Dr. David L. Ransen, PhD, LMFT, CHt
Clinical Director
Marriage / Couples Counselor, Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist, Parenting Consultant
Originally trained as a psychologist (Ph.D. from Cornell University, 1979; internship in Family and Behavioral Medicine at Worcester State Hospital), Dr. Ransen has mastered numerous areas of individual and family psychology and human development during his over 40-year career. He earned a specialized graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Nova University, the only nationally accredited program in all of Florida. He is a Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Florida. Dr. Ransen was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned his psychology Bachelors degree Magna Cum Laude from Clark University, the nation’s first graduate school, and the first to award a doctor’s degree in psychology.
Teaching was his early passion. His teaching experience began as a VISTA volunteer in a drug-ravaged inner-city high school. He has taught psychology at four universities and two colleges, including Princeton University, Tulane University, Cornell University, and Harvard Medical School, training well over a thousand aspiring psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, mental health counselors, social workers, and educators.
He has published numerous scholarly articles in some of the world’s most prestigious professional journals, as well as informal pieces in popular publications, including The New York Times and Scientific American. He is an active member in good standing of the International Hypnosis Research Institute, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a member for many years of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Research in Child Development, The American Educational Research Association, as well as a member of and peer reviewer for The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He was invited to develop Continuing Educations questions for online exams administered by The Journal of Marital & Family Therapy. These exams must be taken periodically by Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists in order to keep their skills up-to-date and to keep their licenses active.
Many physical ailments that have no known underlying medical illness — like tinnitus, insomnia, IBS, hand tremors, chronic pain, ED, “functional” pain, tics (including Tourette’s), and so on frequently respond well to hypnotherapy, usually after just one session. Even better, Dr. Ransen routinely teaches you self-hypnosis that you can take home with you. Use it free of charge whenever you feel the need, in a few relaxing minutes with no need for drugs. Make no mistake: This is not a “One Size Fits All” CD. You can be sure that you will be treated like the unique individual you are. This is just one of the ways in which Dr. Ransen has proven that he has your best interests at heart, not the endless collection of fees.
His practice consists of time-tested methods backed by solid scientific evidence. Clinical Hypnotherapy rests on a firm base of many years of scientific research. In fact, many MD physicians refer patients to Dr. Ransen when no underlying illness has been identified or when conventional medical treatments have been unhelpful. A growing number of surgeons in Florida refuse to operate on smokers, and many refer their patients to Dr. Ransen before agreeing to perform procedures like heart bypasses, vascular repairs, or orthopedic procedures, for example, because they have found that smokers often heal too slowly or improperly. Dr. Ransen takes great joy in the knowledge that he has been privileged to contribute to changing lives and even saving them.
He helps people with a wide range of problems, including:
• Preserving couples closeness and intimacy after a baby arrives
• Living free of constant cravings after drug, alcohol, tobacco, and other addictions
• Eliminating PTSD from your life
• Excessive involvement with internet sexual or gambling sites
• Preventing Arguments before they occur
• Marriage, relationship, and intimacy issues (LGBT welcome)
• Recovering from Depression without mind-numbing medication
• Chronic Pain (Head, Back, Neck, Joints, etc.)
• Problems raising challenging pre-teens and teen-agers
• Marriage Counseling
• Prevention of Anxiety and Panic Attacks (Panic Disorder)
• Weight Loss Without Dieting or self-discipline
• Anger Management
• Avoiding the slow, creeping damage of excessive “Social Drinking”
• Irrational Fears (phobias)
• Surviving overly intrusive Parents or In-laws
• Recovering from Infidelity, real or perceived
• Overeating, undereating, weight control
• Self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-image problems
• Difficulty Falling Asleep, Staying Asleep, Getting Enough Sleep
• Difficulty with focus, concentration and short-term memory (ADD, ADHD)
• Debilitating migraine, cluster, tension-type and chronic headaches
• Experience Calmness and Serenity in the face of High-Stress work or family pressure
• Enduring Relief from IBS, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Gastritis, frequent constipation and/or diarrhea not responsive to medical treatment.
You may leave your old diagnoses at the door, and you will certainly not get any new ones here. No more labels or “disorders.” The plan is no secret: Dr. Ransen will guide you back to health instead of treating one symptom, a practice that defines Holistic psychotherapy. He is proud to have helped many people living in the following communities, using solution focused brief therapy (focusing on solutions instead of problems), couples and marriage counseling, and clinical hypnotherapy:
West Palm Beach
Boynton Beach
Delray Beach
Boca Raton
Palm Beach
Jupiter
Royal Palm Beach
Wellington
Gulf Stream
Highland Beach
Palm Beach Gardens
Parkland
Miami
Pompano Beach
Lake Worth
Boynton Beach
Hillsborough Beach
Hollywood
North Palm Beach
Coral Springs
in addition to neighboring communities in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties. Dr. Ransen routinely treats people residing anywhere in Florida, via secure and private Telehealth. He frequently sees Snowbirds who winter in Florida. People even fly in expressly from The Bahamas, U.S. Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands, and other island nations.
How will it feel when your marriage or intimate relationship flourishes, even after frequent conflict, repetitive arguments, or known or suspected infidelity (cheating)?
How will it feel when your friends, family, and co-workers respect and admire you as they come to perceive you as the strongest person they know, someone who exudes calm leadership and serenity in the face of stress, and a dependable moral compass. Someone who always seems to know how best to handle difficult situations? When they look to you as a role model of self-confidence and ethical dependability? You can expect not only to benefit rapidly from therapy, but also to serve as a beacon of hope for your friends, loved ones and colleagues, who will soon come to regard you as someone to be loved, trusted, and admired.
You may be surprised by how easily and quickly therapy flows. Dr. Ransen does not waste your time and money dredging up your past or analyzing your problems, a practice that can take months and that often make matters worse. He has learned over the years that creating solutions is much quicker and far more effective than devoting endless hours to analyzing problems and their causes.
You will never have to wait to be seen. After any given session, all your problems may not have been solved, but you can expect to leave feeling more hopeful and optimistic than when you began. You’ll feel better having spent a session discussing solutions that work, instead of attempted solutions that haven’t worked in the past.