A word from one who would speak with you, greetings! My name is Mickey Joe Fuller. I am originally from Houston, Texas and was raised in a fairly typical middle-class family. After high school, I had little direction in my life and worked a wide variety of jobs, mostly in construction, eventually becoming a certified pipe welder working in the refineries and shipyards along the Gulf Coast.

When I was about 30, as one result of a death in the family, I decided to become a psychologist. Some friends had suggested that I was a gifted encourager. I presumed this to be my calling and felt I should earn the credentials to offer professional encouragement as a psychologist. While my heart was in the right place, I did not realize the personal commitment such an endeavor required. Although many people complete this path in about 10 years, I managed to stretch it out even further, including eight years of graduate school in Virginia and California (details below). As a student, I experienced many challenges, some disappointments and some achievements. However, a new adventure began after finishing school and moving to Utah in early 2003.

Since that time, I have lived in Loa, the Salt Lake City area, Moab, and St. George. I have worked with adults battling various addictions in wilderness settings, adolescents with learning disabilities, autism, and other mental disorders in inpatient and outpatient settings, Native Americans in outpatient and residential treatment using traditional NA culture/Spirituality as tools for healing trauma, and veterans and older adults in outpatient clinics and private practice. Additionally, I worked at the Rescue Mission in SLC as Program Director assisting them in developing a treatment program for homeless substance abusers and at the largest Christian mental health clinic in Utah, based in Sandy. I also have experience with personality assessment, diagnosis, and making treatment recommendations, consultation regarding finding a therapist, and speaking to First Responders about addressing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and related issues. All this to say that as a therapist, I consider myself a generalist with many years of experience treating a broad range of problems and people.

 

Two other things I would like to mention are spirituality/faith practices and depth therapy. My training included how to work specifically with religiously committed clients. In that sense, when thinking about a person’s problems, I often do think about the possible spiritual implications; however, with many people this never comes into the therapy. With others it may be something that we discuss at times, or even focus on, in the therapeutic process. This is largely determined by my client’s preference. My background is Christian but I have worked effectively with people from many faiths ... or none at all. I have spent a good deal of time studying comparative religions and feel I have a fairly good understanding of the major faiths/religions. Regarding depth therapy, I trained in psychoanalytically oriented therapy including object relations and self-psychology. This treatment modality is appropriate for individuals who have tried a number of therapies and therapists and still feel that something is wrong or missing in their life, perhaps something which they cannot identify or that remains unresolved. Such therapy often lasts several years and may include two or more sessions weekly. The investment needed for this kind of therapy should be carefully considered in advance.

 

My hobbies include hiking/backpacking and playing the guitar. Although I’m not an accomplished musician, I enjoy it immensely.