Dr. Demi Kourtesi
PhD, Psychological Assistant
As a postdoctoral fellow, I provide psychological services to adults and adolescents including psychotherapy and psychological assessment/testing (general diagnostic clarification, OCD, ADHD,
learning disabilities, etc). As a generalist, I work with a wide range of common mental health concerns in therapy (anxiety, depression, eating disorders, PTSD, etc), but I have special clinical interest in the following areas:
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Personality Disorders
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Therapeutic Approach
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Most people come to therapy because their life is not how they wish it was. I believe there’s two basic
ingredients to making a change. Insight and action. To satisfy the first ingredient, I help people by
connecting the dots for them and helping them see patterns they could not see before. Equipped with
that knowledge, I help people take action by making behavioral suggestions that may lead to better
outcomes. Although my general approach is psychodynamic and cognitive/behavioral in nature, as
psychologists we have many tools in our toolbox. I like to tailor each patient’s treatment to what would
benefit them most based on their unique problems and preferences.
Two of my values are transparency and evidence-based practice. After meeting for a few sessions, I will
inform the client of any disorders they seem to be currently suffering from, if any, and offer my
recommendations for treatment based on evidence derived from science.
Education and Experience
I have always wanted to be a psychologist. I started my career by pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in
Psychology from CSU East Bay, and my Master’s degree in Psychology from CSU LA. I finally received my
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which accomplished one of my
life’s greatest goals. I loved working at Sandstone as a practicum student and so after I completed my
internship at The University Of Texas, El Paso, I returned as a postdoctoral fellow.
Over the years, I have worked in a variety of therapeutic settings where I provided mental health
services to both adults and children. I was previously employed as a behavior therapist for children with
autism, as a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist in an inpatient hospital for adults with schizophrenia
and other psychotic disorders, and as a therapist at multiple outpatient clinics and private practices.
Personal Interests
As my head of big curly hair and strange accent may suggest, I am originally from Athens, Greece. I
moved to the United States over 10 years ago to pursue my career, but I still visit Greece often for some
great food and sunshine. However, I enjoy a multitude of hobbies in the US. I am a Mini Cooper
enthusiast, I travel often both nationally and internationally, I skateboard and snowboard, I watch and
read thrillers and sci fi, and outside of psychology, I have an interest in philosophy and astronomy, all
things the Greeks invented of course.