Dr. David Arena

I am a husband, a father of two adult children, and a corgi dad. I am not a true Mainer as I moved here about 4 years ago from Pennsylvania where I spent most of my life. But, I have adopted Maine as my own. I love the outdoors and spend as much time as I can in them.

As far as the more formal stuff, I spent a lot of time in school. My credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Ursinus College, a Masters of Education in Counseling from Rutgers University, an Executive Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from California Pacific University, a Masters and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a Juris Doctorate in Law all from Widener University.

I have 20+ years management experience in behavioral health, managed care, academia and private practice settings. I have run my private practice for more than 30 years, have been a program administrator, corporate compliance/privacy officer, clinical director, program chairperson, and director of quality management during my career. I have taught at more than 20 colleges and universities. I have advised, supervised, trained, and taught hundreds of graduate students and professional counselors. I have also presented at many state, regional and national conferences and provided numerous trainings to social service and criminal justice professionals.

I am a "regular guy" kind of therapist--I don't usually wear a tie (though I may wear a fedora hat) or speak in psychobabble. I bring 35 years of experience to each counseling relationship. I prefer to work without labels, as I find most of them to be of little utility in guiding therapy. I would much rather work from a strengths-based perspective, empowering my clients to make positive changes in their lives. My treatment approach is typically short-term in duration, though I am more than willing to make the long journey when necessary.

The connection between therapist and client is the most important thing in treatment. I want to get to know you and what you are looking for. I want to help guide you toward the most immediate change or symptom relief that is possible. I believe that you should be heard and empowered to make positive change, and I will facilitate that process. I also believe that most of us have finite resources and so I think there should be a realistic "bang for the buck" with any treatment approach.