Dr. Len Cruz is a board certified psychiatrist whose practice focuses on psychotherapy but he also provides diagnostic assessments, medication evaluations.   Dr. Cruz sees individuals and couples.  His practice, Family Life & Learning Center, PLLC, is located in Asheville, NC and includes three psychologists, three psychiatrists, and a licensed counselor.   Family Life & Learning Center is among the most long-standing groups of its kind in the region.

Philosophy and Approach

Entering therapy can be a profoundly important decision.  Therapy is a unique relationship that allows a person to explore their interior life, their interactions and relationships with others, and their personal history with a goal of cultivating more effective ways of engaging life.  Dr. Cruz completed the usual course of study (medical school and residency) and went on to develop skills in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, cognitive-behavior therapy, transpersonal approaches, Jungian/ Analytical Psychology approaches, Enneagram typology (Arica® and others), narrative therapy, and solutions-oriented approaches.  

We are all storytellers and as when we recount our narrative we sometimes hear it with fresh perspective.   Therapy can be like editing a story.  Through the work in therapy a person may be better equipped to guide their life more responsibly and fruitfully.  Dr. Cruz has a serious but light hearted approach to treatment of psychiatric and psychological disorders.  He believes that within every person exist the seed of their own healing and complete unfolding. 

Faith

Many patients see the value of integrating faith-related issues into their treatment. Dr. Cruz is a Christian whose personal faith journey traversed serious study of other faith traditions.  He maintains a profound respect for other's beliefs and continues his active study of other religious traditions including (Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Sufism, Native American, and Shamanism).

Faith is ultimately grounded in relationship (with God, a higher power, or with others).  He believes that relationship is a crucial vehicle for healing the wounds that bind us.  

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