ABOUT NICK
Therapy Begins With Being Seen.
I’m Nick Duran, LMHC—a queer, Mexican American therapist, artist, and former educator offering online therapy for gay, bisexual, and transgender men across Washington State.
My work is grounded in curiosity, compassion, creativity, and a deep belief in the connection between mind and body.
Meet Nick
I’m Nick Duran, LMHC.
My work as a therapist has been shaped by more than 15 years in the arts and education, my own experiences with mental health and grief, and a belief that meaningful therapy should make room for the whole person.
I work primarily with gay, bisexual, and transgender men, particularly millennial men, creatives, and thoughtful, introspective people who want to understand themselves more deeply.
You don't need to arrive with the right words or a perfectly defined problem.
You can simply arrive as you are.
More Than a Therapist
Before becoming a therapist, I spent more than 15 years working in the arts and education.
Those experiences continue to shape how I see people. Creativity has taught me to remain curious. Education taught me to listen and meet people where they are. My own experiences with mental health and grief have deepened my understanding of how complicated healing can be.
I bring all of those perspectives into the therapy room.
For me, therapy isn't about applying a formula to someone's life. It's about becoming curious together about the experiences, relationships, beliefs, and patterns that have shaped you.
You Don't Have to Explain the Basics Here.
Being a gay, bisexual, or trans man can mean navigating complicated messages about masculinity, belonging, relationships, sexuality, family, and what it means to be fully yourself.
Those experiences can leave lasting impressions.
My goal is to offer a space where you don't have to perform, prove yourself, or spend your session explaining the basics of your identity before we can get to what actually matters. Your identity isn't the problem'.
HOW I WORK
Warm. Curious. Collaborative.
I believe you are the expert on your own lived experience. That doesn't mean therapy is passive. I'll listen deeply, offer perspective and tools, and gently challenge patterns when doing so can help you move toward the person and life you want.
Warm
A therapy relationship built on compassion, openness, and genuine human connection.
Curious
We explore your experiences without judgment, making room for complexity and contradiction.
Collaborative
We work together. I won't tell you who you should become.
THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
Mind, Body, Experience.
My approach is person-centered, trauma-informed, LGBTQIA+-affirming, and body-centered. I integrate several approaches depending on what you need, including:
EMDR
Mindfulness & Breath
Somatic Psychotherapy
Expressive Arts
CBT
About Me
Hi, I’m Nick Duran, MS, MFA, LMHC.
My career began as a dancer with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, followed by performances with several modern dance companies across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. I earned a Master of Fine Arts and taught dance at institutions including UCLA, California State University Long Beach, Loyola Marymount University, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and Whitman College—where I later served as a clinical counselor.
Through my work in dance, I was introduced to somatics: the study of the body from a first-person perspective. This exploration deepened my understanding of how emotions, memories, and healing are often located within the body itself. In my classrooms, students were invited to learn from the inside out—tapping into their own embodied wisdom. I came to believe deeply in the power of internal awareness and the truth that we are whole as we are. Healing, I found, occurs when we learn to listen closely to the mind-body connection.
This naturally led me to psychotherapy, a lifelong calling alongside the arts. I returned to school to pursue a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, selecting a program rooted in evidence-based practices and the integration of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Since then, I’ve worked in a family treatment center, hospital settings, and higher education institutions before opening a private practice that weaves together my experiences in the arts, somatics, and psychotherapy.
I am especially committed to working with marginalized communities—many of whom I understand through my own life story. My approach is collaborative and relational. In therapy, you are in the driver’s seat, and I’m beside you as a close, trusted guide. I will challenge you when necessary, offer reflection and insight, and always believe in your capacity for healing and growth.
A SPACE TO COME HOME TO YOURSELF
You Don't Have to Perform Here.
My hope is to offer a relationship where you feel seen without being reduced to an identity, challenged without being judged, and supported without being rushed.
Therapy with me isn't about becoming someone else. It's about having more freedom to be who you already are
Online therapy for gay, bisexual, and transgender men across Washington State.