Hello!
Thanks for taking some time to get to know me. Finding a psychologist can be a challenging experience. My hope is to ease that process and tell you a bit about me.
I studied psychology as an undergraduate at Colorado State University. There, I became passionate about mental health care and the wellness of the student population. Students were dealing with concerns related to loss/grief, transitions, identities, marginalization, and more. I wanted to develop an understanding and expertise to help.
For 6 years, I studied at the University of Iowa’s Counseling Psychology Program and received a Ph.D. in 2018, completing a predoctoral internship/residency at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Immediately afterwards, I further specialized and completed a postdoc in primary care behavioral health (PCBH) — working closely with other medical providers, including doctors, physician assistants, and nurses. Before becoming a full-time professional psychologist, I held a professor role at the University of Wisconsin, instructing and supervising trainees learning foundational counseling skills.
I believe every single person I work with has their own unique story and experience. And I work tirelessly to listen and understand them through individualized and integrative techniques.
Over the years, my training helped me center on some key areas of practice:
Interpersonal psychotherapy
Psychodynamic therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
I have been practicing for about 9 years and specialize in processing grief and loss, relationship concerns, men and masculinities, building self-compassion, and transitions (e.g., job loss, career change, or retirement) from a personalized, culturally sensitive perspective.
Thank you for reading a bit more about my background, training, and approach. Should you want to work together, I invite you to contact me by phone at 720-260-4362 or email at Sam@SamLustgarten.com.
Sincerely,
Dr. Samuel Lustgarten, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Licensed Psychologist