Effects that persist
Vigilance, intrusive memories, avoidance, numbness, or a changed sense of safety and trust that continues to shape daily decisions.
Alireza Ehteshami, Ph.D.
Therapy for trauma and grief · Atlanta
When a painful experience or loss keeps shaping the present.
Therapy can offer a steady place to attend to what happened, understand how it still shapes your emotions and relationships, and recover more room for the life that continues.
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology · Services provided under licensed supervision
Your clinician
Alireza Ehteshami, Ph.D.
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Emory University and practice at Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program in Atlanta.
I am a Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology, practicing under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., Georgia license PSY002840.
The practical details
A clear first step, without a commitment.
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
We can discuss what you are looking for and whether my approach may be a good fit.
Request a free consultation- In person
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Telehealth
- For clients located in Georgia
- Payment
- Private pay · Insurance not accepted
Where therapy can begin
You can build a functioning life around something and still be carrying it.
Painful experiences and losses do not always stay in the past where they are supposed to belong. They can surface as vigilance that never quite switches off, reactions that seem larger than the moment, distance in relationships that matter, or grief that returns long after others assume it has settled. Working around what happened can become its own quiet job.
Therapy does not require you to relive everything or tell the whole story before you are ready. We can begin with how the experience shows up now—in your body, your relationships, your sense of safety or self—and work at a pace that respects what carrying it has already cost.
How therapy may help
What this work can attend to
There is no single correct response to a painful experience or a loss. The work begins with how yours is actually affecting your life now.
Grief in its own time
Loss that still asks for attention—whether recent or long past, expected or sudden, straightforward or complicated by the relationship it ended.
The story you carry
Self-blame, shame, or conclusions about yourself formed in the worst moments, which may deserve to be re-examined from where you stand now.
My approach
Steady, paced, collaborative
Attending to what happened should not mean being overwhelmed by it again.
My training includes structured, evidence-based treatments for the aftermath of trauma—Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) with adults and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) with adolescents—alongside ACT, CBT, and skills from DBT when a more flexible frame fits better. That can mean building steadiness first, examining what an experience has come to mean, and approaching what has been avoided gradually and by agreement. If your concerns would be better served by a treatment I do not provide or by a higher level of care, I will say so directly and help you find it.
Stability before depth
We build enough steadiness—in session and between sessions—that looking at difficult material adds understanding rather than harm.
Consent at every step
What we approach, when, and how closely is decided together. Nothing in this work is sprung on you.
The present counts as much as the past
The goal is not a perfect account of what happened. It is more freedom in the relationships, choices, and quiet moments happening now.
Training & supervision
Clinical depth, applied with care.
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Emory University and completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship through Emory University School of Medicine’s Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Psychiatry program.
I am completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program. I draw from evidence-based treatments including CBT, ACT, and DBT, selecting methods according to each person’s needs rather than applying a single formula.
I am a Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology. I provide clinical services under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist in Georgia, license number PSY002840.
More about my background Before getting in touch
Common questions
A little more clarity before you reach out.
Do I have to talk about the details of what happened?
Not before you are ready, and possibly not in the detail you fear. Much of the work addresses how the experience affects you now—sleep, reactions, relationships, self-blame—and some structured treatments, including CPT, focus less on retelling the event than on the beliefs it left behind. The choice of when and how closely to approach the memory itself is made together.
Do you see adolescents for trauma-related concerns?
Yes. My clinical work includes adolescents, and my training includes Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)—a well-supported treatment developed for children and teens that involves caregivers in ways that help rather than intrude. The consultation usually begins with a parent, and early sessions establish whether this is a place your teen can actually talk.
Grief is a normal response to loss. Is it something therapy should treat?
Grief is not an illness, and therapy does not aim to remove it. But grieving can become isolating, stuck, or complicated—especially when the loss was sudden, the relationship was difficult, or life gave you no room to mourn. Therapy offers a place where the loss can be given its real weight.
What if I am not sure my experience “counts” as trauma?
You do not need to qualify your history before reaching out. If an experience continues to shape your emotions, relationships, or sense of safety, it deserves attention—whatever word ends up fitting it. The initial consultation can help us understand what you are carrying and whether my way of working fits.
Request a consultation
Begin with a brief conversation.
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
Share a few scheduling details below to request an initial consultation. This form intentionally does not ask for clinical or medical information.