Dan Oakes, MEd LPC CSAT
Executive DirectorÂ
What does it really mean to raise a strong man in a confused world?
In a culture pulled between outdated toughness and passive uncertainty, Three Secrets to Manhood: The Gentle Art of Raising Strong Men offers a clear, steady path forward—for parents, teachers, mentors, and men themselves.
Drawing on over thirty years of clinical experience working with boys and men, therapist Dan Oakes reframes masculinity not as dominance or perfection, but as strength rooted in character, humility, and purposeful action. This book distills healthy manhood into three teachable, livable principles that shape boys from the inside out.
Confident Conversations: Teaching Your Children to Develop Healthy Intimacy
By Dan Oakes, MEd, LPC, CSAT
What if talking to your kids about sexuality didn’t feel awkward, scary, or shame-filled…
but calm, natural, and deeply connecting?
In a world that grows louder, earlier, and more sexualized by the day, many parents feel caught between two extremes—avoid the topic altogether or come down hard with rules and fear.
Neither builds trust.
And without trust, kids stop talking.
Confident Conversations offers a better way.
Clinical Bio
Dan is a licensed professional counselor and certified sex addiction therapist with a heart for helping individuals, couples, and families find hope, healing, and connection. He holds a Master’s degree in Education and Counseling from Northern Arizona University and a Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. As the founder of the Arizona Family Institute, Dan brings over three decades of experience specializing in helping individuals and marriage counseling and a whole-family approach to mental health.
Dan is especially passionate about helping people navigate relationship challenges, betrayal, addiction recovery, parenting, and faith-related struggles with compassion and clarity. He believes healing happens in connection—with ourselves, with others, and with God.
After stepping away for three years to serve a spiritual sabbatical, Dan returned to clinical work with a renewed sense of purpose and perspective. Clients often say they feel truly seen and safe with Dan—appreciating his calm presence, deep empathy, and ability to blend clinical insight with a grounded, values-based approach to healing.
