Adults and adolescents who want help in addressing some of the following: sadness and depression, worry and other forms of anxiety; relationship issues; self-esteem; resilience; challenging professional lives/situations or transitions; sexual orientation or sexual identity issues; issues faced by gay men, lesbian women, bisexuals and people who are gender non-binary or non-conforming; procrastination; and increasing your sense of hope about the future.

You may have made efforts to improve your situation already - or, friends or family may have tried to help. When your usual ways of doing and feeling better aren’t working as well it’s time to consult a psychologist.

Talking things over in a professional and private relationship gives you room to slow down and look closely at what is happening in your life.
Over time, this process helps you:

• Understand your thoughts, feelings, and behavior more clearly, including patterns you may not have noticed on your own

• Identify self-defeating patterns and begin to shift them

• Build more honest, satisfying relationships

• Learn practical skills for coping with difficult emotions and stressful situations

• Make choices that align more closely with your values and goals

With persistence, common signs of progress include:

• A steadier mood, with less sadness and stress and more hope

• Feeling more like yourself and more effective in daily life

• Improvement in your relationships, work, or school

• Greater self-awareness

• Less hold from old patterns and self-critical thoughts

• More resilience when things get hard

• A clearer sense of direction

• Navigating life transitions more successfully

• Expand your potential for creativity and innovation

While some shifts occur quickly, change tends to come gradually and looks different for each person. We’ll talk regularly about how the work is going, tracking your progress together.

During a brief phone consultation, my goal is to understand if I feel I have the experience and skills to be helpful to you, and to give you the opportunity to ask questions. I’ll also ask about what is leading you to seek therapy now.

You’ll gain the most from a therapist who is a good fit/match for you, so our brief phone call will also help you gain some information about this important factor. If we both agree to go ahead, the next step is to schedule an initial 50 minute consultation appointment.

My goal is to help to build your comfort and trust from the outset. It’s normal to feel a bit anxious in the first few sessions. Psychologists are trained to help set the tone and in getting things started. After introducing ourselves I’ll ask about topics such as why you are considering therapy now, your current situation, life, and history, and what concerns or worries you. If you have seen a therapist before, it would help to know about that too. After developing an understanding of your goals, we will talk about how therapy might help.

You will also have plenty of opportunity to ask any questions you have during our initial consultation and throughout our collaboration together.

If we both agree that I am a good fit for you, we’ll develop a plan to meet your needs. I will explain our mutual roles and how you can get the most out of psychotherapy.

In some cases, I may not be able to offer the kind or level of care you need. In that situation I will offer you referrals to better options in the community.

• A professional, warm and inclusive collaboration that fosters mutual respect, trust, empathy

• A “person specific”, non-formulaic approach that doesn’t come from a manual or textbook

• A supportive atmosphere that helps you understand how to use psychotherapy in making meaningful life changes

• Careful listening and attention coupled with compassion and insight

• Engaged support in facing the difficult situation(s) you may be in

• I’ll always be honest with you, even if it’s not the easiest thing to say or hear

• Attention to past and present challenging family, social, cultural and other dynamics

Weekly sessions are ideal for most people, particularly if you are experiencing distress that interferes with important areas of your life like work, school, relationships, and/or health. On occasion, meetings may take place more frequently. Regular meetings are especially useful at the start, and assist in maintaining progress from session-to-session. Improvement happens more quickly in therapy that takes place at least weekly, and for this reason I do not meet with clients less than once weekly. Therapy is less effective when several weeks occur between visits because it’s much harder to follow-up on recent developments, your responses to treatment and therapy goals. Over time, biweekly visits may be appropriate.

There are many ways people experience change and growth. With persistence in psychotherapy, these can include:

• An improvement in your outlook and mood; you may just “start to feel better” and more effective

• Less sadness and stress, and greater hope

• Improvements in intimate relationships such as greater intimacy and happiness

• Positive changes in work/school relationships

• Expanded self-awareness

• Greater comfort within yourself

• Fortified self-worth

• A decrease in self-defeating patterns

• Greater emotional resilience with the ups and downs in life

• Increased vitality, motivation, and creativity or innovation

• Greater connection to your values and goals

• More success in navigating the transitions in your life

The efficacy and impact of our work will be an ongoing focus of our collaboration.

Payment is requested at the time of service via credit card, cash or check. I do not bill insurance companies directly. PPO and POS insurance plans may reimburse you for a portion or all of the fee. You are responsible for contacting your insurer to understand or clarify your benefits. If you plan to request reimbursement from your health insurance company, I will provide you with a monthly Superbill indicating your payment and other information that is required.

I offer reduced-fee psychotherapy for mental health professionals in training (psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and MFTs) and occasionally to others if I have the availability.

I welcome your call to discuss payment or questions about submitting a request for reimbursement from your insurer.

Any of these three methods:

• Click on the Contact link, and submit your information.

• Call me at 323-599-1300

• Email me at doctorkassel@gmail.com. Please include your phone number with your email.