Christian Sex Therapy

  • Research and clinical focus: Models for conceptualizing and addressing pornography usage and compulsivity, specifically among young adult Christians. With a secondary focus on sexual identity therapies.

Johnson University (formerly Johnson Bible College), Knoxville, TN | Graduated May 2011

  • Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Church Leadership/Preaching

Special Trainings

  • Moral Stress and Injury – Iliff School of Theology, 2022

  • Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy: Level 1 – International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, 2020

  • Therapy with LGBTQIA Plus Clients – Modern Sex Therapy Institutes, 2020

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy: Externship – East Tennessee EFT, 2019

  • Sexual Addiction Assessment and Treatment – Institute for Sexual Wholeness, 2016

  • Sex Therapy – Richmont Graduate University, 2011-2013

Clinical Experience

Justin Friel Counseling and Consulting | Knoxville, TN | Therapist and Founder; 2019 - Present

  • I started my independent counseling and consulting practice in 2019 after three years at my previous group practice.

  • My practice focuses on sex, sexuality, and spirituality, especially how they relate to and are in tension with one another. I also have an increased number of clients who want to process spiritual and religious traumas and seek guidance in "deconstructing" and "reconstructing" their faith.

Ebenezer Counseling Services | Knoxville, TN | Marriage and Family Therapist; 2016-2019

  • Ebenezer Counseling Services (ECS) is a group practice that offers counseling and psychological services from a Christian perspective and framework. I was hired as a master's-level clinician and was promoted upon licensure by the state of Tennessee.

  • I focused my practice at ECS on working primarily with men aged 16-40+ in individual therapy with a presenting concern related to sex or sexuality. The majority of my cases involved a presenting concern of compulsive pornography usage.

  • I also positioned myself as an expert within the practice and the community in working with LGBTQ+ clients. Specifically, many of the clients I worked with experienced a significant lack of congruence between their spirituality and sexuality.

  • I worked with a limited number of couples and families. I choose to limit my work to couples presenting primarily with concerns related to sex or sexuality to further my specialization as a sex therapist.

  • I received a promotion to head up the development of a new website. I constructed the website, including the design and writing of the copy for the website. The role also included oversight of website maintenance and digital marketing efforts and came with profit sharing and a voice in the direction of the practice.

  • I left ECS to start my own practice and over differences regarding religious beliefs and interpretation of scripture namely pertaining to LGBT+ inclusion and patriarchy.

Richmont Community Counseling Center | Chattanooga, TN | Clinical Counseling Intern; 2012-2013

  • The Richmont Community Counseling Center is a non-profit counseling agency dedicated to providing quality counseling services to individuals and families who are uninsured, underinsured, or have financial barriers that have prevented mental health treatment.

  • I directly served individuals and couples from diverse demographic groups including age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and racial demographics. These cases were of a variety of presenting issues, including severe or complex trauma, depression, anxiety, maladaptive relationship patterns, sexual dysfunctions, and compulsive sexuality.

Bryan College Counseling Center | Dayton, TN | Counseling and Soul Care Intern; 2013

  • The Bryan College counseling center offers counseling, Soul Care, and spiritual direction to Bryan College students and faculty.

  • I created and led a process psychotherapy group for male students struggling with issues of sexuality, including pornography usage and sexual acting out

  • I also worked with individuals addressing issues of pornography usage and relationships, as well as crisis management.

Relevant Work Experience

Habitat for Humanity/Americorps | Knoxville, TN | construction team member; 2014-2015

  • I did a year with Americorps placed at Habitat for Humanity as part of their construction team.

  • Responsibilities included: general construction, volunteer management and training, work site safety training, and site coordination.

Prairie Whole Farm | Ida Grove, IA | Apprentice; 2014

  • Prairie Whole Farm is devoted to organic practices & ethical treatment of animals and people. This farm is a Christian learning community devoted to understanding the intrinsic nature of the relationship between care of the earth, community, and faith.

  • Responsibilities included: livestock care and management, use of farm machinery, gardening and crop management as well as customer service and logistics.

The L'Abri Fellowship | Greatham, England | Helper; 2014

  • L'Abri is a faith-based residential study community that provides intentional hospitality and a safe place for people to wrestle with questions of importance concerning faith, identity, vocation, and other parts of life.

  • Responsibilities included: managing a kitchen that fed 20 - 60 people a day, maintenance, cleaning, and construction around an old manor home, as well as providing active, intentional hospitality to guests and residents.

Richmont Graduate University | Chattanooga, TN | Assistant to the Dean of Clinical Affairs; 2012-2013

  • Responsibilities included: record keeping, filing, research regarding new clinical rules and regulations and how that would impact students, clinical site evaluations, and other aspects of clinical training.

References

  • Adam York, PhD – Licensure supervisor and coworker while at ECS and after.

    • ‭+1 (865) 235-3057‬ | yorkcanuck@gmail.com

  • Lauren Brakebill, MA – coworker while working at ECS.

    • +1 (865) 748-5702