New to Grow
Teenagers often arrive in therapy carrying things that no one at home or school knows how to name yet. I've spent years working alongside adolescents and their families in schools and community settings—and I bring that same depth to my work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief, and major life transitions. I also specialize in early psychosis: working with teens and young adults experiencing their first break with reality, and the families trying to understand what's happening. My approach centers on building clear goals, strengthening hope, and learning to move through the uncertainty that real change requires. If you'd like to learn more about me & my approach, please visit: www.benjaminclover.com/about
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
We'll work together to build a shared sense of where you are and where you want to go, even if that direction feels unclear right now. Goal-setting matters to me, but I don't expect you to arrive with a plan. Most people start therapy somewhere between uncertain and completely lost, and that's a legitimate starting point. Sometimes the best goals begin as a gut feeling or a vague sense that something needs to shift. My job in our first session is to help you find a direction, not to have one ready for you.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Flexibility is at the center of how I work. Therapy isn't one-size-fits-all, and what you need from it will likely change over time. I adapt to meet you where you are, and I actively ask for your feedback because therapy works best when it's genuinely collaborative and responsive, not something done to you. I take consultation and ongoing learning seriously. I've worked with a wide range of presentations, and every client still teaches me something new. I bring that openness into every session.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I work especially well with teenagers navigating identity, school pressure, or mental health challenges that feel hard to explain to the adults around them. I'm also experienced with parents who are trying to support a child or adolescent they don't quite know how to reach. For adults, I work best with people facing significant transitions — new diagnoses, life disruptions, or the slow recognition that something needs to change — who are willing to stay curious even when the process is uncomfortable. My early psychosis work is a particular focus: if you or someone you love has begun experiencing symptoms that feel like a break from reality, I have specific training and experience in this area. It's a population that often falls through the cracks of typical outpatient practice, and I take that work seriously. The clients who tend to grow most in our work are those willing to question old patterns and, eventually, learn to trust themselves. That kind of change takes time. My role is to walk alongside you — providing both steadiness and honest challenge when you need it.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
You are the expert of your own life; my role is to support your journey. I use a person-centered approach that draws out your inner capacity for insight, change, and growth. I actively invite and value your feedback about our work together, because therapy is most effective when it feels collaborative and responsive to your needs. I believe meaningful change happens when people feel genuinely heard and accepted, allowing natural growth, insight, and self-trust to emerge.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Making decisions and taking action is much clearer when we know and live in our values. I use core principles and approaches from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on defining valued behaviors, opening up to unpleasant feelings, and embracing the present moment through mindfulness.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Our minds are built to wander and worry. Mindfulness is a set of practices―and eventually a skill of the mind―designed to overcome these painful mental habits. The goal of mindfulness practices centers on fully embracing both the joy and the suffering of our lives. For some people, mindfulness is central to their spiritual and religious life. Through many different meditation and daily life activities, I have found that mindfulness can provide clients with a powerful tool for clients to attain their treatment goals.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Understanding the connection between thought, feeling, and behavior is central to my work with clients. When we don't understand this connection, we can think and act in ways that are deeply unhelpful to ourselves and those around us. I have specialty experience in applying CBT and exposure therapy to adults experiencing severe mental illness, such as early psychosis. For interested clients, my approach is heavily focused on real-life experimentation.