Therapist
LMFT, psychedelic therapist
WILLIAM CULPEPPER
Honor what’s real, disrupt what’s old, become what’s next.
Clients come to Will when their inner world starts to feel like a trap—caught in cycles of overthinking, perfectionism, emotional shutdown, or relational disconnection. He specializes in working with individuals who struggle with obsessive thoughts, anxious looping, and rigid patterns that feel impossible to escape. Whether these patterns show up in relationships, careers, or in quiet moments alone, Will helps clients meet them with clarity, compassion, and curiosity.
Will’s work is rooted in the belief that transformation begins with radical self-understanding—and grows through courage, clarity, and commitment. His therapy style is practical, thoughtful, and purposeful. He strikes a steady balance between exploring the systems that shape us—family dynamics, cultural influences, life circumstances—and empowering personal agency. Will understands that while the past matters, it doesn’t get to dictate the future. Growth happens when we learn to accept what’s outside our control, make peace with what’s come before, and fully claim the power we have now to shape what comes next.
Will creates a space where authenticity, self-reflection, heartfulness, and forward movement come together. With grounded presence and sharp clinical insight, he helps clients untangle what’s holding them back, reconnect with their deeper values, and move toward change that actually sticks. For those ready to move beyond survival mode and into a more honest, aligned version of life, Will walks beside you with grit, heart, and unwavering honesty.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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I provide expert-level care in treating OCD using Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP), the psychotherapeutic treatment viewed as the consensus gold-standard for targeting OCD. I am highly trained in ERP, a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) whose benefits and efficacy are well-researched and documented. ERP gradually and systematically exposes patients to the source of their anxiety and distress, and pairs this with an ongoing resolve to resist and refrain from compulsions and avoidances. My intention in providing ERP is to help those struggling with OCD to eventually develop the knowledge and skills to manage OCD on their own, or with minimal psychotherapeutic support. To complement ERP, I find it beneficial and often necessary to incorporate mindfulness-building exercises in order to build insight, with ongoing psychoeducation to promote comprehension and motivation, and techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support resilience and equanimity.
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I am trained in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and have experience providing it in both individual therapy settings and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). Ketamine is a medication shown to offer rapid antidepressant effects, as well as enhanced neuroplasticity, the brain's capacity to form new connections and adapt both structurally and functionally. What makes KAP uniquely powerful is that, in addition to these neurobiological benefits, it also offers experiential, psychedelic effects. These altered states of consciousness can evoke profound experiences of awe, peace, beauty, and unity, as well as deep insight into one's symptoms and inner world. With respect to ketamine's psychedelic properties, my goal with KAP is not suppression of symptoms, but to help you approach distress as meaningful signals pointing toward parts of your self that may need attention, expression, or integration. In this light, I do not see symptoms as merely problems to be eliminated, but calls to grow and evolve and invitations towards wholeness. In addition to providing KAP, I have also presented professionally on the topic and trained clinicians and clinical assistants.
Anxiety Disorders
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Whether it's Generalized Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, or a specific phobia, I can help you work towards a life less constrained by anxiety and avoidance. With a combination of psychoeducation, mindfulness practices, CBT, and exposure therapy, you can learn that your anxiety and worries do not have to dictate the dimensions of your life. The truth is that anxiety is a normal, universal, and sometimes healthy part of the human experience. However, it's important that anxiety is kept in its rightful place, free from exaggeration and reactivity, to be seen as a potentially useful signal rather than an authority on one's life and the world.
Spiritual & Existential Issues
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One of my passions is helping clients explore spiritual and existential concerns including questions meaning, purpose, identity, and belonging. Drawing from existential therapy, I support people in navigating life's uncertainties, transitions, and inner conflicts while offering practical tools to ground the process and manage distressing thoughts and emotions. Through a Jungian lens, we may also explore dreams, archetypes, and the unconscious as pathways to deeper self-understanding and more intimate connection to one's creativity, needs, wisdom, and inspiration. Together, we may explore not just who you are but who you're becoming. This work often leads to a renewed sense of clarity, alignment, and connection to oneself and to something greater.
Depression
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When working with depression, I take an integrative stance that combines evidence-based treatments with practical tools deeper self-exploration. I incorporate CBT alongside Behavioral Activation, the two psychotherapy treatments widely held to be the most effective in treating depression. While CBT helps clients to identify and shift unhelpful patterns of thinking, behavioral activation interrupts and reorients sequences of behavior that contribute to and maintain low mood and hopelessness. I also draw from psychodynamic therapy to explore early experiences and underlying patterns that can be contributing to depressive symptoms. This balanced, multi-pronged approach aims to support both more immediate relief and long-term healing.
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In treating trauma, I prioritize creating a container to facilitate the experience of safety so clients can regain a sense of agency, process painful experiences in the support of a sincere and compassionate witness, and learn valuable and useful skills to support their journey. Life is relational, and even when people are physically alone, they are internally relating to different aspects of themselves. Both outer and inner dynamics can bind us if we are unaware of their presence and how we relate to them. By approaching the healing of trauma from a curious, non-judgmental perspective and having developed a keen sense of when to encourage or challenge, I aim to help clients gently discover the strength behind their greatest resources; the ability to notice and the ability to choose. I utilize a variety of theories and techniques to help address not only the symptoms of trauma, but the deeper impact trauma has had on self-worth, relationships, and daily living.
“You are not defined as much by your current circumstances, your past, or your lowest points as you are by the choices that you make in response to them. With this in mind, my work is about helping people reclaim their agency, shift from reactivity to responsiveness, tune into their intuition, develop resilience, and skillfully move towards a more meaningful life with purpose, clarity, and intention.”
Professional Background
Will has worked as a clinical therapist providing specialized treatment using ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) to help those struggling with treatment-resistant depression, trauma, end-of-life issues, anxiety, and more. In his KAP work, Will has served as lead clinician, trained co-therapists and clinical assistants, and given professional presentations on this novel and revolutionary approach to mental health care. Will's use of KAP has been varied and integrative, incorporating individual therapy, family therapy, and intensive outpatient programs as needed.
Will's clinical focus has most notably involved a high level of specialization in the treatment of OCD. Well-versed in providing treatment for anxiety disorders, depression, trauma, life transitions, relationship issues, grief, and more, Will has also been drawn to more niche issues. These less traditional specialties include spiritual emergence, psychedelic integration, disillusionment, and existential concerns.
Prior to his role as a clinical psychotherapist, Will worked as a counselor and advisor at a large psychosocial rehabilitation program for adults with severe and chronic mental illness. In this creative role, Will provided counseling, ran the young adult program, created and facilitated a variety of groups and workshops, fostered a vibrant and inclusive community, and much more. This position gave Will priceless opportunities to learn about the daily and often overlooked challenges of those living with a wide variety of mental health symptoms.
Training & Education
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Connecticut.
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Advanced training and competence in Yale University Anchors of Emotional Intelligence Institute, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), functional analytic psychotherapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, mindfulness, meditation.
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Trained and expertise in providing Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
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Expertise in group work focused on young adults, elderly, men's work, grief, mindfulness, and meditation.
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Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy awarded from Southern Connecticut State University. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology awarded from Southern Connecticut State University.
