Dr. Eli Reding, PhD
I'm Dr. Eli Reding, a queer male psychologist helping adults across California and Minnesota work through trauma, depression, and identity in a space that feels grounded, affirming, and emotionally safe.
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Working with Eli
I work with adults who are navigating depression, trauma, or long-standing stress — people who may feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from themselves, or who are working through relationships, boundaries, identity, sexuality, or major life transitions. As a queer male psychologist, I'm mindful of how identity, relationships, and social expectations shape mental health.
My approach is grounded in evidence-based psychology while staying attentive to lived experience. I'm particularly mindful of the impact of minority stress, stigma, and invalidation, and I aim to provide a space that is LGBTQ+ affirming, sex-positive, and kink-affirming — where you can talk openly about identity, relationships, and sexuality without fear of being judged or pathologized.
Expect therapy that's engaging and personal. My style is informal and energetic; I see myself as a guide, offering new skills and honest feedback while genuinely valuing your perspective. Therapy isn't about fitting into a framework — it's about building clarity, flexibility, and a more grounded relationship with yourself.
What Eli treats
Low mood, loss of interest, exhaustion, or feeling stuck and disconnected from what used to matter.
Affirming support for queer lives and relationships, from someone who won't make you explain the basics.
Understanding how your brain works — ADHD, autism, focus, follow-through — and building a life that works with it, not against it.
Recurring conflict, feeling disconnected, or growing apart — and rebuilding closeness and trust.
Care that accounts for your culture, background, and identity — and never asks you to leave any part of yourself at the door.
Feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or running on empty — a low-pressure place to start when everything feels like too much.
Looking honestly at alcohol or drug use and what you want it to look like — without shame.
Struggling after a really stressful experience — difficult memories, sleep, feeling on edge, and changes in how you see yourself, other people, or the world.
Care that understands the weight of service and frontline work — burnout, trauma, transition, and moral injury.
Intrusive thoughts you can't shake, and the checking or rituals you do to feel okay.
Eli also brings specific experience with: Identity Exploration, Masculinity, Sex & Gender, Life Transitions, Meaning Making, First-Gen, Marginalized backgrounds.
Approaches Eli uses
What clients say
Eli carries a 4.7 / 5 rating across 12 reviews on Healthgrades. Per APA Ethics Code §5.05, we don't paraphrase or excerpt patient testimonials on our own pages — you can read the verbatim reviews on Healthgrades directly.
Read reviews on Healthgrades →Other clinicians at Grounded.
If Eli isn’t the right fit — or the schedule doesn’t work — these clinicians might be.
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