Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Ridolfi.
Renee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my career as a fifth grade teacher, and as time went on I realized my favorite part of the job was relationship-building. Students previously labeled “difficult” often needed a deeper level of understanding and compassion that wasn’t always accessible in the span of a school day. Through my experience teaching, the desire to work with adolescents and teenagers struggling with their mental health began to take root.
As I navigated my twenties, I was also on a mental health journey of my own. During this time, I began seeing a therapist for the first time, and after years of struggling with chronic pain and the long-term impacts of complex trauma, my perspective and what felt like near-constant suffering started to shift. My life up to that point felt like an Etch A Sketch of dark clouds, steep cliffs, and jagged edges, and therapy was the vehicle that allowed me to give it a shake and create a new design.
My experiences as a teacher, as well as someone in therapy myself, led me to where I am now. I seek to be the therapist that I needed during those pivotal points in my life, and I particularly enjoy working with adolescents, teenagers, and young adults for that reason. I specialize in working with clients who struggle with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), anxiety, and complex trauma.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I began my career as a psychotherapist, I realized pretty quickly that there weren’t many therapists in the Triangle area who worked with people under 18 struggling with OCD. I learned through a continuing education course that the most effective treatment modality for OCD is ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention). Unfortunately, most social work graduate programs offer little-to-no training on this modality, so it was up to me to find as many opportunities to learn ERP as possible in order to meet the needs of my clients. Over the course of the last four years, I have spent more than 40 hours in specialized training related to OCD and/or youth development as a result.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tandem Psychotherapy, PLLC?
I went from teacher to therapist to running my own business and have helped over 35 clients over the past two years since I opened my practice. Because of my teaching experience, I have an understanding of what preteens and teens deal with on a daily basis, and I know how to advocate for my clients to get their needs met in the classroom or on a college campus. In addition to my specialized training in ERP for OCD, I am also highly trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and hold a trauma-informed certificate from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
I am proud of my relational approach with clients. I genuinely like my clients; they are smart, thoughtful, caring individuals who just need someone to hop on the back of their bike and ride out the hard stuff alongside them. That’s why I named my practice Tandem Psychotherapy. My clients get to choose their own path; I’m just riding in the back offering a different perspective and helping them navigate the potholes.
It’s tough being a young person these days. According to the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern among teenagers. It’s also important to note that young people’s brains have higher neuroplasticity than adult brains; that is, they can respond much quicker to therapeutic interventions than adults can. That’s why I work with young people — to intervene at a time before harmful thought patterns have decades to take shape.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
-The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) website
-The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD by Patricia Zurita Ona, Psy.D.
-Child Mind Institute Family Resource Center
-Anything “Good Inside” with Dr. Becky
-NOCD blogs — I would start with, “What is OCD? Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment” by Patrick McGrath, Ph.D.
Pricing:
- 20-minute consultation: free
- 60-minute initial clinical assessment: $200
- 55-minute individual session: $170
- 45-minute individual session: $140
- I offer sliding scale and reduced rate options through Open Path Psychotherapy Collective.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tandemtherapync.com
