Meet Our Team

Grayson Liam Thompson, AMFT

Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #13674

Supervised by Lionel C. Cooper, LMFT #48148

Clients/Groups/Communities I work with:

·      Young people, Adults, Couples, and Families

·      Humans who are: queer/trans/questioning, couples/poly, experiencing identity challenges, exploring racial identity, navigating recovery/harm reduction/sobriety, experience neurodivergence, chronic illness, life transitions, impacted by child welfare and foster care systems, parents, thinking about masculinity/manhood/machismo experiences, sex workers, teens or children, processing trauma, and all bodies in between

Education:

  • 2015 Dual-Degrees: University of South Florida, BA in English conc. in Creative Writing / BA, Women’s & Gender Studies

  • 2017 Mills College, MA in Educational Leadership conc. in Administration (thesis: trans identity in college)

  • 2022 Alliant International University, MA in Couples & Family Therapy

Trainings and certifications:

  • Certified Geek Therapist (2024)

  • Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT) for Traumatized Children Online, UC Davis (2022)

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Online, Medical University of South Carolina (2021)

  • Changes in World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care:

    • Adolescent and Family Assessment (2023)

    • Understanding the Mental Health Professional’s Role: Puberty Blockers and Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy (2023)

  • Applying the Hero’s Journey, Archetype Systems, and Play Therapy in Video Games (2023)

  • Working with Adopted Children in Play Therapy (2023)

  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Play Therapy (2023)

  • Neuroception of Safety in the Playroom (2023)

Areas of Interests: 

  • Anxiety

  • Esteem & Mood

  • Relationships

  • Grief & Loss

  • Life Transitions

  • Sexuality & Gender Identity

  • Problematic Gaming/Screen Use

My Professional Self

There's a lot of talk about "survival mode" and being "stuck". Many of us are moving, often, between these two extremes. Many of us are surviving or trying to get unstuck from our bodies, our jobs, our families, coming out, college transitions, gender transitions, a relationship in a tough spot, loss, an existential or identity crisis, or coming from a place of security to find ourselves in these life challenges. Listen, I won't ever call you out on a place I've never been myself. I believe, fully, that there is so much life after survival. You don't have to believe that too, but I'm so glad you've arrived here. I often use a relational (looking at family, community, environment), person-centered (you!) approach to therapy that looks at your life experiences in context through a lens where we both can explore this information and life history to make insightful connections about how we relate to ourselves and others to improve mental health. With teens and younger people, we can also explore through play therapy interventions. Prior to becoming a therapist, I have a decade of history in education (k-12 and college), programming, and non-profit.


My Personal Self: Who am I?

I (pronouns: he/him) am the child of an immigrant, a first-generation everything. The first in my family to do most things, the carrier of a possibility dream my family had when they arrived from Jamaica. I grew up on the East Coast, half my life in Massachusetts and half my life in Florida before finding my way West. I am an adult child of an adoptive Jewish family. I believe in the power of a village to raise a child, in the truth that where we come from (especially if we choose therapy) can be a long story. I am a product of American public and private school educational systems. I was an athlete as a young person, turned college rugby player and am a trained singer. I am a published poet. I am an Uncle to a beautifully-minded Black girl who keeps me so close to magic, dad jokes, and chicken nuggets. I have her semi-convinced that her joy knocks me out (seriously, I physically collapse to the floor whenever she blows me a kiss).  Whether I am my professional self or my personal self, I am all of these parts. I am a fierce and hilarious friend, partner, sibling, and son. I believe our personal is our political, that therapy is liberatory, political work in how we get free.