(he/him)
My name is David Draper and I am a Marriage and Family therapist licensed in California. I have been counseling for almost 30 years and I have a deep level of experience working with clients with a variety of issues. I have been in private practice for many years while also directing a counseling center at a university. I am also a Professor of Psychology and I enjoy training students to become Forensic Psychologists. In addition to forensic populations, my specialties are LGBTQ+ affirmative counseling, self-esteem,, anxiety, college-aged developmental issues, as well as many other areas. If you feel overwhlemed, not yourself, overly worried or confused, depressed or anxious it's necessary to be supported in a non-judgmental atmostphere that allows you to break through resistence and work through the issues in order to come to a better place. Seeking therapy can feel scary but its the right choice!
In our first meeting together I will ask several questions to get an overall feel for the issues at hand. Together the client and I establish concrete goals, and together we work toward meeting those goals with specific interventions that are evidenced by strong psychological research.
I've worked for many years with college aged populations on issues particular to that age group including depression, anxiety, and relationship issues. I've also supported a large LGBTQ+ client load and I have deep experience with coming out, gay identity, HIV/AIDS, transgender and binary identity.
I am best able to serve the LGBTQ+ populations both in person in Palm Springs and via teletherapy. I have decades of experience with this increasingly marginalized population. My experience particularly includes gay men's issues, gay male couples, and those identifying as queer. I also have deep experience working with college age populations.
Eclectic
Over the years I have found that there are a number of useful methods that can be used very effectively based upon the personality of the client and the diagnosis. I employ Humanistic/Existential, Cognitive Behavioral, Family Systems, etc. I compare the needs of the client with these in determining the best application of a method.