Arlene Unger

Everyone deserves a life that gets us up and going in the morning. When we are struggling with a lack of understanding, emotional pain, and overwhelm, we get stuck and lose our focus. As a seasoned licensed psychologist, Arlene Unger, Ph.D. offers all her patients, regardless of their issue, a sense of hope and purpose in order to deal with life's ups and downs.

My approach

Dr. Unger enjoys blending her clinical expertise with her intuition and imagination. Her clients often report improvement in their physical energy, mental flexibility, emotional mobility, and serenity. Using a solution-focused approach, she combines her extensive training in Emotional Brain Training (EBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) to give her patients a full spectrum of reality-based tools for balanced living.

My focus

Dr. Unger has found telehealth visits more amenable to all adults, couples, and parents. Her specialties include but are not limited to life and behavioral management, transitional life, mood, stress, and relationship concerns.

My communication style

Everyone needs to feel accepted and validated. Dr. Unger promotes a safe and caring telehealth environment for all her patients. In addition to being very supportive, she has found that her patients like her direct, active, and sincere communication style.

My journey to mental healthcare

Dr. Unger's journey toward the field of mental health started when she was a speech pathologist and registered movement therapist. She observed how her patients and their families struggled with trauma and emotional issues which alone could not be completely addressed by these ancillary therapies. Arlene continues to find as a therapist how satisfying it is to see her patients change in the ways they want and move on from her healing guidance.

My goals for you

Most of us feel that we work super hard but don't have much to show for it. This causes us to feel adrift and to flounder. Dr. Unger helps her patients look at their ideal future and turn that into reality. She encourages her patients to create well-written, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals. According to Dr. Unger, this helps them stay engaged, realistic, and motivated.

My first session with you

In Dr. Unger's initial meeting, limits of confidentiality, length of treatment, and the patient's completed clinical forms are discussed. She then spends time getting to know the patient and expresses her understanding that the first meeting can be very daunting and anxiety-producing, especially for the patient that has never had counseling before. In addition, Dr. Unger assures the patient that psychotherapy is not a quick fix and that it may take a few sessions to see results. She asks about the patient's symptoms, what brought them to reach out to her or start therapy, and explores what is not going as they hoped in their life. These exchanges often lead to Dr. Unger asking questions about the patient's current living situation, medical and psychological history, education, and career.