Dr. Regina Ottaviani

Dr Ottaviani trained with the father of cognitive therapy, Aaron Beck. She's smart, w/ great insight into the way people think - which makes her terrific at pinpointing and explaining the kinds of flawed thinking that lead to needless anxiety. She's also very kind, caring, and down to earth - with a good sense of humor - sometimes I really get laughing when she points out some of the crazy assumptions I have been making without fully realizing it. She does this so gently I don't feel bad. (Very diff from when family members tell me why my angst over something is unreasonable!) She gives you the tools to identify cognitive distortions yourself, but she's SO adept and experienced at it herself that I'd recommend talking to her on a regular basis for as long as you can afford it - the sessions are the quickest, most effective way to train you to see flawed thinking yourself (and challenge it effectively). I tried a number of therapists for short periods over the years before I saw Dr Ottaviani. She's the only one I stuck with and really felt helped by. Of course, there can be variation in what makes a 'good fit' with a particular therapist/therapy - I love the highly pragmatic nature of cognitive therapy - and Dr Ottaviani's intelligence, intuition, tact, and humor make her a great fit for me.

outstanding deals with issues giving you the tools needed to change the affected behavior. Help me tremendously.