About Peter Ryan

My approach is to establish a trusting, collaborative relationship with my clients that emphasizes developing skillfulness in self-awareness, body awareness, empathy, perspective taking, and emotional regulation. I hold a profound respect for the resilience and determination of my clients from my work in private practice, in clinical settings, and as a teacher and counselor in small schools.

My areas of specialization include mindfulness; trauma; autistic spectrum disorders; learning disabilities and their emotional effects in school, work, and relationships; attachment issues; and developing healthy, adaptable relationships with self and others.

I work with adults and children, as well as families and co-parenting situations. My work with individual adults and children begins with self-care and self-awareness. We can quickly establish a foundation of skills that help manage anxiety, depression, and feelings of being overwhelmed.

From there, the emphasis is on personal development: mind, body, and relationships. We continuously emphasize practical and adaptive steps in school, work, friendships, and home.

My work with therapeutic groups is based on my long experience as a teacher. A model that I developed is used to create support in the office, while building networks of allies and friends in the community. This is especially effective for clients who face the challenges of disabilities or the effects of trauma. As we work together on assignments and planning, I also offer therapeutic tutoring, where students struggling with schoolwork learn self-mastery.

After graduation from Boston College, I co-founded one of the first mindfulness-based schools in North America and developed an innovative program that addressed individual learning issues arising from a combination of cognitive differences and traumatic experiences.

With 25,000 hours’ experience of training and teaching in classical Zen mindfulness and concentration techniques, I am certified to be an instructor in that tradition.

In 2016, my colleagues and I opened a new mindfulness-based high school, The Lotus School. I am presently pursuing licensure as a professional counselor in Pennsylvania.

Education:

Boston College – B.A. Education, Human Development, English Literature

Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia – M.S. Clinical Psychology

Certifications:

Focusing Oriented Therapist
Private Secondary School Certification: English and Social Studies Instructor, Zen Sword, 3rd star

Professional Affiliations:

American Counselors Association
The Philadelphia Society of Clinical Psychologists
The International Focusing Institute