Diane Bossung

Diane Bossung, LCSW

About Me:
Diane has diverse work experience with kids and adults as a social worker, undergrad/graduate school educator, physical therapist, childcare provider, and K-12 public-school classroom aide. Diane sees herself as a fellow human, walking alongside clients on a challenging path toward growth. She does her own work to change unhealthy patterns, grieve losses, calm an easily activated nervous system, and practice habits that sustain her energy and enthusiasm for life. Diane is courageous, resourceful, kind yet firm, organized, and proactive. Diane is committed to racial-cultural learning to increase self-awareness, reduce micro-aggressions, and facilitate meaningful change toward greater equity and opportunity for people who have been/are oppressed.

Areas of expertise:
Diane has supported kids, teens, parents, college/grad students, young, middle and older adults who live with mental and physical health conditions like anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, brain and spinal cord injury, cancer, HIV/Aids, limb loss, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy. Diane is passionate about reducing stigma associated with labels that can cause people to feel less-than and overshadow their true abilities. Diane works with people to build upon strengths as they accept and adapt to limitations to develop identities that fit for their age and phase of living.

Therapeutic approach:
Diane engages people ages 5-105 in a co-created therapy process that starts with a safe, respectful relationship and includes practical methods to learn, heal, and grow. Diane uses therapy strategies from family systems, solution- focused, cognitive behavioral, motivational interviewing, mindfulness-based stress reduction, acceptance and commitment, dialectical behavioral, and mindful self- compassion therapies. When opening through talking is difficult, Diane offers creative- expressive art (writing, movement, collage, drawing, painting, sounding, and singing) for sharing and discovery. She believes emotional, social, physical, and spiritual distress arises quite naturally in reaction to our complex, frequently over stimulating and often threatening world. She is passionate about teaching individuals and families to:

  • learn about themselves and their natural human reactions
  • settle their minds and bodies,
  • develop and use inner and outer power resources,
  • recognize their worth,
  • enact a plan for healing and growth, and
  • live a valued life amid challenging circumstances.