Ariella Peist

Life has a way of throwing things at us that we didn't plan for: a relationship under strain, a loss that reshapes how you see the world, anxiety that won't let up, or just a sense of being stuck. I'm here to help you work through it.

I've spent more than 15 years working with individuals and couples on anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and the kind of life transitions that can leave you feeling off-balance. A lot of my work centers on relationships, both with a partner and with yourself. I also enjoy working with clients navigating questions of identity and culture, especially when family expectations or a sense of not quite fitting in either world are part of the picture.

I'm a licensed clinical social worker and a certified DBT provider, and I draw on a few different therapeutic approaches depending on what will actually help you, not what fits neatly into one box. I'll listen closely, and I'll also be honest with you when honesty is what's useful.

If any of this sounds like where you are right now, I'd be glad to talk.

I don't believe in one-size-fits-all therapy. My approach depends on what you're bringing into the room, so I draw on a mix of methods including CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic work rather than sticking to a single framework. What stays consistent is how I show up: present, direct, and genuinely invested in your progress.

I work collaboratively. I'll ask questions, offer observations, and sometimes push back, but you're always the one who knows your life best. My job is to help you see patterns you might be too close to notice, and hand you tools you can actually use outside of session.

A lot of my practice centers on relationships, transitions, trauma, grief, and anxiety, along with identity and cultural questions.

Therapy with me is active and honest, aimed at real change.

Your first session is mostly about getting oriented, both of us. I'll ask about what brought you in, what's been going on, and what you're hoping to get out of therapy. You don't need to arrive with it all figured out. Just start wherever feels natural.

Expect a conversation, not an interview. My goal for that first session is to understand enough to start forming a plan, and for you to get a feel for whether our working style is a good fit.

By the end of the first few sessions, we'll usually have a working sense of what you're aiming for and how we'll approach it. That plan can shift as we go. Therapy tends to reveal things you didn't know you needed to look at.