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Dr. David Kesselman

Climb to new heights

Dr. David Kesselman

Dr. Kesselman  welcomes adolescents (ages 18+) and adults who are seeking a practical, scientifically validated, challenging but supportive approach to therapy.

 

Dr. Kesselman offers Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), as well as innovative technologies, such as biofeedback and virtual reality, which provide a more to  more interactive and engaging therapeutic experience. Clients enjoy these options and report feeling better in fewer sessions and with sustained outcomes. 

 

Offering Expert Treatment For:

 

  • Anxiety

  • Stress

  • Panic

  • Phobias (i.e. driving, flying, heights)

  • PTSD

  • ADHD

  • Chronic Pain and Health Conditions 

These conditions are often experienced as:

 

  • Worry

  • Panic

  • Fear

  • Feeling Overwhelmed, Irritable, Angry or Sad

  • Avoidance

  • Muscle tension, Stomach Complaints, Headaches, Sleep problems, Fatigue 

Many of our clients have experienced:

  • Challenging work or family circumstances

  • High pressure academic or athletic performance

  • Chronic illness & Pain

  • Traumatic Events

  • Other major life changes or transitions

 

If this sounds familiar please contact us to schedule a free 15 minute consultation. Sessions can be held in person in Westborough, MA or virtually.

David Kesselman, DSW, LICSW

    How WE Can Help 

For over 20 years we have helped clients live a more enjoyable and complete life by focusing on how stress and anxiety impact our psychological and physical well being. Our goals include:

  • Promoting creative, adaptive and healthy thinking.

  • Strengthening clients' emotional self regulation

  • Lessening physical discomfort

We have a particular interest in Behavioral Medicine, working with clients who have medical diagnoses including:

 

  • Headaches

  • Jaw pain

  • Hypertension

  • Raynaud’s disease

  • Tinnitus

  • IBS

  • Other chronic pains and illnesses

 

Here, we often combine traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Biofeedback and Mindfulness.

 

This provides us the opportunity to consider the the role of thought, environmental stressors, lifestyle, coping responses and the relationship with your physiology and medical conditions.

We focus on improving your mental and physiological coping often including cognitive strategies, as well as abdominal breathing, muscle relaxation, mental imagery and mindfulness techniques

 

We then train you to apply these strategies to reduce muscular tension and hyperarousal, while changing the quality of your attention away from pain or discomfort. 

 

 

About

A little about me 

david kesselman photo
photo of Dr. Kesselman's office in Westborough, MA

Dr. Kesselman is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with a private practice in Westborough, MA. He received his Doctorate in Social Work from University of Tennessee/ Knoxville and Masters in Social Work from Boston College. He has advanced training in cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback and behavioral medicine.

 

Dr. Kesselman has over 20 years of experience in a variety of behavioral health and primary care settings providing clinical services, supervising, mentoring, teaching, program development and curriculum building. 

 

He has held senior clinical and leadership positions at Lifestance Health and UMASS/Health Alliance Hospital.  He held the faculty rank of Instructor at UMASS Medical School where he worked collaboratively with physicians while training medical students, residents and behavioral health students in behavioral medicine.  Dr. Kesselman provided expertise in psychological factors and treatment approaches associated with medical diagnoses. 

 

 

 

Please click on the button below for Dr. Kesselman's  LinkedIn Profile for his full academic and professional resume.

Specialties & Expertise

Anxiety

Coping with excessive worry, nervousness, or stress; intense discomfort in social settings (social anxiety)

Stress Management

Strengthening effective ways of coping with the stress of life and change; managing expectations of self and others

 Panic attacks/  panic disorder

Phobias & fears

Intense fear, anxiety, and panic related to specific triggers, such as heights or crowded spaces

        PTSD

Health Conditions& Chronic Pain

Including anxiety, asthma, tension and migraine headaches, mild-to-moderate hypertension, insomnia, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Raynaud’s disease, and TMJ⁄jaw pain. Also heart disease, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other chronic conditions. Having to change life-long habits, especially in the face of a medical condition, can be difficult and overwhelming. Research shows that mind-body therapy can alleviate numerous medical problems. The human body and mind are interconnected in remarkable ways, and working on one can frequently help heal the other.

Brief, intense periods of overwhelming fear or anxiety

ADHD

People with ADHD have trouble managing their emotions. Some have trouble putting the brakes on their feelings when they’re angry or stressed. Others struggle to get revved up to do something when they’re feeling bored.

Emotion Regulation

Healing from painful, threatening or scary events and memories from the past such as experiencing or witnessing accidents or experiencing or witnessing sexual, verbal, emotional or physical assault.

*Being quick to get frustrated by minor annoyances. *Worrying too much or too long about even small things. -Having trouble calming down when they’re annoyed or angry -Feeling wounded or take offense at even gentle criticism -Feeling excessive urgency to get something they want now (from Understood.com)

VR Goggles

Treatment
approaches

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a skill-based treatment that focuses on the interconnection of one’s thoughts, behaviors and emotional experiences. The therapist teaches techniques to examine and reduce unhelpful thoughts and implement new ways behaving outside of the sessions that result in desired emotional and behavioral outcomes.

biofeedback

Biofeedback is a technique used to increase awareness control the psychological functions in the body that are often involuntary. During a biofeedback session, sensors connected to the client’s body monitor physiological rhythms, such as heart rate or skin temperature. The feedback from the sensors helps the client to develop increased awareness of their body and understand the body’s response as they try different relaxation skills or other relevant interventions led by the therapist. Biofeedback may help: 1. Improve self-regulation and resilience 2. Improve the ability to respond to challenging situations 3. Potentially reduce the need for medication 4. Help with conditions that have not responded to medication 5. Help alleviate or lessen chronic pain 6. Strengthen occupational, academic, athletic or artistic performance

mindfulness and Breathwork

Mindfulness-informed therapy integrates present moment awareness as a tool that allows clients to disengage from mental preoccupations and difficult emotions. The therapist teaches the practice of present moment awareness through non-judgmental observation of the mind and body. Breathwork is the practice of utilizing breathing exercises to increase mindful self-awareness. The therapist guides the client through a meditative experience using breathing techniques.

virtual reality

VR is a three-dimensional environment with which a person interacts in real time. Generating senses of presence and immersion, VR technology elicits emotional responses similar to those provoked by real-life situations. It provides the opportunity to work with difficult-to-reproduce real-life situations. Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) enables gradual, individualized, controlled and immersive exposure. I have a often used VR for fears of flying, driving on the high way, tight spaces, animals and heights. I also use it for immersive relaxation and mindfulness environments.

Information about the Practice

Location

The practice is located at 1900 West Park Drive, Westborough, MA in the Westborough Office Park conveniently located off route 9 and near both route 495 and the Mass Pike. Please take the elevator or stairs to Suite 280 and check in with the receptionist.  

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, we require a 24-hour notice. For appointment no-shows or last-minute cancellations, you may be charged up to  $100. 

If you have an in-person appointment but cannot make it to the office, we would be happy to convert your session to teletherapy session without an additional charge. 

Payment

Payment is expected at the time of each appointment. Payment can be made online on the Headway portal (our electronic medical record and billing portal).

The fees are the following:
               
Initial assessment:
$200 (50min)

Individual sessions:
$200 (50min)
$175 (30 min)

Rates for writing letters or filling out forms are the following:

$50 per 15 min increment

Insurance 

We accept private pay and out-of-network insurance. For Out of Network clients, we provide superbills which you can submit to your insurance company. You may be able to receive significant reimbursement using out-of-network benefits, sometimes up to 50-80% of the session.

By providing services in this fashion, we are able to bypass the parameters and limitations set by insurance companies and health systems. We are able to collaboratively set our treatment pathway without interference.

 

 

Contact Us

Address

1900 West Park Drive

Suite 280

Westborough, MA 01581

Contact

(508) 205-9444

 Hours

Mon - Thur

 

                                              9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Limited evenings sessions are available upon request

Friday                                                                                                   9:00 am- 12:00 pm

Specialized Psychological Solutions is not a crisis facility and does not provide emergency services. If you or someone you know is experiencing an urgent mental health situation, please contact  call 988 for the crisis hotline. If you are experiencing an emergent mental health crisis, or in need of immediate help, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

David Kesselman, DSW, LICSW

1900 West Park Drive

Suite 280

Westborough, MA 01851

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