Gabe
D’Luzansky

If you choose to work with me, here are a few things worth knowing. My path to this work started in 2016, working in specialized behavior units in Denver Public Schools. Those years made clear early on that individualized support matters, and that the family system around a child shapes everything.

From there I spent time in outdoor education, where I continued to find that the ability to connect with people, hold space, and sit patiently with grief and trauma doesn’t belong to a single setting. That awareness eventually brought me to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and eventually to the Flathead Valley.

I’ve worked in school-based mental health, community mental health, and as a therapist and clinical team member at Spot to Talk, a group practice in the Flathead Valley. I understand what it’s like to meet people where they are and navigate the real complexity of family systems, especially when they’re under stress.

My approach draws on frameworks that prioritize awareness, acceptance, and practical change. I work from an Internal Family Systems (IFS) lens that treats the different parts of who we are with curiosity rather than judgment. I pull from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) when people need concrete tools for navigating distress and building a life that reflects their values. For families and coparenting work I lean on the research of Mark Feinberg and the broader literature on coparenting systems. The principles of Gary Landreth’s child-centered approach also inform how I work with parents directly - there is a great deal in that framework about presence, unconditional regard, and following the lead of the person in front of you that translates well beyond the playroom.

I started Cycles of Life to focus on what I care about most: supporting parents, adolescents, and families. I continue to work as a play therapist with children, and I’ve built a practice around individual therapy, parent support, and coparenting work. Most of what brings people to therapy, whatever the presenting concern, traces back to the earliest relationships we had and the systems we grew up in.

When I’m not in the office I’m usually outside, on a bicycle or a snowboard depending on the season. I also spend a lot of time with my dog Sadie - she isn’t as active as she used to be, but she’s helped me slow down and practice some of the skills that are most important in this work.