Welcome

Thank you for visiting this website. There were many reasons that led you to seek the assistance of a psychologist. Some of these reasons may have been painful, others were confusing, and some were based on a need for change and growth. Life seems to have a way of providing people with opportunities for change by confronting them with the very circumstances that they find most challenging. No matter the reason, your interest is the culmination of a process that began long before you decided to find a psychologist and reflects your desire to improve your life or the lives of those you care about.

I have experience in treating a wide variety of concerns including attentional or behavior problems, mood issues, anxiety, self-esteem, grief, relationships, social skills, phobias, school problems, and parenting issues. Diagnoses that I commonly treat include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Specific Phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Social Anxiety, and Depression.

My commitment is to work with you, your child, or family towards clarifying problems, defining goals, and creating an atmosphere that facilitates improvement. Whether treatment is through individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, or group work, I believe that the process of change is collaborative and involves exploration that provides deeper awareness of relevant factors and the translation of these insights into action. Please feel free to browse through the information on this site and contact my office when you are ready.

What To Expect At Your Visit

You can expect to become better acquainted with the psychologist with whom you will be working. The match between you (or your child) and the therapist is very important, so the first meeting helps you determine your comfort level and potential for creating a working relationship. Your first meeting will consist primarily of information gathering about the concerns that led to you scheduling the appointment, which often includes current symptoms, past symptoms, previous treatments, medical history, family history, social history, and a review of contributing factors. You will also work to develop an initial treatment plan that includes your goals and objectives.

Therapy

Psychotherapy is a process of treating mental, behavioral, and/or emotional disorder that are creating impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Therapy may address specific forms of diagnosable mental illness, everyday problems in managing or maintaining personal relationships, or meeting personal goals. It typically involves utilization of methods to increase awareness, clarify problems, develop solutions, and generate sustained changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving. A few general goals include increasing an individual’s sense of well being, to better manage subjective discomfort or distress, and to improve interpersonal relationships. Dr. Ghozali employs a variety of techniques, integrating family systems, cognitive-behavioral, and interpersonal perspectives to provide individualized treatment strategies unique to the patient and/or family.

Parenting Coordination

When children are exposed to ongoing conflict between their parents, they are at significant risk for social, academic, and mental health problems. Parenting coordination can help to reduce conflicts between parents and may shield children from getting stuck in the middle of such conflicts. Parenting coordination is described as an alternative dispute resolution process combining assessment, education, case management, conflict resolution and, sometimes, decision-making functions. As a qualified Parenting Coordinator, Dr. Ghozali strives to assist parents by providing education about co-parenting and parental communication, helping parents understand the psychological and developmental needs of the children, developing strategies to manage conflict and reduce the negative effects on children, and helping them work through blended family situations. Dr. Ghozali might also facilitate referrals to community providers when necessary and collaborate with other professionals who may already be involved with the family.

Parenting coordination is appropriate for high conflict cases involving child-related issues, especially in cases when there is a high rate of litigation concerning the implementation of a time sharing agreement or parenting plan, mediation has not been successful, parents have difficulty communicating with each other about their child’s welfare, and/or parents are unable to agree on substantive issues concerning their child. Dr. Ghozali can help parents resolve child-related issues possibly without need of court involvement and will work to protect and sustain safe, healthy and meaningful parent-child relationships. Most importantly, parents can focus on the best interests of their children, rather than on their feelings toward one another. The process of entering parenting coordination varies. Sometimes there will be a court order mandating parenting coordination; however, parents can also enter into parenting coordination voluntarily in order to resolve ongoing conflicts.

Evaluations

Psychological tests are designed to examine a variety of cognitive abilities, including general level of cognitive functioning, memory, visual-perceptual-motor skills, speed of information processing, attention, language, and executive functions, which are necessary for goal-directed behavior. Educational evaluations are used to assess for academic difficulties, giftedness, or to help evaluate the basic academic skills of candidates for employment or promotion. In addition, the comprehensive version can be administered to assist with diagnosis of learning disabilities, to help design learning interventions, or to make educational program placement decisions. Evaluations help clinicians determine appropriate diagnoses, develop appropriate treatment plans, coordinate care with other professionals, and provide insight as to what may be underlying a particular problem.

Contact Me

611 S. Myrtle Ave. Suite B, Clearwater, FL 33756

drghozali@gmail.com

727-449-2628

fax 727-466-0478

Ben c. Ghozali, psy.d.