Dr. Bella Weininger

I'm a licensed psychologist who works with people who generally are holding it together in life, but feel stuck in certain areas. My training spans work with children and families, adults with serious mental illness, and college students, and my doctoral research focused on improving suicide risk assessment in youth. That range taught me that people are far more resilient than they believe, and that everyone is carrying something they've never said out loud. Shame- this thing we all have- is what keeps us small, separate from others, and disconnected from our true selves.

What I bring to the room is warmth, directness and a true desire to understand all of you. I'm honest, not easily shocked, and I don't judge. I take your potential seriously, and I truly believe in the innate goodness and potential of all human beings- no matter where we have been or what we're holding on to.

I believe your body already knows what you need, we just get very good at not listening. So much of what looks like being stuck is actually the cost of managing everyone else's feelings, avoiding disappointment, or numbing in ways that quietly move us further from what we want. My work is about helping you slow down enough to hear yourself again.

Together we look at where those patterns started and what they've been protecting you from, while also building practical shifts you can make right away. I draw on evidence-based approaches and tailor them to you rather than running you through a protocol. We'll practice creating space between thought and reaction, being with emotion instead of escaping it, and making choices that line up with your actual values. That inner steadiness tends to show up outwardly- in calmer relationships, clearer decisions, and a deeper trust in yourself.

Our first session looks like a conversation. I'll ask what brought you here now and what you're hoping feels different, and I'll want to understand the wider picture- your relationships, your history, what you're carrying. We may not cover this all in the first session- it can be a process that unfolds over time. You don't need to arrive with it organized. We may even jump in with a recent concern, and same the background info for later. Some people come with a clear question; others just know something feels off. All are fine starting points.

You can also expect to ask me things. Fit matters enormously in this work, and the first session is as much your assessment of me as mine of you. I want to make sure that you feel safe, understood, and cared for from the start. By the end, we'll talk about what I'm noticing and what working together could look like. My hope is that you leave with a sense of direction and hope, rather than a plan set in stone.