Our Team
Tanner Oliver
LCSW — Denver Catholic Counseling
Articles
By Tanner Oliver
Anxiety & Faith
Anxiety at Mass: Practical Strategies for Catholics
Panic in the pew, dread before communion, the urge to leave early. A Denver Catholic therapist on managing Mass-related anxiety with care.
Self-Care & Spiritual Practices
Catholic Contemplative Practices for Mental Health
The Rosary, Lectio Divina, the Examen, and Adoration — a Denver Catholic therapist explains how ancient contemplative practices support modern mental health.
Discernment & Vocation
Life Transitions and Mental Health: A Catholic Approach
Career changes, moves, empty nesting, retirement — life transitions can trigger anxiety. A Denver Catholic therapist on navigating change.
Trauma & PTSD
Spiritual Wounds: When Trauma Affects Your Faith
Trauma doesn't just affect your mind — it can shake your faith. A Denver Catholic therapist on spiritual wounds, God-image distortion, and the path to healing.
Scrupulosity & Moral OCD
Confession Anxiety and OCD: A Therapist's Guide
Dreading confession, rehearsing sins obsessively, fearing improper confession? A Denver Catholic therapist on scrupulosity and finding peace.
Faith & Psychology
Catholic Psychology vs. Secular Therapy
Is Catholic therapy different from secular therapy? A Denver Catholic therapist on where they overlap, where they diverge, and why you don't have to choose.
Marriage & Couples
Communication Patterns in Marriage
Gottman research reveals communication patterns that predict marital success or failure. A Catholic therapist explains what to watch for.
Depression & Hope
Depression vs. Spiritual Dryness
Is it a dark night of the soul or clinical depression? A Denver Catholic therapist explains the key differences and when to seek professional help.
Anxiety & Faith
When Prayer Isn't Enough for Anxiety
What happens when you've prayed and the anxiety doesn't go away? A Denver Catholic therapist on holding faith and clinical anxiety at the same time.
Self-Care & Spiritual Practices
Prayer as a Complement to Therapy
Prayer and therapy aren't competing — they're complementary. How spiritual practices and clinical treatment work together.
Discernment & Vocation
Vocational Anxiety and Discernment
The pressure to discern perfectly can itself become anxiety. A Catholic therapist's perspective on vocation, discernment, and finding peace.
Trauma & PTSD
How Prolonged Exposure Therapy Works
Prolonged exposure therapy is one of the most effective PTSD treatments. What it involves, why it works, and what to expect.
Scrupulosity & Moral OCD
Scrupulosity: When Conscience Becomes the Enemy
Scrupulosity is a form of OCD that hijacks your moral compass. How it manifests, how it's treated, and how saints have dealt with it.
Faith & Psychology
Thomistic Psychology: Aquinas and Modern Therapy
St. Thomas Aquinas had a lot to say about the human mind. A Denver Catholic therapist on how Thomistic psychology informs modern counseling.
Grief & Loss
Walking Through Grief: A Catholic Perspective
Catholic tradition has always honored mourning. When grief becomes overwhelming, therapy and faith can walk together toward healing.
Marriage & Couples
When to Seek Couples Counseling
Every marriage has hard seasons. When to seek couples counseling, what it looks like, and how it supports sacramental marriage.
Depression & Hope
The Dark Night of the Soul and Depression: How Catholics Can Tell the Difference
Clinical depression and the 'dark night of the soul' are not the same. A Denver Catholic therapist explains the three categories of spiritual darkness — ordinary dryness, St. John of the Cross's dark night, and clinical depression — and why treatment is never a lack of faith.
Anxiety & Faith
Understanding Anxiety Through a Catholic Lens
Anxiety is not a failure of faith. How clinical science and spiritual wisdom work together to address worry, panic, and find peace.