Category: Business

Because his Tampa Palms Psychology — the practice of Brian Wilson, Ph.D. — continues to grow, Dr. Wilson recently moved to the Tampa Palms Professional Center off of Commerce Palms Blvd. just south and west of the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit off I-75. 

The new office is just a half-mile from his previous workspace, where patients met with Dr. Wilson in a private room at a co-working office. He made the move to the new space in April. 

“It’s a very quiet, warm, upscale and relaxing environment, right on a lake,” Dr. Wilson says, adding that while he enjoyed his previous location and the opportunity it gave him to grow, it’s nice to have a more personal and permanent space. 

“I have my own dedicated office now,” he says. “I designed it myself. It’s a better space, with better furniture, and much homier.” 

He says he’s had his eye on the Tampa Palms Professional Center for many years, but when he opened his practice in 2021, the Covid pandemic made virtual or Telehealth sessions the norm, instead of in-person visits, so it didn’t make sense for him to have a full-time office at that time. 

Now, many people prefer to meet with Dr. Wilson in person, although he says about half of his patients still choose to meet virtually. “I let my patients decide,” he says. “Some providers are insisting on in-person and others on Telehealth, but I do whatever works for my patients.” 

He says he has some patients who are disabled or have other reasons why they can’t leave the house, so he’s happy to meet with them via private, secure videoconferencing. 

Dr. Wilson has been practicing since 2003 and now has two decades of experience. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in Gainesville and earned both his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He also completed a psychology residency at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital. 

Whether you meet him in person or online, Dr. Wilson helps adults navigate life’s difficulties, especially when it comes to job stress, relationship problems, depression, anxiety, or any number of other issues. 

“I have the benefit of having worked in a variety of settings, so I feel comfortable taking on a lot of things,” he says. He considers himself to be a generalist who can address a wide variety of concerns with adults. He does not, however, counsel anyone under the age of 18. 

He commonly helps people who are experiencing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and has years of experience helping military veterans. 

Dr. Wilson also is experienced in helping those who have serious or life-changing medical issues and are learning to cope with a new reality, as well as the mental health problems that develop as a result. 

Another area of expertise for Dr. Wilson is geriatrics — helping older adults. This could be people who are caring for a spouse who is ill, or those who are realizing that the transition into retirement is not what they thought it would be. 

His two decades of experience include primary care and community mental health, psychiatric patients in mental health facilities, residential and outpatient PTSD treatment, geriatric mental health and health psychology. Dr. Wilson is licensed to practice psychology in both Florida and Minnesota, and is a member of the American Psychological Association. 

He says the best approach for those who are beginning the search for a trusted therapist is still to get a recommendation from a friend or family member. “That’s probably the best referral you can get,” he says. 

But if you don’t have a word-of-mouth reference from someone you know, he says to do an online search, choose a few therapists, try to talk to a few of them and “go with your gut.” 

He says that, of course, you should always check with the Florida Department of Health to be sure the provider you want to work with is appropriately licensed and has no disciplinary actions or malpractice claims. 

This can be done by searching “Florida Department of Health License Lookup” online. 

“Beyond that, those of us [practitioners] who are thoughtful will always be happy to schedule a no-charge, no-commitment phone call to see if we’re a good fit,” he says. “Don’t schedule with someone without at least first having a conversation about their approach.” 

While Dr. Wilson says he is primarily a private pay provider, he does accept patients with original Medicare and will provide a receipt to anyone who needs to submit an out-of-network receipt to their insurance company. He says some insurance companies, but not all, will cover about 50 percent of the cost of treatment. 

Fellow professional therapist Dr. Brian Doane of Tampa Bay Counseling Services is quick to say that he thinks very highly of Dr. Wilson and doesn’t hesitate to recommend him — for example, if he has a patient whose spouse needs counseling, too. 

“If I’m working with someone and they say, ‘My spouse is looking for a therapist,’ he’s the first person I send them to,” Dr. Doane says, noting that it’s an important referral, since Dr. Doane will continue working with that person’s spouse and has a vested interest in both parties getting good help. 

“Dr. Wilson is super compassionate, very ethical, and all the things that you want in a therapist,” Dr. Doane says. “He also has a really nice balance between being very kind and compassionate, while also being assertively direct. He also knows the timing of when to be direct, providing honest feedback at a time when the person is able to receive it.” 

Tampa Palms Psychology is located at 5331 Primrose Lake Cir., Suite 245, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. For appointments with Dr. Brian Wilson and more information about the practice, call (813) 491- 9343 or visit TampaPalmsPsychology.com.