What Sets Us Apart
Clients often tell us that therapy at Philadelphia Couples Therapy feels different than other therapy experiences. They feel themselves growing, getting better, and thriving in ways they haven’t experienced before. Here are some reasons why:
A doctoral specialty practice
We are a female-founded and female-led, doctorally-trained couples therapy-specific practice, meaning all of our clinicians have 5-6 years of rigorous pre-doctoral training & supervision before even graduating. This training consists of clinical, didactic, research, and personality and cognitive assessment.
Before graduating, every clinician has thousands of hours of supervised clinical experience with an intense focus on treatment, diagnosis, theory, ethics, supervision and intervention, among myriad other clinical foci.
Every doctor earns a master’s degree during year three or four of our 5-6 year doctoral training. Additionally, doctoral candidates are required to pass comprehensive exams, final clinical oral exams, and write and defend a dissertation before graduation. Many of our programs include 4-5 years of clinical practical experience in a variety of mental health sites such as inpatient programs, college counseling centers, community mental health clinics, eating disorder centers, and child and adolescent treatment programs.
The culmination of our doctoral training is postdoctoral clinical hours and the board exams, which we take to be licensed as clinical psychologists. We renew our licenses with continuing education seminars every two years in order to continue to independently practice.
This extensive training gives us the expertise to treat complex mental illnesses, unique dynamics, high conflict couples, and a wide range of difficulties. And part of our expertise is the knowledge to recognize what we can’t treat, and to know when to send patients to other specialists. These strengths allow us to provide the most comprehensive care to our clients.
Doctoral couples specialists are a rare breed
Clinical psychologists who specialize in couples and dynamic systems are few and far between.
Couples work is hard and meaningful, with high stakes. Marriages are on the line, families fall apart, hearts are often breaking. This necessitates the highest standards of care and is why we built a team of clinical psychologists with the highest level of clinical and couples training and experience.
Being a team of couples specialists means that we each get expert-level support, insight, and advice for difficult cases, and hold each other to the highest clinical standards.
Care every step of the way
Our phenomenal practice manager and intake coordinator, Elisabeth Wester, is the one who will greet you at the ‘door’ of our practice. She takes all the time you need to talk through what brought you in, which psychologist might fit best for you, and what to expect from the process.
As clients have told us countless times, Elisabeth is a calming and warm presence, someone who cares for people in their darkest hours even before therapy formally begins. She is the glue that holds our practice together and inspires us with her care, competence, and warmth.
It’s deeply important to us that you feel seen and supported every step of the way, and Elisabeth will be your first experience of our excellent care.
In conclusion:
If you’ve been looking to invest in quality therapy, look no further. Our team will care for you from the very beginning, and although therapy gains don’t occur quickly, before long we believe you’ll notice your life becoming clearer, brighter, better.
