THERAPIST
WILLIAM CULPEPPER
LMFT, PSYCHEDELIC THERAPIST
Compassion for what's been. Courage for what's next.
Clients come to Will when their inner world starts to feel like a trap—caught in cycles of overthinking, perfectionism, emotional shutdown, or relational disconnection. He specializes in working with individuals who struggle with obsessive thoughts, anxious looping, and rigid patterns that feel impossible to escape. Whether these patterns show up in relationships, careers, or in quiet moments alone, Will helps clients meet them with clarity, compassion, and curiosity.
Will’s work is rooted in the belief that transformation begins with deep self-understanding—and grows through courage, clarity, and commitment. His therapy style is practical, thoughtful, and purposeful. He strikes a steady balance between exploring the systems that shape us—family dynamics, cultural influences, life circumstances—and empowering personal agency. Will understands that while the past matters, it doesn’t get to dictate the future. Growth happens when we learn to accept what’s outside our control, make peace with what’s come before, and fully claim the power we have now to shape what comes next.
Will creates a space where authenticity, self-reflection, heartfulness, and forward movement come together. With grounded presence and sharp clinical insight, he helps clients untangle what’s holding them back, reconnect with their deeper values, and move toward change that actually sticks. For those who feel stuck in survival mode or worn out from just getting by, Will walks beside you offering steady, honest support and a space to rediscover what feels real, important, and meaningful again.
“You are not defined as much by your current circumstances, your past, or your lowest points as you are by the choices that you make in response to them. With this in mind, my work is about helping people reclaim their agency, shift from reactivity to responsiveness, tune into their intuition, develop resilience, and skillfully move towards a more meaningful life with purpose, clarity, and intention.”
areas of expertise—
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER: I specialize in treating OCD using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold-standard therapy for OCD. ERP helps you gradually face fears while learning to resist the urge to do compulsions. I also integrate mindfulness, education, and tools from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you better understand your symptoms and build resilience. The goal is for you to feel more in control and confident in managing OCD on your own over time.
KETAMINE ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY: I offer Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in both individual and group settings. Ketamine can provide fast-acting relief from depression and support the brain’s natural ability to grow and heal. Its psychedelic effects can also bring deep emotional insight and connection.These altered states of consciousness can evoke profound experiences of awe, peace, beauty, and unity, as well as deep insight into one's symptoms and inner world. With respect to ketamine's psychedelic properties, my goal with KAP is not suppression of symptoms, but to help you approach distress as meaningful signals pointing toward parts of your self that may need attention, expression, or integration. In this light, I do not see symptoms as merely problems to be eliminated, but calls to grow and evolve and invitations towards wholeness. I have presented professionally on the topic and trained clinicians and clinical assistants.
ANXIETY DISORDERS: Whether you're facing general anxiety, social anxiety, panic, phobias, or more, I can help you reduce fear and avoidance so you can live more fully. Together we’ll use practical tools like CBT, mindfulness, and exposure therapy to help you shift your relationship to anxiety. The truth is that anxiety is a normal, universal, and sometimes healthy part of the human experience. However, it's important that anxiety is kept in its rightful place, free from exaggeration and reactivity, to be seen as a potentially useful signal rather than an authority on one's life and the world.
SPIRITUAL & EXISTENTIAL ISSUES: One of my passions is helping clients explore spiritual and existential concerns including questions meaning, purpose, identity, and belonging. Drawing from existential therapy, I support people in navigating life's uncertainties, transitions, and inner conflicts while offering practical tools to ground the process and manage distressing thoughts and emotions. Through a Jungian lens, we may also explore dreams, archetypes, and the unconscious as pathways to deeper self-understanding and more intimate connection to one's creativity, needs, wisdom, and inspiration. Together, we may explore not just who you are but who you're becoming. This work often leads to a renewed sense of clarity, alignment, and connection to oneself and to something greater.
DEPRESSION: When working with depression, I take an integrative stance that combines evidence-based treatments with practical tools deeper self-exploration. I incorporate CBT alongside Behavioral Activation, the two psychotherapy treatments widely held to be the most effective in treating depression. While CBT helps clients to identify and shift unhelpful patterns of thinking, behavioral activation interrupts and reorients sequences of behavior that contribute to and maintain low mood and hopelessness. I also draw from psychodynamic therapy to explore early experiences and underlying patterns that can be contributing to depressive symptoms. This balanced, multi-pronged approach aims to support both more immediate relief and long-term healing.
COMPLEX TRAUMA & PTSD: Healing from trauma begins with feeling safe and supported. I provide a grounded, compassionate space to process painful experiences and rebuild a sense of agency. I draw from multiple approaches to help you reconnect with your inner strength, shift limiting patterns, and begin to feel more whole in yourself and your relationships. Life is relational, and even when people are physically alone, they are internally relating to different aspects of themselves. Both outer and inner dynamics can bind us if we are unaware of their presence and how we relate to them. By approaching the healing of trauma from a curious, non-judgmental perspective and having developed a keen sense of when to encourage or challenge, I aim to help clients gently discover the strength behind their greatest resources; the ability to notice and the ability to choose.
professional experience—
Will has worked as a clinical therapist providing specialized treatment using ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) to help those struggling with treatment-resistant depression, trauma, end-of-life issues, anxiety, and more. In his KAP work, Will has served as lead clinician, trained co-therapists and clinical assistants, and given professional presentations on this novel and revolutionary approach to mental health care. Will's use of KAP has been varied and integrative, incorporating individual therapy, family therapy, and intensive outpatient programs as needed.
Will's clinical focus has most notably involved a high level of specialization in the treatment of OCD. Well-versed in providing treatment for anxiety disorders, depression, trauma, life transitions, relationship issues, grief, and more, Will has also been drawn to more niche issues. These less traditional specialties include spiritual emergence, psychedelic integration, disillusionment, and existential concerns.
Prior to his role as a clinical psychotherapist, Will worked as a counselor and advisor at a large psychosocial rehabilitation program for adults with severe and chronic mental illness. In this creative role, Will provided counseling, ran the young adult program, created and facilitated a variety of groups and workshops, fostered a vibrant and inclusive community, and much more. This position gave Will priceless opportunities to learn about the daily and often overlooked challenges of those living with a wide variety of mental health symptoms.
training & education—
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Connecticut.
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Advanced training and competence in Yale University Anchors of Emotional Intelligence Institute, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), functional analytic psychotherapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, mindfulness, meditation.
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Trained and expertise in providing Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
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Expertise in group work focused on young adults, elderly, men's work, grief, mindfulness, and meditation.
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Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy awarded from Southern Connecticut State University. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology awarded from Southern Connecticut State University.
