Healing with Billy Benson
Good therapy is an art. It is both freeform and precise, marked with risk-taking and management. The combination can change perspective, take one outside of expectation, and be both exciting and daunting. It can lead to something not altogether understood or witnessed prior.
Therapy for growth, curiosity, and compassion. I understand therapy to be a place where my interests in community building, words, unique ideas, difference, appreciation, and learning meet my wish to know people for who they want to be. My idea of becoming a therapist developed overtime, as I came to appreciate how precious and rare honest listening is.
Over a decade of practice.
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with extensive training and experience. I hold Bachelor’s Degrees in English and Philosophy from the University of Virginia (2009), a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University (2011), and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice from New York University (2012). I have trained in family therapy, completing a multi-year clinical externship at the Ackerman Institute (2016). I have also participated in a yearlong narrative therapy training with the Evanston Family Therapy Center (2022).
Of note, I have expertise and interest in working with adolescents and their parents, fathers unpacking fatherhood, couples in repetitive cycles, and families transitioning from one lifestage to another.
I’m certified by the National Association of Social Workers as a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, and I also hold membership with the American Family Therapy Academy. I am licensed to practice in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.
Why Therapy?
I see therapy as a unique intersection of community, communication, and personal growth. My passion for understanding people’s stories and aspirations fuels my work.
A Personal Calling
Through my own journey, I recognized the profound impact therapy can have in helping individuals find meaning and purpose, even in the midst of life’s greatest challenges.
Recognition of Relationships
Recognizing that relationships are vessels of dignity, keepers of stories, and beacons of hope, I am dedicated to helping individuals navigate the complexities of relationships and unlock their full potential for joy and well-being.
Answering your Questions
Are you able to prescribe medication?
No, though I am able to refer you to psychiatrists and other prescribing physicians. Regardless, your ideas about medication are worth our exploration.
Are you a member of a practice?
No. I am a sole practitioner. I am linked with a vast network of other providers through which I can seek additional support and offer referrals.
If we decide the therapeutic relationship is not a good fit, what can we do?
Your confidence in the fit between you and your provider is an important indicator of therapeutic success. I will gladly provide you with referrals to other psychotherapists.
Are you the right therapist for everyone?
I’d like to say “Yes!” However, that would be hubris. My understanding and abilities are limited by my lived and learned experiences.
It’s important for you as a client to decide if I might be a good fit for you. We can schedule an initial consultation to assist your determination.
Are you able to diagnose?
As an LCSW, I am able to provide a diagnosis should you hope to be reimbursed by your insurance company for our work together. Upon a request of such, I will be curious to better understand what the diagnosis might mean to you.
There are certainly pros and cons of labeling – diagnostic or otherwise. If you decide it would be helpful to have, I will provide the least stigmatizing diagnosis that fits your circumstances.
Therapy for Life's Crossroads
In every therapy, I work to find that which is thought-provoking and emotionally resonates, stirring under acknowledged capacities and hope. I believe this to be possible in most cases, and can be particularly helpful when experiencing any of life’s many crossroads – times of indecision, others of isolation, turning pages, adolescence, parenting, separating/coupling/opening relationships, looking back/looking forward, making space, closing doors, building bridges, to name a handful.
Billy is a therapist of exceptional insight and compassion. He has a gentle and steady manner that allows him to ask hard questions while at the same time being supportive and conveying deep caring. He works hard for his clients, and is gifted at guiding conversations that will help people get unstuck and find new possibilities for being.
— Michael Davidovits, PhD, LCSW
Ackerman Institute for the Family