Addiction therapists & psychiatrists in Fairfield, CT

I’m a psychotherapist and coach with nearly two decades of experience working with teens, young adults, and families. Much of my work focuses on strengthening communication, rebuilding trust, and helping people navigate major life transitions, including adolescence, college, relationships, and career development.

Over the past several years, I’ve focused deeply on generational, religious, and family dynamics—especially the ways past experiences shape how we relate to ourselves and to the people closest to us. My goal is simple: to help people like each other as much as they love each other.

My approach is practical, direct, and collaborative. I integrate evidence-based therapies such as CBT, DBT, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems, while also helping clients develop clear communication skills, emotional awareness, and confidence in who they are and how they want to live.

Clients who work with me can expect thoughtful conversations, honest feedback, and a focus on meaningful growth—not just symptom relief.

I believe that meaningful therapy begins with feeling safe, heard, and supported. My goal is to create a compassionate, non-judgmental space where individuals and families can explore challenges, build on their strengths, and move toward positive change.

I hold both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Social Work and have over five years of experience working directly with children and families. My professional background includes supporting children and caregivers through emotional, behavioral, and relational concerns, while collaborating with families to strengthen communication, coping skills, and overall well-being.

In addition to my work with children and families, I also have several years of experience supporting older adults, including assisting individuals and families with long-term care planning. This work has given me a deep appreciation for the emotional, practical, and relational challenges that can arise during later life transitions, caregiving roles, and decision-making processes.

I am passionate about supporting clients across the lifespan and helping individuals and families navigate change with greater clarity, resilience, and connection.

I am Dr. Douglas Zelisko (often affectionately referred to as "Dr. Z"), a Board-Certified Psychiatrist dedicated to holistic and integrative mental health care. My educational background includes degrees from Amherst College and St. George's University School of Medicine, followed by a Psychiatry residency at the UConn School of Medicine.

I specialize in treating adults with a wide range of issues, specifically:

• Anxiety and Depression
• Trauma
• Grief and Loss
• Relationship Issues
• Focus / ADHD
• Physical ailments related to mental health

My practice is unique in that I combine traditional psychiatric expertise with holistic methods to treat the "whole you"—mind, body, and spirit—rather than just addressing symptoms.

Starting therapy is a meaningful step towards understanding yourself and creating lasting change. Together well work to explore the challenges youre facing, and help you mover towards greater balance and fullfillment.

You're the one people call when things fall apart. You're good at it — steady, competent, the person who knows what to do. And somewhere along the way you stopped having anywhere to put your own stuff.

So you can run the meeting, hold the crisis, answer the phone at 2 a.m. — and still not be able to make yourself open the mail. Competence and collapse live together far more often than anyone admits out loud.

I work with adults carrying that particular load: substance use and recovery, emotions that arrive at full volume with no dimmer switch, thoughts of self-harm or not wanting to be here, and the specific erosion that comes from caring for other people for a living. Helpers, clinicians, parents, first responders — people whose exhaustion doesn't have an obvious place to go. I work with teenagers too, often the ones in families like these.

My style is direct, warm, and collaborative. I'm not going to nod quietly for fifty minutes. We'll find what's actually driving things, build skills you can use on a Tuesday afternoon when it counts, and I'll tell you honestly what I'm seeing. You set the pace. I'll bring the structure.

Most of us haven’t made it through life without a few bruises. Sometimes we lose touch with ourselves along the way, shaped by what we’ve been through and the weight of those experiences.

That doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It means you adapted. Sometimes beautifully. Sometimes painfully. Often both.

Therapy is a space to slow down, get curious, and gently begin untangling what you’ve been carrying. Together, we can explore your story with compassion, reconnect with who you are beneath old patterns, and move toward a way of living that feels more aligned, grounded, and authentic.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Connecticut, and I work with individuals, families, and couples using relational and psychodynamic psychotherapy. We will explore how you can build greater confidence and self-esteem. You will develop new skill sets to process anxiety, depression, trauma, and family conflict. I work with individuals including children, teens, couples, and families to explore and treat anxiety, depression, ADHD, college preparedness, OCD, family conflict, court/legal process, life transitions, and trauma.

Born in Jamaica and raised in New Haven county, Connecticut, Rayon, LCSW, brings a wealth of knowledge, passion and clinical experience to Grow Therapy. A Licensed Clinical Therapist for several years, he has experience utilizing a wide range of therapeutic interventions to help individuals, families and couples. He is skilled in helping clients to address behavioral, mental health and substance use challenges.

Mental healthcare has been a lifelong passion of mine, and I am committed to helping others. My therapeutic style builds on my compassionate, empathetic, and attentive nature. In the past, I have worked well with clients with anxiety, complex trauma, PTSD, narcissistic abuse, personality and/or mood disorders. I genuinely care about the people who entrust me within my therapy practice and consider being a therapist one of the greatest privileges of my life.

*Former clients are welcome to reach out if they want to resume therapy, even if I do not have scheduled openings on Headway.

I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in couples therapy, trauma, and substance use recovery with a twist. Clients call me their "hippie therapist" because I bring a decade of holistic training, yoga, meditation, Reiki, and mindfulness into my clinical work. I've spent my career in addiction and behavioral health, including leadership roles at Mountainside Treatment Center. I especially love working with high-performing professionals, healthcare providers, athletes, and military members who spend their lives caring for others and are finally ready to receive care themselves.

Life can be very tough at times, yet with available resources and support you can get through it. Are you diagnosed with or seeking a diagnosis and treatment of a mental health disorders? Are you struggling with substances use addictions? Are you struggling with family difficulties, work place related stress, maintaining strong family and friendship ties? Are you parent of or a person diagnosed with ID/DD? My varied skill set and work experiences as both a mental health nurse practitioner and clinician will be strong assets to you. Let's work together to get through this.