The philosophy of Dr. Ronald D. Fandrick is to help people to help themselves, to get better, not just feel better. Dr. Fandrick possesses an integrative background in psychological services and intervention strategies. Such services include Traumatic Incident Reduction. Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy, hypno-therapy, and out-patient/in-patient, individual, group, marital, and family therapies. In addition, he has experience in teaching and public speaking as well as case management and crisis intervention/stress management.

Dr. Fandrick was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1948, and raised in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He has experienced the effects of strife and psychological problems first hand as his mother was institutionalized with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. He was able to make the best of a difficult childhood by incorporating the principal of self-reliance, self-determination and self-discipline, which ultimately led him to work at understanding others.

Such principles served Dr. Fandrick well throughout his career in sports. He has participated in the national and international amateur athletics and signed a contract with the Chicago Bears Football Team. A back injuries turned his attention from athletic participation to coaching and education.

He has taught every grade level from pre-kindergarten to high school and adult education. Overcoming his own problems with a learning disability and the experiences gained from working with and observing the psychological interactions of children during their time in school has provided Dr. Fandrick with a unique perspective of human behavior apart from the clinical setting.

Dr. Fandrick's early childhood experiences, as well as his strong desire to do more for his students who were experiencing emotional pain and learning/performance problems, led Dr. Fandrick to obtain a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. He went on to become fully licensed as a clinical psychologist in Michigan and began the New Hope Mental Health Center to offer psychological services to a wide variety of clients.

Dr. Fandrick believes that psychotherapy is vastly different than visiting a medical doctor, in that it requires the clinitian to be very active and involved in the process of changing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. There are no instant, painless, or passive cures, no "magic pills."

Instead, there are assignment exercises, practice sessions, and record-keeping, and perhaps, other projects. Change will sometimes be easy and swift, but more often it will involve a need for repetition and continued practice at changing long held patterns of self defeating behavior.

Dr. Fandrick takes a psychoeducational approach to people's problems and so encourages his client to learn more about the style of the therapy he uses which is called "Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy," formulated by Albert Ellis, Ph.D. He asks his clients to become knowledgeable about the theraputic goals, methods, the effectiveness, and any possible side effects so that they will essentially become their own therapist. Clients are often given books, articles, audio/visual tapes at well as web site addresses all in an attempt to help people become more self-reliant and self-determined. Therapy is viewed as a collaboration between two individuals, one who defines the problem areas to be worked on and the other, who (as a consultant with specialized knowledge) offers assistance in making the desired changes.

Rational emotive behavioral therapy has been repeatedly scientifically demonstrated to be of benefit for most people and in most situations. Benefits might include the lifting of a depression or no longer feeling angry or anxious, or other psychological conditions. People are often better able to understand their personal goals and values and thus experience maturity and personal growth and development.

Dr. Fandrick believes the rational-emotive behavioral approach to therapy, by far, proves to be the most successful method for alleviating stress and overcoming the stumbling blocks preventing individuals from achieving their goals and reaching their potential.

Dr. Fandrick is committed to helping individual to help themselves to get better and achieve more of what they want in life and less of what they don't want, and to not just "to feel better. But actually get better at managing their lives."

In addition to his work with children and adolescents, Dr. Fandrick serves on a local schools district's core crisis intervention team. He is also a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Team and the Greater Lansing area's Crisis Intervention Stress Debriefing group, and is a member of a local hospital's staff, providing emergency services, psychological assessment, and referral case management.

Dr. Fandrick has experience in forensic matters ranging from divorce/custody issues to petitioning for psychiatric treatment. He is recognized as an expert witness in the counties in which he practices.

Most recently to note, Dr. Fandrick was called by the National Team of the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health group and assigned to New York City following the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. He worked with victims and survivors for two weeks following the attacks, as well as escorting them to Ground Zero. He sees this experience as a life-altering experience and one that took a toll on all those who were selected to provide psychological services.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email Dr. Fandrick at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .