Dr. Jesse Fister, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Psychologist Candidate

Jesse offers in-person therapy services in Denver, Colorado and virtual services throughout Colorado. He works under the supervision of Dr. Melanie Dae while completing the requirements for licensure. He offers outpatient treatment to adolescents, adults, couples, and groups. Having earned a Bachelors in Theatre/Drama, a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology, and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, emphasis Depth Psychology, he specializes in the highs and lows of human experience. His highest education was from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California, a premier school for psychodynamic psychotherapy in the world. Jesse has worked with a variety of clinical populations including at-risk youth, individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, Native American youth, psychiatric populations, substance use disorders, unhoused populations, severe trauma (PTSD), and individuals and groups with eating disorders. His training was primarily in the traditions of psychoanalysis and phenomenology but includes a wide range of treatment approaches including Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for trauma.

Jesse’s treatment focus is on human suffering grounded in an authentic relationship of mutual care and respect. His approach is to listen to and understand clinical symptoms as the expression or language of the soul. The word ‘psychopathology’ comes from the Greek word ‘psyche’, meaning soul, and ‘pathos’, which means suffering. Jesse’s sees his role to attend to the depths and complexity of human experience to grasp where a symptom fits into someone’s life and world, with the goal to reduce suffering or help people endure it better. Jesse believes that many mental health problems in the western world are caused by isolation and a lack of community or shared values and responsibility. Thus, he often guides clients using anthropology (culture, history) or philosophy to put their pain into context or encourages them to seek cultural or political solutions to their conflicts. Jesse’s personal mission is: ‘people live beautiful lives’; he likes to help people develop their own too. Jesse works with a broad range of clinical issues including depression, anxiety, grief, obsessional thoughts and behaviors, shame, grief, trauma, addiction, identity development, spirituality and religion, and existential issues including death, purpose, and meaning.

Jesse wants to facilitate an ongoing men’s process group in Denver and offers topic focused groups such as grief work or ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP).

Outside his clinical work, Jesse has many hobbies and interests including cooking, gardening, writing, outdoors activities, exercise, and homesteading. He earned a Permaculture Design Course Certificate from Geoff Lawton in 2020 and loves designing regenerative landscape and lifestyle solutions with people. He is also working on building a writing career to publish two memoirs and some academic works at the intersection of psychology and ecology. He currently has two dogs and quail at home.