Frequently Asked Questions

I believe effective psychotherapy is grounded in a collaborative therapeutic relationship. Your experiences, values, needs, and goals guide assessment, treatment planning, and the work that follows. With your permission, I welcome coordination with physicians, prescribers, primary therapists, and other clinicians involved in your care.

My work is grounded in ethical, evidence-based practice and an understanding of the whole person. Care begins with thoughtful assessment and a clear understanding of your needs. Diagnosis and treatment planning are informed by established research, clinical judgment, professional standards, and your individual circumstances.

My approach is integrative rather than tied to a single diagnosis or modality. EMDR, ketamine preparation, psychedelic integration, and other approaches are considered based on your needs and goals—not as automatic or one-size-fits-all solutions.

Therapy offers a confidential, collaborative space to understand what is happening. It can help you recognize patterns and work toward meaningful change. Depending on your needs, therapy may address anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship concerns, grief, or life transitions. It can also support emotional regulation and provide space to explore questions of identity or meaning.

Our work is shaped by your needs. Together, we will clarify your goals, build practical skills, and make room for deeper reflection as appropriate. Progress looks different for everyone. Therapy can support greater insight and resilience while helping you make changes that feel meaningful, sustainable, and aligned with who you are—or who you want to become.

Therapeutic fit matters. You should feel respected, heard, and able to speak honestly without fear of judgment. A good fit also means that my experience and approach are well suited to your needs and goals.

The introductory process gives us time to discuss what brings you to therapy, what you hope to accomplish, and whether my approach feels like a good match. I will be honest if I believe another provider may be better suited to your needs and will offer referrals when possible. You are always welcome to ask questions or raise concerns about the fit.

Begin by calling 203.654.9094 or emailing LCSW@robromano.com to schedule a brief 15–20-minute phone call. We’ll talk about what is bringing you to therapy, and I’ll share a bit about how I work. This helps us both decide whether taking the next step makes sense. The purpose of this call is to explore whether we may be a good fit—not to provide therapy, clinical guidance, or treatment recommendations.

If we both feel it makes sense to continue, we’ll schedule a 60-minute consultation. The fee structure is discussed in advance. If we mutually decide to begin therapy, the consultation is billed at the agreed-upon fee. If either of us decides not to proceed, there is no charge.

The 60-minute consultation gives us more time to discuss your history, current concerns, what you hope to work on, and your goals for therapy. We will also begin exploring what therapy might look like. This conversation begins the clinical intake and assessment process. You do not need to disclose difficult material before you are ready. The conversation is structured but natural and moves at a pace that respects your readiness.

By the end, we should have a clearer sense of fit, your needs, and the appropriate next steps. If we mutually decide to begin therapy, we will further clarify your goals, scheduling, practice policies, and the plan for moving forward.

My approach to psychotherapy is integrative and collaborative. Depending on your needs, our work may draw from CBT, DBT, EMDR, IFS-informed parts work, and somatic or mindfulness practices. My training through IPI also informs my approach to ketamine preparation and psychedelic integration, including harm-reduction education and collaboration with other healthcare providers.

Coaching strategies are often incorporated into psychotherapy, particularly when the work involves goal setting, skill development, motivation, or translating insight into action. I also provide Life & Spiritual (Meaning-Making) Coaching, which focuses on purpose, values, identity, transition, and spirituality.

Spirituality does not necessarily mean religion. It can include how you understand meaning, connection, and what matters most in your life. As with every aspect of the psychotherapeutic relationship, we decide together which approaches best support your needs and goals.

EMDR is one of the most studied and widely recommended treatments for PTSD. It helps process trauma memories so they can become less distressing and disruptive.

EMDR is an eight-phase psychotherapy—not simply eye movements. It combines preparation and assessment with guided bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, tapping, or alternating sounds. You do not need to describe every detail aloud.

Trauma treatment moves at a pace that reflects your readiness and needs. With training in EMDR and trauma treatment, I use it as part of a broader, individualized treatment plan—not as an isolated modality.

Ketamine is sometimes described as a nontraditional psychedelic, but it is actually a dissociative anesthetic. It works differently from traditional or classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD. Ketamine can create some distance from familiar thoughts, emotions, or ways of seeing an experience, which may allow difficult material to be approached from a different perspective.

People often explore ketamine treatment while seeking help with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other trauma-related symptoms. Whether it is a reasonable treatment option depends on the person’s history, symptoms, physical health, medications, needs, and goals. That determination is made with a qualified licensed healthcare provider.

Preparation can help you identify goals and understand what to expect. Integration can help you process the experience and connect it with your ongoing therapeutic work. Additional information is available in the Psychedelic Science & Therapy section of my Resources page.

Ketamine and psychedelic experiences can be deeply personal and sometimes profound. People may encounter powerful emotions, memories, or images. They may feel a sense of connection or gain a new perspective on suffering, identity, purpose, and what gives life meaning. These experiences can be hopeful, challenging, confusing, or difficult to put into words.

Preparation creates space to set intentions, explore hopes or concerns, and consider the support you may need before medically supervised ketamine treatment. Integration is where the experience is explored, understood, and connected to your life. It is an essential part of turning insight into meaningful and lasting change.

Ketamine treatment involves collaborative care. I provide therapeutic preparation and integration, along with harm-reduction education, referrals, and care coordination. Licensed healthcare providers remain responsible for medical evaluation, prescribing, administration, and monitoring.

I offer telehealth psychotherapy to clients who are physically located in Connecticut at the time of the appointment, along with limited in-office availability. Many people appreciate the convenience of telehealth, while others prefer meeting in person. We can decide together which setting best fits your clinical needs, privacy, technology, and preferences.

The benefits and limitations of telehealth are reviewed as part of informed consent. For virtual sessions, you will need a private, quiet space, a stable internet connection, a device with a camera, and a backup phone number in case of technical problems.

I practice independently of insurance networks. Some plans may provide out-of-network benefits for psychotherapy, but coverage and reimbursement vary. You are responsible for payment regardless of whether your insurance company reimburses you.

If you want to explore your out-of-network benefits, the Getting Started page includes an optional link to Mentaya, an independent third-party benefits checker. Its results are estimates and do not guarantee coverage or reimbursement. Your insurance company remains the authority on eligibility, coverage, claims, and reimbursement.

The fee structure is discussed during the introductory process and confirmed before the 60-minute consultation is scheduled. A limited number of sliding-scale arrangements may be available. Separately, I reserve a small portion of my practice for pro bono care.

Psychotherapy is generally confidential, and protecting your privacy is fundamental to the work. There are limited circumstances in which information may be disclosed without your authorization, including situations involving safety, mandated reporting, or disclosures authorized or required by law. The details depend on the circumstances and applicable law.

We will review confidentiality and its limits as part of informed consent. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy or confidentiality at any time.