Therapist in Westport, CT
Therapy That Understands the Job as Well as the Person
If you live in Westport and you are looking for a therapist, you are probably not doing it at a leisurely pace. Most people who contact me are holding down a demanding job, a family and a commute, and have been meaning to make this call for a while.
My name is Jon Abelack. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I practise in New Canaan, and I work with individuals and couples across Westport and the surrounding towns, in person at my office and online throughout Connecticut and New York.
Where We Would Actually Meet
Worth being straightforward about, because it is the first thing most people want to know.
I do not have an office in Westport. My practice is at 180 Bridle Path Lane, New Canaan, CT 06840, a short drive from Westport, and that is where in-person sessions happen. I also see clients online across Connecticut and New York.
Plenty of my Westport clients do a mix of the two: in person when the week allows it, online when it does not. If coming to New Canaan does not work for you at all, online is a real option here rather than a consolation prize.
Working With Westport Professionals
Before I became a psychotherapist I spent more than twenty years in director-level sales and marketing, most of it in financial services. I sat in those meetings, carried that number, and took the pressure home. It is not a line on a website for me. It is the working life I had.
That matters in a few practical ways. You will not have to explain your industry to me from scratch. I will not treat ambition as a symptom to be managed. And when the honest answer is that the problem is the job rather than you, I will say so.
I am also a certified Peak Performance Coach, credentialed by the Flow Research Collective. That is a different piece of work from therapy, and for some people it is the more useful one. We can work out which you actually need.
What People Bring to Me
Burnout and work stress
Anxiety manifests as persistent worry, physical tension, difficulty making decisions, or avoidance of challenging situations. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Gestalt Therapy, I help you understand the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors while developing practical tools for managing anxiety effectively.
Anxiety
Including the high-functioning kind that does not look like anxiety from the outside, because the work still gets done and nobody has noticed yet.
Depression
Low mood, flatness, and the loss of interest in things that used to matter, whether or not there is an obvious reason for it.
Relationships and marriage
Couples work has been one of the main threads of my practice throughout my career. I see partners together, and I also see individuals who want to work on their side of a relationship.
Career transitions and performance
Deciding whether to move, recovering from being moved, or trying to work at a higher level without burning out to get there.
Dating
Patterns that keep repeating, and the gap between the relationship you say you want and the ones you keep choosing.
Couples Counseling for Westport Couples
I hold Level 1 training in three of the most established approaches to relationship work: the Gottman Method, Relational Life Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy. I use them together rather than picking one.
In practice that means I will listen properly to both of you in the first session and then tell you plainly what I think is going on, rather than refereeing the argument you came in having. Couples who want a warm listener and nothing more are usually not the right fit. Couples who want someone to say the true thing tend to do well here.
How I Work
I am a certified Gestalt therapist, trained through a four-year clinical fellowship, and I draw on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy where they are useful. I do not run people through a program.
The first session is a proper history rather than paperwork. After it, you get my honest read on what is going on and what I think would help, and you decide whether to carry on.
Fees and Insurance
My fees are $250 for individual sessions and $300 for couples sessions. I am an out-of-network provider. After each session I will supply you with a superbill, which you can submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage varies between plans, so please contact your insurance company to find out what your out-of-network benefits cover.
Getting Started
The first step is a free fifteen minute conversation. You tell me what is going on, I tell you whether I think I am the right person for it, and if I am not, I will try to point you somewhere better. There is no obligation to book a session afterwards.
Serving Westport from New Canaan, CT
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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No. My office is at 180 Bridle Path Lane, New Canaan, CT 06840, a short drive from Westport, and I see clients there in person. I also work online across Connecticut and New York, which is how a number of my Westport clients prefer to meet.
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Yes. Online sessions are a full option here, not a stopgap, and I work this way with clients throughout Connecticut and New York.
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Both. Couples work has been a central part of my practice for years, and I also work with individuals on relationship patterns when only one partner wants to come.
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I am an out-of-network provider. I supply a superbill after each session, which you can submit to your insurer for possible reimbursement. Contact your plan to confirm what your out-of-network benefits cover.
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You tell me briefly what is going on and what you are hoping for. I will ask a few questions and give you my honest view on whether I am the right fit. It is a conversation, not a sales call.