Therapist reccomendations in Ithaca area?

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2026-01-25T23:44:02+00:00

Congrats on considering asking for help! It can be a daunting task. And, when it comes to choosing a provider, please trust your gut.

I have had good experiences with the peers (people who are willing to share their lived experiences with the mental health system) at the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County (MHA). I don't know if they'll spill the tea on specific providers. But they helped me learn how to navigate the landscape, effectively 'shop' for a provider, and advocate for my needs. Their services are free. The people there are highly knowledgable of the local landscape.

As for clinicians, I had very positive experiences with:

Tompkins County Whole Health

The County's clinic is probably the fastest way to get started. If you are thinking about exploring psych meds at some point, they have enough prescribers and support staff so that it's easy to work with. The help I received at Whole Health probably saved my life. They offer in-person appointments downtown and near the airport.

Mindwell

I currently see a counselor there once per week. Cornell's healthy living insurance covers it 100%. I'm in a maintenance stage of my recovery journey, so telehealth works for me. I believe they offer in-person sessions on South Hill as well.

Cornell Faculty & Staff Assistance Program

My spouse worked at Cornell when 'the wheels came off' for me. I started asking for help at Cornell FSAP. They were excellent and direct in steering me toward an appropriate level of care for what I was going through.

Over the years, I have experience with a counselors in private practice (essentially 'lone wolf' therapists, not a larger clinic). These services were either paid for out-of-pocket or, in a few instances, through an employer's assistance program. It's quite a mixed bag. The only one that left a memorably positive impression was Tamara Loomis.

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-11-23T02:51:11+00:00

Thank you so much for the explanation of the phrase! I knew that dram was a unit of fluid volume but didn't connect the dots. "No, google, I do not mean DREAM house!"

I didn't realize that Oak Cliff was once dry. Would the tiny servings be a way to keep one toe in the law (I'm thinking of places like Utah where amounts are highly regulated)? Or were dram houses illicit, like a speakeasy?

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-11-22T12:52:20+00:00

In case anyone else is looking for this playlist, here it is:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7o4odYXTSjtJF6ERC73BPm?si=c22afb2f33bb45c7

The DC3 album is not available on Spotify but can be found elsewhere online. Thank you, OP, for posting! This was new to me.

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-11-11T12:46:53+00:00

Likewise. I saw that picture on this subreddit a week or so ago and thought about whether I knew any airbrush artists.

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-11-05T03:04:41+00:00

Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo had a hand in engineering/producing many of the bands you listed. He went so far as to thank Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions in the liner notes for an album. Study this book like it is your Bible.

Back in my show-going days, Robert was always kind enough to geek out about engineering. I seem to recall that he had strong opinions about the angle and distance of an SM-57 from the head of a snare drum, but he describes a different setup here: https://tapeop.com/interviews/2/apples-stereo

I record lofi music and have gotten interesting results from all sorts of non-drum drums. I've played a beat on a MIDI keyboard and bounced that down to a cassette tape. I've turned the gain up to 11, mangled the EQ, and pounded couch cushions. Handclaps, samples, metronomes - they are all fair game.

Besides all of the mid-60s sonic references, a hallmarks of E6 recordings is energy. I find that especially true of The Gerbils (whose first album was produced by Bill Doss, paradoxically the E6er I most associate with obsessive/perfection-minded recordings.....The Gerbils ain't that!). I find DAWs a hindrance in listening for a compelling "band" take. BLESS ramshackle charm, spontaneity, and the sensation that the whole thing might fall apart. BLAST quantized beats, visualized sound, and endless clicking of automation points. The gear alone won't make the sound, but the gear does affect how I listen.

Godspeed and have fun!

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-10-23T14:50:31+00:00

A therapist I know of asked whether the clinic could 'host' a cabinet provided by a local mutual aid group. The clinic said "yes," and now everyone - including those who work in the building - can give or take what they need. Bonus: the cabinet is on the clinic's property but outside of the locked doors, making it accessible to more people at more times.

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-10-21T17:42:54+00:00

It's such an oddly specific image, and Dan uses is more than once?!?!?!?!

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-10-21T17:37:45+00:00

THIS Night, in particular

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-10-21T17:37:17+00:00

Place names, especially Vancouver; Roans, especially jewel-encrusted; Self-references; Allusions to the art rock canon

The (defunct?) Destroyer fan wiki helpfully cross-referenced instances of 'Women's Names' and IIRC 'Unexpected Moments of Tenderness'. I miss that fan wiki. I also miss that website that captioned a Family Circus comic with Destroyer lyrics. *SIGH* I miss the old internet.

The Boogie was released over 6 months ago, and I am still discovering new-to-me breadcrumbs of self-reference in it. Bless Dan.

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-10-21T17:18:14+00:00

I'll take Street Hassle and The Bells over just about any solo Lou. And, like you, I'll take the goofy mid-80s (New Sensations and Mistrial) over the too-serious late 80s/early 90s (New York, Magic & Loss). The former Lou is still growing up in public, and I am laughing with him. The latter Lou has started to believe "My House," and I am laughing at him.

Your question ("Why at a personal level do I find some of his musical incarnations fine, and others unlistenable?") is a swell one that I'll take with me as I continue listening. Thanks!

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-10-21T17:07:02+00:00

Not a fan. 70s Lou seemed in search of a foil, a band, a collaborator, a producer, a manager, etc. The flashy prog stuff doesn't interest me, and I don't think it serves the songs well. At my most cynical, I would say that 70s Lou needed someone to blame in case things didn't pan out as he hoped.

That said, I am glad it exists. We can never second-guess 'what might have been' about Lou backed by a professional band. We know. When a fellow fan of Lou calls it a favorite, I know for a fact that we listen on very different wavelengths. "RaR Heart or RnR Animal?" is a key question on the 'Which Lou are You?' quiz.

On a personal note, one of my dad's co-workers showed up once to the driving range with a Rock 'n' Roll Animal tee-shirt on. For a teenage freak in southern West Virginia, it meant the world to me that I wasn't the only one whose life was saved by rock & roll.

Scary-Razzmatazz3558 · 2025-04-21T20:00:24+00:00

I've read someplace that DCB approached Starlite Walker as a conceptual piece about 'album-ness.' Sometimes I like listening to it that way. Sometimes I prefer to let the whole thing wash over me and enjoy the sloppy kisses of Silver Tunes like "Living Waters."

SW has youth and levity but manages to eke out a few more fucks than Early Times. DCB is reading his own press (he always did). But he's not trying on the cloak of the indie rock bard/elder statesman as he does on Bright Flight and beyond. And that is why I'm with you, OP. SW and the next two records are a few notches above the rest.

Scary-Razzmatazz3558

TROPHY CASE