Hi, my name is Allyson Kloss and it’s nice to meet you! Whether you’ve been in therapy before, or this is the first time you’re taking the step, starting therapy can be empowering but also intimidating, especially in an online format. I received my Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in 2007 and have worked across multiple settings including crisis and hospitals before finally settling into outpatient community psychotherapy in 2015, and private practice in 2021. Being in private practice has given me the opportunity to formulate more complex and individualized treatment approaches, as certain anxiety and complex trauma tend to be widely varied in what type of support and treatment are needed, as are many other disorders.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

If you’ve never done online therapy before, the idea can be intimidating without the structure of a comfortable office, but I have been doing therapy online since the pandemic, and have adapted all of my treatments, including clinical hypnosis, to be ready for telehealth. I work hard to ensure that the environment is warm, safe, and welcoming. Our first session together starts with introductions and identifying the stressors or triggers that motivated you to start therapy, and building rapport and trust. From there, I will explain my approaches to therapy, and we will clarify what you would like to target as initial goals for treatment, and what you can expect to get out of therapy. These goals will be periodically updated in collaboration as goals get achieved or shift. If desired, the first session will also include a brief introduction to meditation, guided imagery, or clinical hypnosis concepts and practices, and on subsequent sessions, such specific things can be requested whenever needed.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

For the past sixteen years, I have dedicated my life to working with individuals from all walks of life, from screening and crisis, through hospitals, before finally starting outpatient psychotherapy in 2015. I have a wide variety of treatment approaches from trainings and years in the field, including not only Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but also mindfulness practices and skills, exposure and desensitization therapies for fears and phobias, clinical hypnotherapy, and specialized complex trauma training (Certified Complex Psychotrauma Professional, level 2). I enjoy working with individuals who are curious and open-minded, and in our work together, we will aim to create an environment that is safe for exploring trauma, social anxiety, depression, and any other issues that may be hindering you from leading the life you want to lead. Our journey together is not just about what you need in the Now, but how to set yourself up for Future success with ongoing management strategies and routines, so that you will be able to keep tending to your own needs moving forward. I always treat therapy as a collaborative effort, and the individuals I work with tend to be motivated by gaining more insights into themselves and their own needs, so they can better shape their own treatment goals. I am an empathetic person who fosters transparency and trust, as I aim to offer not just support, but also practical tools and strategies that can help you regain control over your life by augmenting existing coping skills or building new ones specifically tailored to your own needs, and foster a sense of empowerment in your mental health journey.

Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.

The clients I see most often are adults with stressful jobs but also histories of significant anxiety, depression, and/or complex trauma, which, while they have learned to soldier through, tend to either have difficulties drawing work/life boundaries, or have never attended to some of their most basic needs because they feel they can “get through anything.” Beginning therapy should never feel like an indictment of yourself or your own skills, but merely that something that may have been manageable before, has suddenly become unmanageable. Social anxiety also makes up a significant subset of my clients, as I have worked with a number of clients over the years who have been diagnosed with ADHD as adults, and are trying to learn how to augment their own self-developed skills with more specific strategies, which can overlap in both neurodivergent and neurotypical anxiety and depression clients.

About Allyson Kloss