Alec Westover

Alec Westover graduated from the University of Utah with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. His background is in research, investigating the relationship between prenatal stress and infant development at the Child Adaptation and Neurodevelopment (CAN) Lab at the University of Utah. Alec has experience working with individuals from childhood and adolescence through late adulthood, and has worked with clients from a variety of cultural, racial, and gender identities. Alec specializes in working with adults at all stages of development and from a diverse range of backgrounds and identities who are experiencing:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief
• Developmental Trauma
• Relationship issues
• Neurodivergence
• Identity difficulties
• Male issues
• Life Transitions

As a mental health professional Alec believes the primary component that makes therapy work is the therapeutic relationship (or the “working alliance”). As he works closely with clients, his primary goal is to create an environment that fosters safety and trust. At the onset of therapy, his focus is to help clients map out their own patterns in relationships, and use the therapeutic bond to rewrite behaviors that prevent genuine connection in their lives. In doing so, he aims to help his clients add depth and meaning to the experiences they have with the people they hold dear.

In addition to this relational approach, Alec relies on a variety of cognitive and behavioral approaches to help clients manage distressing mental and emotional symptoms. His interest in these scientific frameworks for working with the mind is inspired by his passion for eastern philosophies such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Daoism. He is also formally trained in EMDR and follows the Stress-Vulnerability framework within the larger biopsychosocial model of mental health. Meaning that, a person’s mental health condition can be explained by a combination of biological, social, and environmental factors. Where acute and chronic stressors, including traumatic experiences, are the triggers for worsening symptomology. Therefore resolving these stressors and traumatic experiences, through talk therapy and specialized EMDR techniques, can be an important part of reducing client symptoms.

Alec understands that much of healing within the context of a person’s mental health exists both outside of and alongside cognition. Meaning that some aspects of an individual’s healing can not be simply talked about, but instead need to be felt and experienced. For these experiences he relies on Somatic Experience Therapy, and Immediacy. Using specialized exercises to help clients regulate their nervous system, and learn from the real-time interactions taking place in the therapy room. When these experiences happen, clients can access a deeper sense of peace in their mind, heart, and body.

Depending on his client’s personality and interests, two important levers for client change that Alec often encourages are creativity and spirituality. Whether faith is an important part of an individual’s identity or has been detrimental to their well-being, he believes that therapy can be an effective place to work with these very personal elements of a person’s experience. Additionally, he encourages clients to utilize their creativity as a powerful vehicle for change. For his clients with a creative impulse, Alec aims to tailor the work done in therapy accordingly.

In addition to individual counseling, Alec also enjoys working with couples. In his work he uses structured communication exercises, homework between sessions, and facilitated interaction to help couples break harmful generational relational patterns that lead to continuous conflict and limit trust, understanding, and connection.