Alberto Varela, Ph.D
Adults, Adolescents & Children (age 7+)
Psychological Testing
Psychotherapy Services
Hablo Español
Academic Performance, ADHD, Adjustment Issues, Anger Management, Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Depression, Deficits in Executive Functioning, Diversity Issues, Grief/Loss, LGBTQ+, OCD, ODD, Parent/Child Conflict, PTSD/Trauma, Personality Disorders, Relationship Distress, Religious/Spirituality Concerns, and Substance Use.
Dr. Varela completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Boise State University, followed by a master’s and doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Utah. He completed his APA-accredited internship at Utah State University, Counseling and Psychological Services. Dr. Varela has been practicing as a licensed psychologist since December 2019.
Dr. Varela provides individual psychotherapy, couples counseling, psychoeducational group training, parent management training, and psychological assessment. He works with clients across the developmental spectrum on a wide range of presenting concerns.
Dr. Varela employs an integrative approach to psychotherapy and draws from a variety of theoretical orientations including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical and Behavior Therapy (DBT), Feminist/ Multicultural Counseling, Humanistic/Client-Centered Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, and Positive Psychology.
Dr. Varela is happily married. He and his wife have four children together. In his free time, Dr. Varela enjoys playing (basketball, golf), watching (college and NFL football, NBA basketball), and even coaching sports (coaching his son in youth football and basketball). As well, he enjoys spending time in the outdoors (boating, camping, fishing, and hiking) and traveling with his family.
Dr. Varela accepts self-pay and clergy-assisted payment, along with the following insurances:
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- DMBA
- PEHP
- Select Health (Care, Choice, Med, Share, Value plans)
Philosophy
My primary objective is to help empower clients to view themselves as being capable of overcoming their presenting concerns. It is important for me to employ a collaborative approach and allow my clients to discuss their presenting concerns and generate ideas about how our work together will proceed.
I encourage my clients to discuss changes they would like to make in their lives, emphasizing their individual abilities and strengths, and we work together to develop therapeutic goals and an effective treatment plan. I am a firm believer that clients have most, if not all, of the answers within themselves. I believe my role in the therapy process is to help elicit this from them.
In my ongoing psychotherapy process, it is my goal to be genuine and authentic with clients in the psychotherapy process, while working towards helping them not feel stigmatized for seeking psychotherapy services.