About us
Meet August
August B. Ingvaldsen is the founder of Healing Grounds.
His path has always been centered around supporting youth. While working as an educator, August found himself gravitating more and more toward guidance counseling—helping students navigate everything from exam anxiety to future planning. That work felt different. It felt essential. It's what led him to pursue psychology full-time, complete his PhD in counseling psychology, building on years of research exploring how emotions are formed, regulated, and how they shape our relationships to ourselves and others.
Since then, August has worked extensively with children, adolescents, and families through Bufetat/Barnevernet (child protective services) and psychiatric services, gaining deep knowledge of the systems that surround families in challenging situations. In recent years, he's built his own practice, bringing together rigorous clinical expertise with something harder to teach: a genuine ability to see each child as a whole person, not a diagnosis.
Why Kids and Teens?
August often sees himself in the young people he works with. He's drawn especially to working with teenagers—a transitional age when kids need support most, but parents might instinctively back off. August appreciates the challenge that comes from supporting youth through those more turbulent periods.
"The longer you wait, the deeper the scars go. I want to meet kids where they are, before those patterns become harder to shift," August explains.
Whether working with neurodivergent youth, kids who've experienced trauma, or those struggling to find their footing, August brings a tailored approach that meets each person exactly where they are. He finds it deeply rewarding—even beautiful—to walk alongside someone who feels lost and watch them find themselves again.
The Approach
August takes a holistic and sustainable approach, guiding his clients in a way that builds their ability to support themselves.
Every child is different, which means every therapeutic journey is different. August's work might include:
Social skills training – reading body language, understanding facial expressions, navigating boundaries at school, work, and home
Emotional regulation – learning how to identify, express, and manage feelings in healthy ways, especially in group dynamics
Self-awareness and self-acceptance – helping kids understand and embrace who they are, not just cope with their challenges
The key: August doesn't just work with the child. He partners with everyone around the child—parents, educators, siblings—to create a comprehensive support system. Real progress happens when a child feels understood and supported in all contexts of their life.
Families who work with August often say he helps them truly understand their child in a new way. Even well-intentioned parents with access to endless resources can feel isolated, exhausted from explaining their child's needs, or uncertain how best to support them as they grow and change.
August provides a supportive framework where youth are viewed holistically rather than through the lens of their clinical diagnoses. While we must acknowledge distinct behavioral patterns and the specific stigmas these individuals face, August's focus remains on destigmatizing their experiences and affirming their identity beyond their challenges.
In this safe space, kids can express themselves as they truly are. And that's where real healing begins.