Online psychotherapy for adults across PSYPACT jurisdictions
Fromstruggle toflexibility.
Therapy can help you loosen the grip of what isn’t working—and make more room for the life that matters to you.
Request a free 20-minute consultation
Acceptance without resignation — Change without self-rejection
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You may not need to try harder.
Many people come to therapy after spending a long time trying to think, achieve, avoid, or improve their way out of distress. The effort makes sense. But sometimes the struggle itself begins to narrow your life.
Our work can begin by seeing that struggle differently—not as proof that something is wrong with you, but as a pattern you can learn to hold more lightly.
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How I work
Purpose without pressure.
I bring focus and purpose to each session—along with the belief that I could not possibly know what is best for your life.
Therapy with me is active, collaborative, and grounded in respect for your own authority. I may challenge a perspective, help you zoom out from what has taken on too much importance, or invite you into closer contact with what matters. I won’t have a map for you. Together, we can create the conditions in which you recognize and trust your own.
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About
David P. Forman, PhD
I am a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience providing psychotherapy and other mental health services across a wide range of roles and settings.
My clinical training and practice draw primarily from third-wave cognitive and behavioral therapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). These methods are evidence-based; the relationship we build is personal, genuine, and never one-size-fits-all.
I also have considerable experience helping people examine and change their relationship with alcohol and other substances, without assuming that any one goal is right for everyone.
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityPostdoctoral fellowship, Rhode Island Hospital
- VA Maryland Health Care SystemPredoctoral psychology internship
- University of New MexicoPhD, Clinical Psychology
- Columbia UniversityMS, Social Work
- Researcher and published author
- Motivational Interviewing trainerMember, Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers
- Clinical supervisor
- Licensed in Rhode Island
- Authorized for interjurisdictional telepsychology through PSYPACT
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For professionals & organizations
Motivational Interviewing training
Motivational Interviewing is learned by doing—and the learning is ongoing.
I offer engaging, hands-on training for health and mental-health professionals. The emphasis is on developing skill, not simply acquiring knowledge: practicing the core components of MI and learning to apply them across a broad range of behavioral domains.
I draw on experience practicing, studying, teaching, and publishing on MI across a wide range of clinical settings. Each training is designed to provide a strong foundation for continued learning while remaining active, dynamic, and immediately useful.
ForCounselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, physicians, and other health and mental-health professionals
FormatsOne-hour seminars through one- to three-day workshops
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Scholarship
Research &
publications
My clinical work is informed by sustained engagement with psychological science.
I have contributed to the scientific literature through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, while also consulting on large-scale research studies. My research background strengthens the rigor of my work while leaving room for the complexity of any individual life.
- Hastings, M. R., Forman, D. P., Kim, H. S., & Pfund, R. A. (2026). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relative and complementary effects of motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral treatment for problem gambling and gambling disorder. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
- Forman, D. P., Boughter, J. R., McAfee, N. W., Ginley, M. K., Whelan, J. P., & Pfund, R. A. (2025). Motivational interviewing informed interventions for problem gambling and gambling disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 39(4), 365–374.
- Forman, D. P., Houck, J. M., & Moyers, T. B. (2024). Do improvements in motivational language predict alcohol use in motivational interviewing? Ambivalence matters. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 92(7), 388–398.
- Pfund, R. A., Forman, D. P., King, S. A., Zech, J. M., Ginley, M. K., Peter, S. C., McAfee, N. W., & Whelan, J. P. (2023). Efficacy of cognitive-behavioral techniques for problem gambling and gambling disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Addiction.
- Forman, D. P., Moyers, T. B., & Houck, J. M. (2021). What can clients tell us about whether to use motivational interviewing? An analysis of early-session ambivalent language. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 132, 108642.
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What to expect
Beginning
therapy
I offer a free 20-minute consultation so that we can briefly discuss what brings you to therapy, consider whether we may be a good fit, and give you an opportunity to learn more about how I work.
If we decide to proceed, we will schedule a 75-minute initial session during the consultation. Before that appointment, you will complete the necessary consent, intake, and payment forms.
The initial session allows us to develop a fuller understanding of what brings you in, clarify what matters to you, and begin determining how therapy may be useful. At its conclusion, we will decide together whether to continue meeting weekly or biweekly.
Sessions and fees
The fee for the 75-minute initial session is $275. Ongoing 50-minute sessions are $250.
I do not participate in insurance networks. Payment is due at the time of service. Upon request, I can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Reimbursement is determined by your insurance plan and cannot be guaranteed.
Availability
Appointments are currently available by telehealth to adults located in Rhode Island and other participating PSYPACT jurisdictions, primarily on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings.
Good Faith Estimates
If you are uninsured or do not plan to use insurance, you are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate of the expected cost of your care when services are scheduled or upon request.
Contact
Let’s have a brief conversation.
Telehealth across participating PSYPACT jurisdictions · Private pay
Request a consultation
A free 20-minute conversation
Professional training inquiries are also welcome.
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