Psychotherapy & Talk Therapy in Scottsdale & Phoenix
Evidence-based psychotherapy delivered by board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Michael DePalma, DO — one of the few psychiatrists in Scottsdale and Phoenix who regularly practices both psychotherapy and medication management.
Schedule an Intake EvaluationA Psychiatrist Who Actually Does Therapy
Most psychiatrists in Scottsdale and Phoenix do one thing: prescribe medication. Appointments are brief, contact is limited, and the relationship between patient and physician is thin. Psychotherapy — real, skilled, ongoing psychotherapy — is left to a separate therapist, if it happens at all.
Dr. DePalma built One Psychiatry around a different model. He is a board-certified psychiatrist and trained psychotherapist who regularly practices both. Patients who need medication and therapy receive both from the same clinician — one who holds the full clinical picture at every appointment and whose prescribing decisions and therapeutic work continuously inform each other.
This integrated model produces outcomes that fragmented care rarely achieves.
Why Psychotherapy Produces Lasting Change
Medication can reduce symptoms. It can quiet the noise, lift the floor, and create the neurological conditions under which change becomes possible. But it does not — on its own — change the patterns of thought, belief, and behavior that have formed over a lifetime.
Psychotherapy does that work. Emotion becomes a map. Longstanding patterns become visible and workable. Neural networks built around pain, avoidance, or dysfunction are allowed to atrophy while new, healthier ones are strengthened in their place.
When medication and psychotherapy are used together — guided by the same clinician who understands both — each amplifies the other. The neuroplastic window that medication creates is used deliberately and skillfully. The result is a depth of progress that neither approach produces alone.
It was the particular interest in the science around neuroplasticity and the evidence of ketamines particular potential ability to act in this area that lead Dr DePalma to eventually pursue the combined use of this treatment along with psychotherapy in the form of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). You can learn more about this specific form of Therapy here :
Therapeutic Approaches at One Psychiatry
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a nuanced and powerful form of treatment. Emotion is used as a map leading to fundamental insight and growth. The end goal is a peace and freedom from longstanding emotional pain and maladaptive patterns. In the first sessions, time is spent discussing the issues at hand. Together, Dr. DePalma and the patient choose an approach that is most appropriate for that individual’s situation and goals.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a highly targeted and well-researched approach that focuses on dysfunctional patterns of cognition and resulting behavior. The stream of daily thought itself — much of which we take for granted — often creates pain for ourselves and others. That stream is the material with which we work. Synapses are created in this process and beneficial, nourishing neural networks are strengthened while harmful networks are allowed to atrophy. Elements of CBT can be combined with ACT training and vice versa in highly effective ways.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) & Mindfulness
A deceptively simple yet permeating technique that can be applied to and incorporated into treatment. It is the simplicity of this method that leads to its elusiveness — “simple” does not always equate with “easy.” This approach takes a certain vigilance. ACT takes much of the elusiveness out of mindfulness, making building skills a much more clear and straightforward process. Problems, wounds, emotions, and suffering are approached in a more clear, non-judgmental manner. Mindfulness can also facilitate long-term pattern change.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy -> learn more here :
For some patients, psychotherapy alone reaches a ceiling — not because the therapeutic work is wrong, but because entrenched patterns of thought are neurologically resistant to change through conversation alone. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy addresses this by combining structured clinical psychotherapy with the neuroplasticity-promoting effects of ketamine, creating a period of heightened psychological openness during which therapeutic work can go further than it otherwise could. At One Psychiatry, Dr. DePalma conducts both the ketamine administration and the psychotherapy himself — the same psychiatrist who knows your full history is present throughout, integrating the pharmacological and the psychological as a single clinical process rather than two services stitched together. KAP is offered at both the Scottsdale and Phoenix locations.
Who Benefits From Psychotherapy at One Psychiatry
Patients who benefit from psychotherapy with Dr. DePalma include those experiencing:
- Depression — persistent low mood, loss of motivation, hopelessness
- Anxiety — chronic worry, panic, social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder
- Trauma and PTSD — processing past experiences and reducing their ongoing impact
- OCD — intrusive thoughts and compulsive behavioral patterns
- Relationship difficulties — recurring patterns that damage personal or professional relationships
- Emotional dysregulation — difficulty managing frustration, anger, or mood instability
- Life transitions — career changes, loss, identity, or major life decisions
- A persistent sense of being stuck, underachieving, or disconnected from a meaningful life
Dr. DePalma also works with patients who feel stuck, discontent, or are in emotional turmoil — patients who are functioning but not flourishing.
One Psychiatrist. Medication and Therapy. One Clinical Picture.
When a patient sees a prescribing psychiatrist and a separate therapist, critical clinical information lives in two places. Medication decisions are made without full therapeutic context. Therapeutic work proceeds without real-time awareness of how medications are affecting the patient. Communication gaps are common. Coordination is the patient’s responsibility.
At One Psychiatry, Dr. DePalma is both the prescribing physician and the treating therapist. Every appointment carries the full clinical picture. Medication and therapy inform each other continuously. There are no gaps, no miscommunication, and no burden on the patient to coordinate their own care.
This is what integrated psychiatric care actually looks like — and it is rare in Scottsdale and Phoenix.
Location
5635 N Scottsdale Rd Suite #170, Scottsdale, AZ 85250
P: (480) 296-2048
F: (844) 965-9613
Telehealth available for established patients following in-person evaluation, with a minimum of one in-person visit per year.
Frequently Asked Questions — Psychotherapy Scottsdale & Phoenix
Can a psychiatrist provide psychotherapy? Yes. Dr. DePalma is both a board-certified psychiatrist and a trained psychotherapist. While many psychiatrists focus exclusively on medication management, Dr. DePalma regularly practices both — making One Psychiatry one of the few integrated psychiatric practices in the Scottsdale and Phoenix area.
What is the difference between seeing a psychiatrist for therapy versus a psychologist or therapist? A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medication and provide psychotherapy. A psychologist or therapist can provide psychotherapy but cannot prescribe medication. For patients who may benefit from both medication and therapy, seeing a psychiatrist who practices both eliminates the need to coordinate between separate providers.
How long does psychotherapy take? The duration of psychotherapy depends on the patient’s goals, the nature of the issues being addressed, and the approach being used. Some patients work with Dr. DePalma for a defined period focused on specific goals. Others continue in an ongoing therapeutic relationship. This is discussed and decided collaboratively at the outset of treatment.
Do you accept insurance for psychotherapy? One Psychiatry is a private-pay practice. Patients with PPO insurance may be able to seek out-of-network reimbursement using a superbill. → pricing
Is therapy done in person or online? Telehealth available for established patients following in-person evaluation, with a minimum of one in-person visit per year.