# AC Psychotherapy

> AC Psychotherapy is the private practice of Alison Capaldi, LMHC-D, offering evidence-based, HIPAA-compliant telehealth psychotherapy for young adult and adult women — particularly high-achieving, perfectionistic clients — struggling with Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

## About

Alison Capaldi, LMHC-D works with young adult and adult women — often high-achieving, perfectionistic, and used to holding it all together — who are ready to stop letting anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or OCD run the show. Her clients are typically ambitious and successful by outside measures, yet privately exhausted by relentless self-criticism, over-checking, reassurance-seeking, or the pressure to get everything right.

Her approach is rooted in evidence-based practices: CBT, ACT, DBT, CPT, and ERP. She emphasizes helping clients understand *how their brain works* — why it produces intrusive thoughts, why avoidance feels like relief but keeps anxiety alive, why perfectionism promises safety but delivers exhaustion — as a first step toward changing one's relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings. From there, she provides concrete, practical tools for responding differently, rather than just talking about the problem.

A core belief guiding her work: you can live a full, meaningful life even with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings — you don't have to wait until anxiety disappears to start living. When you approach the things you fear instead of avoiding them, the fear itself goes down, and you gain a felt sense of empowerment and proof that you can do hard things.

She also places strong emphasis on self-compassion. Many clients are far kinder to others than to themselves; learning to replace self-critical thought patterns with self-compassion isn't about lowering standards — it's about no longer needing perfection to feel worthy, safe, or in control.

- Education: B.A. in Psychology, Cornell University; M.S.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling and M.Phil.Ed. in Professional Counseling, University of Pennsylvania
- Training/modalities: CBT, ACT, DBT, CPT, and ERP
- Contact: alison@acpsychotherapypractice.com | (718) 635-2946
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acpsychotherapy/
- Psychology Today profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/alison-capaldi-brooklyn-ny/1199134
- Client portal (booking): https://secure.helloalma.com/providers/alison-capaldi/

### Acceptance & Confidence

**Acceptance** is the ability to acknowledge that difficult thoughts, emotions, and life events are inevitable and often beyond our control. Rather than resisting reality, acceptance allows us to move forward with greater clarity and resilience.

**Confidence** is about letting go of the self-critical thought patterns that fuel anxiety, depression, and stress. It means recognizing your ability to navigate life's challenges and trusting yourself to endure discomfort. When you build confidence in your ability to face adversity, difficult experiences start to feel less overwhelming.

Alison's approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based practices — not a "blank slate" style. She brings authenticity, empathy, and humor into the work, aiming to break down traditional power dynamics in therapy and create a safe space where clients feel empowered to grow, heal, and move toward their goals.

## Services

- **Individual Therapy** — a collaborative process to help clients identify areas of life they'd like to change in order to live more in line with their values.
- **Clinical Consultation** — individual and group consultation for therapists seeking to deepen their expertise in treating Anxiety Disorders, OCD, and Related Disorders, or refine clinical skills. Alison currently runs an OCD consultation group for pre-licensed clinicians.
- **Therapy Groups** — a supportive space to build skills alongside others with similar experiences, grounded in empirically supported treatments.
- **Community Workshops** — free workshops on a variety of mental health topics, available tailored to a community or group upon request.
- **Private Practice Coaching for Therapists** — coaching for therapists starting or growing a private practice, covering practice vision and goals, policies/forms/intake paperwork, legal and ethical considerations, tools and software, accounting and finances, solo-practitioner systems, and marketing/networking/referrals.

## Conditions Treated

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Phobia, Specific Phobias, Panic Disorder, Perfectionism, Life transition difficulties, Self-Esteem, Relationship Issues, Depression, Identity Exploration, Trauma and PTSD.

## Niche Focus

Alison specializes in working with young adult and adult women, particularly high-achieving and perfectionistic clients, who struggle with anxiety and OCD. Using ERP and ACT, she helps clients tolerate uncertainty, reduce compulsions and reassurance-seeking, and build a life guided by values rather than fear of failure or judgment.

## FAQs

**How do we begin?**
The first step in getting started is to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we would be a good fit. During this call, you can tell me more about your goals for therapy, ask any questions about my treatment approach, and discuss scheduling and fees. If you feel that we would be a good fit, we can move on to the next step, which is to schedule an intake appointment.

**What can I expect in therapy?**
Following the intake process, we will collaborate on identifying goals for therapy. Treatment typically includes psychoeducation on diagnoses, exploring ineffective cognitive or behavioral patterns, skills teaching, and opportunities to practice what is learned.

**How long are appointments?**
Most therapy sessions are scheduled for 45 minutes. However, longer sessions may be arranged as needed, depending on the nature of the treatment.

**Do you offer telehealth/in-person?**
I offer online appointments for residents of New York and Florida via a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. Telehealth has been shown to be effective in treating anxiety, mood, and behavioral issues. At this time, I do not offer in-person services.

**Can you prescribe medications?**
As a Mental Health Counselor, I do not prescribe medications. However, I often work closely with psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners who can prescribe medications. I can provide you with trusted referrals if you choose to pursue medication management.

**Do you provide neuropsychological evaluations?**
I do not provide neuropsychological or educational assessments, however, I can provide you with trusted referrals in the area who do.

**What are your fees, and when is payment due?**
Fees are based on the standard 45-minute session. Most people typically require only weekly 45-minute sessions. Rates are increased yearly.

45-minute therapy session: $225

A credit card is kept on file, and the balance due will be charged at the time of the appointment.

**Do you accept insurance?**
I am in-network with Northwell Direct insurance plans for clients residing in New York and Florida.

For all other insurance plans, you can check with your health insurance provider about whether you have out-of-network benefits, which may allow full or partial reimbursement for the cost of your session. Clients can receive a monthly superbill upon request, which includes the necessary information to assist with any out-of-network reimbursement requests, if eligible.

**How do I check with my insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement?**
I recommend that you speak to your insurance company to inquire about your specific coverage and eligibility for out-of-network reimbursement. Other helpful questions to ask are: Do I have out-of-network coverage? Is there an annual deductible that I need to meet first? Do I need reauthorization? What percentage do you cover for out-of-network mental health providers? Is there a specific claim form that I must use to submit for reimbursement?

**What is your cancellation policy?**
I understand that life can sometimes present unexpected circumstances that may require you to reschedule or cancel your therapy appointments. However, as a courtesy to me and my other clients in need of appointments, I kindly ask that you please remember to cancel or reschedule your appointment at least 48 hours in advance. Appointments that are cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice will be charged the full cancellation fee.

**How do you ensure confidentiality and privacy?**
Confidentiality and privacy are paramount. We adhere to legal and ethical guidelines, securely store records, and use safe communication methods. Your personal information and sessions are kept confidential unless legal or ethical obligations require otherwise.

**No Surprises Act**
You have the right to receive a "Good Faith Estimate" explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don't have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. For questions or more information, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.

**Do you specialize in working with high-achieving women who struggle with anxiety, OCD, or perfectionism?**
Yes. I work extensively with young adult and adult women who appear successful and put-together on the outside, but internally are driven by anxious perfectionism, intrusive thoughts, or OCD. Many of my clients are high achievers — in school, at work, or in their relationships — who feel like they can never let their guard down, who over-prepare and over-check, or who are exhausted by the pressure of maintaining impossibly high standards. Using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we work together to help you tolerate uncertainty, loosen the grip of perfectionistic thinking, and build a life guided by your values rather than by fear of failure or judgment.

**What does exposure therapy (ERP) actually look like in session?**
ERP isn't about being thrown into your worst fear all at once. We build a personalized hierarchy of feared situations, thoughts, or triggers, and work through them gradually and collaboratively — starting with what's manageable and building tolerance from there. For many of my perfectionistic and high-achieving clients, this might mean practicing sending an email without rereading it ten times, sitting with an intrusive thought without seeking reassurance, or leaving a task "good enough" instead of perfect. The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety — it's to teach your brain that you can handle uncertainty and discomfort without needing to fix, check, or control everything.

**I don't think my anxiety or perfectionism is "bad enough" to be OCD — is this still for me?**
This is one of the most common things I hear from clients, especially high-achieving women who are used to holding it together. OCD and anxiety don't always look like what people expect — they often show up as relentless mental checklists, fear of making mistakes, needing constant reassurance, or an inability to relax even when things are going well. You don't need a formal diagnosis or a "severe" presentation to benefit from this work. If perfectionism or anxious thinking is costing you energy, joy, or peace of mind, that's enough of a reason to reach out.

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.acpsychotherapypractice.com/)
- [Services](https://www.acpsychotherapypractice.com/services)
- [About](https://www.acpsychotherapypractice.com/about)
- [Contact](https://www.acpsychotherapypractice.com/contact)
- [FAQs](https://www.acpsychotherapypractice.com/faqs)