Adrian Connolly is an exceptional therapist. In my experience, most therapists work at a…read moresuperficial level. They listen, they nod, they repeat and validate, they send you on your way. Adrian is not like that. For one thing, he has studied every therapy modality and can adapt his approach in real time. For another, he works hard, keeps up intellectually and emotionally, and pushes back as needed, creating an environment of structured, compassionate support for trauma recovery. He also pays close attention and can customize his approach to meet the client where they are. For that reason, I would recommend him to clients with a wide variety of needs, especially if they are ready for transformative work that, with great effort, will change their lives for the better. I did not think that therapists as gifted as Adrian existed in real life. He's the needle in the haystack, a miraculous find, a gem of a therapist and a person.

I've never written a negative review of a therapist but I feel compelled to do so given the…read moresubstandard, non-trauma-informed care offered by Mr. Connolly, coupled with his inability or unwillingness to take responsibility for his unprofessional behavior. For context, I've enjoyed positive and productive relationships with the several therapists I have worked with over the previous decades. When seeking a therapist, I generally interview 2-3 individuals to assess if it is likely to be a good fit (for both myself and the clinician). I am comfortable and experienced navigating those dynamics and have always appreciated engagement with therapists- even those that were not, for whatever reason, the 'right fit.' In contrast, during my consultation with Mr. Connolly, he demonstrated a lack of professionalism, reflecting substandard care far below the standards of a licensed professional counselor generally and especially dealing with trans clients. As someone who holds himself out as a resource for people managing PTSD and related disorders, I find his failure to demonstrate baseline clinical competence worrisome. I would strongly advise seeking care elsewhere.

Amazing therapist! If you are looking for somebody that is down to earth yet challenging he is your…read moreperson.

Dr. Tipton is a pscyhologist who was referred to me as a therapist who focused on Cognitive…read moreBehavior Therapy which for me was a perfect fit. I only went to her for a couple of months and her advice sometimes was beneficial, however in general, none of it seemed too life changing and more similar to common sense one could easily get from a friend. However, she did have a sharp memory which I admired. Also, since I was exhausted from trying to find a therapist that actually accepted Health Insurance (rare) I figured I would give it a fair chance to see if it helped me improve my life. Had I been writing this review while going to her I would have given her 4 stars because she accepted insurance and because her focus was on CBT. I thought she and I had a very polite, friendly relationship. I was always on time (slightly early in fact.) I was always kind to her. etc.. Toward the end I was left car less for a few months and told her that when I finally had a car again I would call her back and restart therapy. She agreed. Finally that time arrived and this time I really needed support. My two cats of 16 years passed away within a month of each other. My father went to the hospital for perceived cancer. I had huge pressure in my career. Life was just hard. Not only that, I had started to experiment with taking the anti-depressant Citalopram to see if it would help with anxiety (I started it during my sessions with her a couple months before) I was starting to face difficulties with the drug and felt it necessary to have return 'talk therapy' to work out my issues with the drug. So... I called her to try to reschedule and left a message.. No response. I tried after to email her... no response. After being very discouraged and dreading to have to find another doctor, I called her again last week telling her that "I hope that she is okay and didn't get into an accident, but if she was okay that I would have appreciated for her to actually call me back and tell me that she had no room for me and then to please give me a reference to another doctor so that I have somewhere to turn"... No response.... In my opinion, this is an ethical issue. Had I been a client of hers that had been more fragile to non-responsive nature I fear that the result could discouraging toward future therapy at best or life threatening at worst. In fact, after experiencing this treatment with her I looked it up online and found many people complaining about therapists not calling them back. I am absolutely shocked that this type of unethical treatment of people in need happens. Especially toward someone who has finally taken to steps to heal/better themselves. I am not sure why this practice of non communication is allowed to exist in therapist community. But I see it as my duty to give a 1 start rating toward any therapist that feels comfortable with doing so. To all therapists: Return your calls! Don't leave someone in a painful time wondering what they did wrong! You then become part of the problem rather then the cure. If I eventually find out that she was in the hospital or any other life tragedy, I will change my rating, but until then, it stays as one star for being an unethical therapist.

So, choosing a therapist wasn't easy for me. I knew I had to work on my anxiety, and I knew what my…read moreinsurance was, and I knew I wanted to see a woman, but that left a lot of potential therapists in the area. Dr. Tipton was my third therapist attempt--the first was truly awful, and the second didn't focus on anxiety and so referred me to Dr. Tipton. I really consider it good luck that she had openings. I have absolutely zero complaints about Dr. Tipton. She helped teach me how to manage my anxiety myself, and that I could, in fact, manage my anxiety myself. When I would email for an appointment, she always had appointments available within a week or two. She was always prompt in seeing me, and her office was comfortable for me. She was prompt in returning emails, certainly, and was flexible about rescheduling for terrible weather, even offering a phone session when we had to postpone an appointment due to weather. And to address the first reviewer's complaints--I saw Dr. Tipton for about 18 months, and then I took a break for 6 months, without any real explanation to her, though it was becoming clear to both of us that I was managing my anxiety better. When I emailed her asking for a new appointment after all that time, she responded within a day, and scheduled my appointment within the week. So I'm not sure what happened to that other reviewer, but it certainly doesn't happen as a matter of course, and it certainly didn't happen to me.

Dr. Lipman is by far the best therapist I have ever had. I had 3 therapists before Dr. Lipman-two…read moreindividual therapists (one in freshman year of college, the other in my late very early 30s) and one couples therapist (three years into our marriage). All of them did the usual thing-much silence, little help, little understanding. Dr. Lipman is truly distinct-he understands, he cares, and he acts to help. We came with several couples issues after 6 years of our marriage. He was a godsend. His experience and command of the field is immense. I did not think that someone of his prominence and renown would be so down to Earth. But he quickly understood the issues fully and accurately (unlike some of therapists I had experienced in the past, he did not simply impose some cookie cutter, categorical idea onto out situations-he really understood), and then worked to help us actually resolve those problems. He is warm, intelligent-I would say brilliant, as would my wife-and brings extraordinary experience to the situation. We are so grateful that we found him. We talk about the work frequently-how our life has changed as a result of it, and just how far we've come, and were just talking over breakfast this morning about how much he helped us. I've never "Yelped" before, and am not someone who usually review things, but Dr. Lipman moved me to write, where nothing else has. If you can get in, get him.

I have gone through several therapists, but this one was a keeper. I started therapy with Frank in…read more2014 and honestly I became a new person. Frank is compassionate and kind while being a great therapist. Not only he is quite skillful and knowledgable as a therapist, but he is also a great humanbeing. His special magic is in PTSD, but I am aware he is also great in other areas. I have referred several other patients to him for psycjological evaluation for legal matters and even the judges were impressed with his evaluation reports. His receptionist, Jeannie is also awesome. She is quite organized and compassionate. She always goes extra miles to help. You don't feel you're just a credit card when you deal with this office. They really really care about the patients. I cannot recommend this therapist more. I kind of owe my life to them. Anyways, do yourself a favor and make an appointment with Frank. You won't regret it.

Richard Goldberg is a genius therapist. He has done wonders for many people close to me and for me…read moreas well. Fran S's negative review does a real disservice to those who would otherwise reach out to Richard for help. He uses a technique called light therapy that heals you on a physical level by essentially getting your neurons "unstuck" from a traumatic memory etc. The "stories" he tells are very much part of the technique. They help you to continue to heal after your therapy session because when parallel incidents in real life come up, you will instantly recall Richard's illustrative story and it will help guide you. Richard's therapy work is incredibly effective. You see progress after just one session of light therapy. Perhaps Fran S. was pushed to go to therapy against her will and wasn't open to healing? You have one talking session with Richard before doing the light therapy, and maybe Fran never made it to the 2nd session? All thumbs up for Richard Goldberg!

Likes to tell stories that you are supposed to listen to and learn from, instead of having a…read moreconversation with you about your problems. Can't handle hard feelings and tries to lighten things up. He's a nice guy but there are better therapists out there.

I highly recommend Dr. Melissa Sporn. Dr. Sporn is an intelligent, ethical, warm, empathetic…read moreprofessional who has years of experience in helping her patients work through various issues related to trauma, anxiety, and depression. She is also quite skilled at helping patients address relationship problems. I don't hesitate to send my clients to her when they ask me for therapist recommendations.

I recommend Dr. Melissa Sporn to anyone in need of a highly qualified and caring therapist. She…read morehas helped my family with therapy and educational testing. She is kind and empathetic as well as professional and throughly effective in her treatment. We were so pleased with her services that we have recommended to her to many friends.

I made an appointment after struggling to cope with having lost my father to suicide in April 2009…read more While I thought enough time had passed, seems grief can surface in waves and can continue to affect one's life for years to come. I found this establishment through a simple Google. I wanted a therapist geared for grief and loss, not just some psychobabble physician insisting on giving me a drug followed with a pat on the head and a simple 'good luck!' So far after two appointments I think this place is fantastic. They are great working with you to schedule appointments around your busy schedule, including some Saturday and late evening appointment times. The rooms are quiet and peaceful, my therapist is kind and non-judgmental, and the place is easy to find off red line Van Ness metro. If you find yourself needing some extra help coping with loss and grief, make an appointment here. If you find it's not for you, no harm no foul. There is no shame in asking for help! They do take insurance, just call ahead and check if they accept yours when making an appointment.