About Ben Fraundorf, LPCC

I am a licensed mental health therapist based in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Growing up in a small town in Wisconsin within an evangelical and fundamentalist religious environment, my early life was shaped by rigid beliefs and high-control faith dynamics. In my twenties, I went through the long, painful, but ultimately liberating process of faith deconstruction. Unlearning that fear-based conditioning and stepping outside of formal religious constraints opened up a profound sense of personal freedom, self-trust, and peace—an experience that deeply informs my compassionate, non-judgmental approach to therapy today.

My academic and professional journey began at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where I studied psychology, philosophy, and religious studies. After spending time working in construction, my family and I moved to Portland, Oregon, where I trained to become a therapist—a career I have dedicated myself to for over a decade. Before opening Mindful Counseling PLLC, I spent five years providing clinical care at the Mayo Clinic, alongside work in college counseling centers, community mental health clinics, and outpatient hospital settings.

My Clinical Approach

The foundation of my work is humanistic and existential. Above all, I seek to track closely with your moment-to-moment experience, honoring your unique story and helping you access your inherent internal strength. Dynamics of control are not to be found here. I am trained in EMDR to help clients reprocess difficult memories, religious scrupulosity, and visceral panic triggers that keep them feeling stuck. I also specialize in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), guiding clients as they unhook from indoctrinated guilt and build a life grounded in their own authentic values.

Whether you are navigating religious trauma, processing the grief of deconstruction, setting boundaries with family, or seeking relief from anxiety, my goal is to offer a grounded, safe space where you hold total agency over your healing.

Outside of the clinic, I live in Forest Lake, Minnesota. In my spare time, I enjoy spending quality time with my kids, reading, running, and getting outdoors in nature.

• Master’s of Arts in Counseling

• Experience working at university student center, community clinic and Mayo Clinic

• Licensed in Minnesota (lic. #4955) and Wisconsin (lic. #7098-125)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

• Person-centered

• Existential

• Solution-focused

• EMDR

Approaches