Henry Ostendorf

Henry William Ostendorf (he/him) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor practicing in San Francisco, California, with more than twenty years of experience helping people cope with psychological and social distress. His California licensure as an LPCC reflects his clinical training and professional standing, and he brings a calm, resourceful, and empathetic presence to his work.

He limits his practice to male-identified clients, working with both cisgender and transgender men of any sexual orientation. He is known for a respectful, kind approach and for being a helper by nature. His schedule is often more flexible than the available slots suggest; prospective clients are invited to request specific days or times and he will make appointments when his schedule and life allow.

Henry uses client-centered therapy together with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a structured, evidence-supported approach that can produce measurable improvement in a relatively short time and with a focused investment of resources. There is also evidence that CBT can be as effective as medication for some anxiety and depression concerns.

Psychotherapy with Henry is intended to support optimal adjustment to ongoing challenges - such as chronic mental or physical illness - as well as to acute stressors, for example the death of a spouse or a beloved pet. Supportive work may consist of regular weekly contacts that are either brief and frequent or more structured sessions of approximately 30 to 45 minutes, over a time frame chosen by the participant. His sincere aim is to help clients become as self-sufficient and independent as possible.

Therapeutic work begins with identifying client goals, assessing barriers that may be physical, social, or psychological, and developing a realistic plan to move forward. That process often involves changing patterns that no longer serve the client and periodically reevaluating the plan as new information emerges. An action-oriented focus coexists with attention to very small, manageable steps at the start of treatment.

Henry’s psychotherapy draws on many techniques, including empathy and sympathetic listening, creating a confiding therapeutic relationship, opportunities for ventilation and expression of emotional material, encouragement, chances for corrective experiences, explanation and education, appropriate reassurance, guidance, practical help, and behavior modification.

He also specializes in vocational rehabilitation counseling and in grief related to pet loss. Vocational rehabilitation is a process that helps people with functional, psychological, developmental, cognitive, or health-related barriers access, obtain, or return to employment or other meaningful occupation. As a Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the California Department of Rehabilitation, Henry has assisted more than 800 disabled job seekers on their path to employment. His vocational clients have included people with mood disorders, depression, anxiety, alcohol and other drug issues, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorders, learning disorders, carpal tunnel and other repetitive strain conditions, and developmental issues; many have been members of the LGBT+ community.

For over two years he has facilitated a monthly pet loss support group for the Peninsula Humane Society in Burlingame, California. He recognizes pet loss as a form of disenfranchised grief that family, friends, or coworkers may not always understand, and he provides space for people to ventilate that sorrow and express their experience.