Charles Asavatesanon
Charles Asavatesanon is a CACREP-trained intern therapist with a background in Eastern contemplative practice and Western philosophies. He has over 10 years of experience in traditional Buddhist meditation and incorporates spiritual counseling and contemplative mindfulness approaches to address various mental health presentations, including stress, depression, anxiety, and existentialism.
The modern world is fixated on productivity over compassion, isolating us from our spiritual roots grounded in interpersonal connectedness. Shrouded in the illusion of materials are simply minds that want to connect and be understood. At times, we bottle up a portion of ourselves to cope with reality just to be confronted with a false sense of acceptance and security. A simple lie can compound incongruence if we cannot be genuine towards ourselves and others.
Charles practices holistic therapy using an integrated, person-centered approach that emphasizes harmonizing the mind, body, and spirit while fostering congruence through unconditional positive regard. He works with clients who feel disconnected or unsettled within themselves, offering support through religion-neutral spiritual perspectives.
Holistic therapy with Charles is grounded in an evidence-based mindfulness approach, adopting Eugene Gendlin’s Focusing meditation techniques that associate thoughts and emotions with embodied sensations. Part of the process is to experience how the body reflects pain off the mind with the spirit guiding willpower.
Charles believes psychotherapy is about being a fellow traveler on this journey. He wishes to walk alongside his clients through the burden of existence and experience the harmony and interconnectedness of life because the agent of change lies in the genuine acceptance of the connection between us, nature, and the universe.
Education and Experience
Charles is a native Thai with an intimate connection to the Buddhist life perspective. Growing up, he received training in meditation from various monks of both Theravada and Mahayana beliefs and has been ordained as a Buddhist monk. He has a BA in Intercultural Studies with a minor in Psychology from Mahidol University International College (Thailand), a Postgraduate Diploma with Merit in Psychological Studies from the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom), and is currently a graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Duquesne University.
His journey in education has taken him all over the world, which influenced his humility towards the multicultural aspect of norms, traditions, and cultures. Charles is mastering Western psychotherapy in conjunction with his heritage in Eastern contemplative practices to offer a unique spiritual counseling experience grounded in holistic therapy and mindfulness.
Hobbies and Interests
Charles is passionate about developing his cooking skills in his leisure time. He is fond of Asian cuisine and especially misses the taste of Thai food daily. To cool down from a busy day, Charles enjoys the excitement of video games and the peacefulness of meditation. He also regularly runs to exercise and engages in Olympic recurve archery whenever he has the chance. He continues to be in touch with his family from halfway across the globe, as their unconditional love and support inspire his career as a person-centered therapist.
Get Started With Holistic Therapy and Spiritual Counseling
Charles is accepting patients at our Pittsburgh location. Call us at 412-856-WELL or contact us here to get started on your spiritual counseling journey.