Dr. Ryan Kerzman, Psy.D.
Dr. Ryan Kerzman, Psy.D., is a licensed Clinical Psychologist. He has ten years of experience treating patients struggling with psychological, neurological, and emotional difficulties. He has worked in multiple mental health settings, including adult and pediatric inpatient hospital units, an intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment program for families and adolescents, and in private practice. Dr. Kerzman works with individuals across the lifespan, is trained to diagnose and treat all psychological diagnoses, and is trained in the effective use of multiple psychotherapeutic interventions (i.e., family systems, relational, attachment, interpersonal, CBT/DBT/ACT, and client-centered). He earned his M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Family and Couples Therapy at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL.
Dr. Kerzman utilizes a multidimensional approach that considers the various factors contributing to one’s present state, including: one’s personal psychology; personal and occupational life experiences; personal and family relationship patterns; personal and family health history; dietary/nutritional habits and needs; exercise routine; and sleep hygiene. He believes that all these factors are interconnected and, therefore, treating any of these areas has the potential to simultaneously treat other areas. Dr. Kerzman’s training allows him to deliver various treatment modalities, including: individual therapy; couples therapy; family therapy; play therapy; group therapy; mindfulness training; biofeedback training; and neurofeedback training. He believes adjusting the use of psychotherapeutic interventions and treatment modalities to meet the needs of his patients provides the best chance for optimal treatment outcomes.
Although Dr. Kerzman is trained to diagnose and treat all psychological disorders, he finds working with adults, adolescents, and children who experience relationship difficulties related to their presenting symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, oppositionality, ADHD symptoms, and inconsistent mood states) especially rewarding. Such difficulties include in partner/spouse relationships, parent-child relationship (ranging from children who are extremely defiant to children who appear overly attached), teacher-student relationships, familial relationships, work relationships, and one’s relationship to herself/himself. Further, his psychotherapeutic approach is primarily derived from family systems and neuroaffective attachment theories. These theories emphasize helping patients to identify and address problematic interaction patterns that are contributing to psychological symptomology and to help explain how these patterns impact neurological development that contribute to the maintenance of these problems. Additionally, he understands how deeply personal and often difficult the therapeutic process can be and believes it is critical to incorporate lightheartedness and humor into treatment. Most importantly, Dr. Kerzman believes that his empathic, compassionate, open-minded, understanding and authentic nature is an essential component of the efficacy of the treatment he provides.