Meet CJ

Those who sit with CJ often say the same thing: there is something different about the way he holds space.

He works with a wide range of clients — providing individual therapy, parenting support, guidance for teens and adolescents, couples counseling, and he is a seasoned clinical supervisor.
Many describe CJ’s presence as quietly transformative, offering space that feels open, spacious, and deeply respectful.

CJ would be a great fit if....

You find yourself hungry for change, but can’t get there alone.

You want to embrace that life is messy, but are stuck in the black and white.

You long to be known for who you are at the table rather than what you bring to the table.

You want lasting change over a quick fix.

Partnering with CJ will feel:

Warm, direct, gentle, curious, and deeply relational.
Full of hope that is tethered to your humanness rather than empty optimism.
Grounded and safe, but disruptively kind.

He embodies what we believe at The Art of Becoming: that healing happens in the brave and tender space where difference and common humanity meet.

And we are better because he is part of this work.

CJ is a therapist and a Christian who integrates his faith through presence, not pressure. His values are experienced in the way he sits with you — grounded, curious, and invitational — never imposed. He believes healing begins in our shared humanity and honors the full spectrum of belief systems and backgrounds clients bring into the room.

Rooted in a deeply relational, psychodynamic approach, CJ focuses less on managing behaviors and more on tending to the underlying narratives and wounds that shape them. He invites clients to explore the themes of their story — the loss, harm, beauty, and longing woven through their relationships — and to decide for themselves how much faith, if any, they want incorporated into the work.

At the heart of his practice is this conviction: we are wired for intimacy and bound to both suffering and hope. CJ joins people in the valleys of their lives, offering a steady presence, space for vulnerability, and the possibility of something new and beautiful emerging.

You can learn more about his practice at www.CJRithner.com