Ellen Ottman Psychotherapy

I'm writing this review 5 years after I finished working with Ellen, because she was that life-changing as my therapist. I sought out therapy during a time when I was feeling shattered and lost, and after an initial phone call with Ellen, I began having weekly sessions with her, which continued for about a year and a few months. In our sessions, she made me feel welcome, she asked me questions, gave me plenty of space to vent and grieve and think out loud, affirmed how I was feeling, offered helpful gentle reframes, created conditions for me to make emotionally intense discoveries in a safe environment, and just provided a consistent warm presence and thoughtfulness. She utilized so many tools in her therapist toolbox in her tireless mission to provide me with care that made sense to my brain and nervous system. In the months after I had started working with Ellen, although I was still struggling, I made a lot of changes in my life, I engaged in new pursuits and new relationships, all of which fed into my gradually feeling more empowered and sure of myself, into feeling joy again, and discovering a sense of purpose I hadn't realized before. Every week, I had Ellen to reflect with, when I had good news to share or when I was feeling sad and in pain. Gradually, over days, weeks, and months, in a process that was more like a squiggly scribble than a straight line, I healed and grew, and by the end of our time, I had moved into a quite different phase of my life, emotionally and geographically. I feel the reverberations of what I learned with Ellen all the time, years later, and I feel them growing stronger with each life event or realization. And every time I notice I'm using a tool I learned from our time I feel so much gratitude! Her work with me is present and alive in how I talk to myself and others, my thought patterns, how I try to be curious and compassionate about what I’m experiencing, how I love myself and know and uphold my standards for relationships! I have so much fondness and thankfulness for the time I got to have Ellen as my therapist, during a time when I desperately needed help finding myself again. I see the fruits of our work time all the time, and my life is so much richer because of the work she did with me. Thank you Ellen!

Emily Stone · Published February 27, 2025