My Approach to Therapy
"Find your COMFORT"

Clients often describe me as genuine, warm, and attuned. What they're usually describing is the feeling of being met, not observed. That distinction matters to me, and it shapes how I approach every aspect of this work.

What I Actually Believe About How Change Happens

I do not believe therapy works primarily through technique. Techniques are useful. But the thing that makes therapy actually change someone is the relationship. Not the technique, not the insight, not the homework assigned between sessions. The relationship.

What I mean by that is specific: when a person feels genuinely safe with another person, when they trust that what they bring won't be used against them, won't require managing the other person's reaction, and won't need to be edited before it's allowed in the room, something becomes available that wasn't before. They can hear themselves differently. They can stay with something uncomfortable long enough to actually understand it rather than reflexively moving away from it.

Insight matters. Skill-building matters. Understanding the patterns underneath behavior matters. But in my experience, those things land differently, and stick differently, when they happen inside a relationship that has real trust in it. The relationship is not the backdrop for the work. It is the mechanism through which the work works.

That's what I'm trying to build with every client. And it's why fit matters as much as credentials. My job is to create and maintain that space. To be curious about what you bring, honest when I notice something, and committed enough to the work that you don't have to protect me from what's actually there.

How I Work

My approach is integrative, meaning I draw from multiple evidence-based frameworks and adapt them to the person in front of me. The frameworks I work from most often include:

Psychodynamic therapy, which explores how early experiences, relationships, and unconscious patterns shape present behavior
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which addresses the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which builds practical skills for emotional regulation and distress tolerance
Interpersonal Psychotherapy, which focuses on relationships and communication patterns
Motivational Interviewing, which supports clarity and movement toward change
Multicultural and feminist therapy frameworks, which hold systemic and identity factors as central to understanding individuals

What ties these together is a relational, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive lens. I am attentive to how race, identity, power, and lived experience shape the way people understand themselves and relate to others. Those dynamics are not peripheral to the work. They are part of the work.

Learn more about working with a Black male therapist in NYC.

What Therapy Is (and Is Not) in This Space

Therapy with me is not a space where you need to perform, summarize, or arrive with the right words. It is a space where you can slow down, be honest, and follow the thread of what you actually think and feel rather than what you're supposed to say.

You don't have to edit yourself here. You don't have to protect me from difficult material. And you don't have to resolve something before you're allowed to bring it in.

At the same time, this is not a passive space. I will notice things. I will ask questions. I will gently challenge patterns when I think it will serve you. Therapy is collaborative, which means we are both in it.

The Question I Return to

Across every approach, method, and framework, there is one question I find myself returning to: What happened to you, and what did you have to become because of it?

Not 'what's wrong with you,' but 'what have you been carrying, and what did you build to be able to carry it?'

That question treats strength and struggle as connected rather than opposed. It makes space for people who are genuinely capable and also genuinely in need of support. Which, in my experience, is most people.

Learn more about Dr. Dillon.

When it’s Time to Leave Therapy

One of the things I work toward with every client is making myself unnecessary. Not unwanted. Unnecessary. Those are different things, and the difference matters.

Readiness to leave therapy is rarely a single moment of arrival. It is more often a recognition that has been building for a while. The things that brought you in have shifted meaningfully, not disappeared, but lost their grip. You are navigating situations that once derailed you without the same cost. The ways of thinking and relating that you have built in this work have become more automatic, more yours. Sessions start to feel less urgent, which is a sign of progress rather than stagnation.

At that point, some clients are ready to step back. Others are not, and that is worth examining honestly too. Sometimes the continued need for therapy signals something still worth working on. But sometimes what clients want at that stage is simply a space that is theirs. A regularly scheduled hour that belongs to no one else, where there is no agenda to manage, no one to take care of, and no performance required. A place to think out loud about the week, even when nothing dramatic is happening. That is a legitimate use of this space. There is nothing wrong with wanting a relationship that is honest, consistent, and just for you, even after the acute work is done.

We will talk about what therapy is doing for you at any given point. If what you need changes, the way we work together can change with it. And if you reach a place where stepping back feels right, we will do that intentionally. Endings in therapy are worth doing with care. There is usually something in the ending itself worth paying attention to.

Coming back later is always an option. Many people return at different points in their lives. That is not a failure of the first round. That is just how people grow.

Session Information and Logistics

Session Length and Format

Sessions are 45 minutes and may be conducted by phone or via secure video. I aim to begin and end sessions on time. Late arrivals will be seen for the remaining session time. No-shows are charged the full session fee.

Fees and Payment

Session fees range from $275 to $350 and are discussed during the initial consultation. Payment is due at the beginning of each session. Accepted forms of payment include all major credit cards, cash, check, and Health Savings Accounts (HSA). Credit card payments carry a processing fee of 3 to 5 percent, depending on card type.

Rescheduling and Cancellations

Cancellations with less than 48 hours' notice are charged the full session fee. When possible, I will offer an alternative appointment within the same week.

Insurance and Out-of-Network Benefits

I am not in-network with insurance providers. I accept PPO plans as an out-of-network provider. Clients pay session fees upfront and receive a monthly invoice (superbill) to submit to their insurance carrier for potential reimbursement. Useful questions to ask your insurer: what percentage is covered for out-of-network mental health services, the maximum allowed amount per session for a doctoral-level clinician in zip code 10022, and whether you have a separate out-of-network deductible.

Confidentiality

Everything shared in sessions is confidential and protected by law. Information cannot be disclosed without your written consent, with the exception of legally mandated situations such as imminent risk of harm to self or others, or suspected abuse of a child or elder.

If you're exploring whether individual therapy is right for you, visit the Individual Therapy NYC page. Ready to take the first step? Schedule a Free 20-Minute Consultation.

My Approach to Therapy​ "Find your COMFORT"