“At the still point of the turning world… The moment in the draughty church at smokefall be remembered; involved with past and future.” T. S. Eliot ~ Four Quartets
Men's Therapy
Disability Adjustment
For people living with disabilities and their caregivers who want equity, opportunity, independence, and love.
Rehabilitation Evaluations
Forensic disability or employability evaluations related to disabling conditions.
Disability Research
For the advancement of therapeutic techniques for those living with or caring for someone with a disability.
Men's Therapy
I work primarily with adult men who feel stuck, burned out, or disconnected—from their relationships, their work, or themselves. Many of the men I see are professionals, partners, and fathers who have spent years doing what was expected of them, only to realize that something essential feels missing.
Often, men come to therapy not because they identify as “emotionally distressed,” but because the consequences of stress, resentment, or disconnection have reached a tipping point—conflict at home, irritability, withdrawal, or a sense of aimlessness. Some are navigating dissatisfaction with work or difficulty transitioning into a new stage of life. Others are grappling with questions of meaning, faith, or identity—whether that means searching for deeper spiritual grounding or leaving a belief system that no longer fits.
These struggles can show up as anger, emotional shutdown, sleep problems, increased drinking, compulsive behaviors, or a feeling of spinning your wheels despite outward success. Therapy provides a space to slow down, understand what’s driving these patterns, and develop healthier ways of coping and relating.
My work focuses on helping men regulate emotion, reduce reactivity, strengthen relationships, and re-examine what manhood means to them—so they can build lives that are not just successful, but sustainable and fulfilling. I offer individual and couples therapy and work with a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and major life transitions.
Disability-Related Support
I work with individuals with disabilities and the families who support them, including parents, partners, adult children, and caregivers. Services are available to people across the lifespan—families raising children with developmental disabilities, adults adapting to disability following injury or illness, and families caring for aging parents.
Living with a disability often involves navigating a world that wasn’t built with your needs in mind. This can include accessibility barriers, confusing systems, rigid workplace expectations, and constant pressure to advocate for yourself. Over time, these challenges can take a toll—not just practically, but emotionally and relationally.
For individuals with disabilities, therapy and consultation often focus on identity, self-worth, and agency—learning how to integrate disability into a coherent sense of self without letting it define or diminish who you are. For families and caregivers, the work frequently centers on burnout, grief over altered expectations, and the difficult balance between providing support and allowing independence.
Services may be therapeutic or consultative, depending on your needs. Therapy addresses emotional and relational concerns such as adjustment, grief, anxiety, and depression. Consultation focuses on education, planning, and support related to disability-specific systems, including workplace accommodations, educational planning, benefits navigation, and long-term care considerations. These services are counseling-based and supportive, though not all are classified as psychotherapy.
The goal is to help individuals and families move toward sustainable care, realistic expectations, and a way of living that preserves dignity, autonomy, and well-being for everyone involved.
Career Counseling and Forensic Rehabilitation Evaluations
I provide vocational and career services for individuals at many stages of working life, including students, early-career professionals, mid-career adults experiencing burnout or stagnation, career changers, and individuals returning to work after injury or disability. I also offer forensic vocational consultation for attorneys and legal professionals who require objective vocational evaluation.
Many clients come to this work feeling uncertain or conflicted about their career direction. Common concerns include difficulty choosing a path, translating skills into meaningful work, balancing personal values with financial or family expectations, or feeling trapped in a role that no longer fits. For some, work has become disconnected from meaning; for others, it has become the primary source of identity and self-worth, leaving little room for balance.
Career coaching focuses on clarifying direction and developing practical strategies for moving forward. This includes career exploration, educational and training planning, resume and interview preparation, networking strategies, and defining a sustainable work identity that fits within a full life—not just a job.
Forensic vocational services are distinct from coaching and therapy. These services involve independent vocational evaluation for legal purposes, including work history analysis, transferable skills assessment, medical record review, written vocational reports, and expert testimony. Forensic services are evaluative rather than therapeutic and are conducted under separate agreements and ethical standards.
Whether the goal is career clarity, practical advancement, or formal vocational assessment, this work is grounded in realism, professional integrity, and an understanding of how work fits into a meaningful and sustainable life.
Email with questions:
amertesevals@gmail.com
Important Documents:
Service Area: Southern Wisconsin / Wisconsin
Delivery Format: Telehealth (for now…)
Technical Formats: Zoom, Webex (all HIPAA compliant)