Meet Dr. Adam Sattler, Clinical Psychologist in Minneapolis
Serving those navigating stress, disconnection, and relationship struggles across Minnesota, North Dakota, and 40+ states.
On the Surface, Life Looks Good. So Why Do You Still Feel Stuck?
Many of the people I work with are capable, responsible, and accustomed to handling things on their own. From the outside, their lives may look solid. Privately, they may feel disconnected from their partner or children, stuck in self-criticism, overwhelmed by career or family demands, or still affected by painful experiences from the past.
They often understand a great deal about their problems but have not been able to change the patterns that keep repeating. Some respond by overworking, withdrawing, using substances, or numbing out online. Others keep everything to themselves because opening up feels uncomfortable, risky, or unlikely to help.
Feeling understood matters, but most people want more than a supportive place to vent. I help clients understand what is keeping them stuck, recognize how those patterns affect their lives and relationships, and begin responding differently.
My graduate training emphasized evidence-based therapies and structured treatment protocols. I continue to value the rigor, accountability, and disciplined thinking behind those approaches. Experience has also taught me that a protocol is a tool, not a substitute for understanding the individual person. Diagnoses can be useful, but they rarely explain enough on their own.
My style is active, collaborative, and practical. I listen closely for recurring patterns and work to develop a clear understanding of why a problem developed, what keeps it going, and where change may be possible. I share what I see rather than keeping my impressions to myself. We evaluate those ideas together, revise them when necessary, and work to translate greater understanding into meaningful changes outside of therapy.
Being direct does not mean assuming I have the answer or pushing you faster than is useful. I offer my perspective openly, invite you to tell me when it does not fit, and adjust our understanding and pace accordingly. Agreement is not the goal. Developing a clearer and more useful understanding together is.
My manner is straightforward, conversational, and approachable. Therapy with me can involve considerable emotional depth without feeling overly formal, clinical, or performative. You do not need to arrive with the right language for your experience or express yourself in a particular way. We start with how you naturally think and communicate.
I genuinely enjoy getting to know people from different backgrounds and understanding how their experiences make sense from their perspective. I also take the responsibility of this work seriously. I prepare, think carefully about each person I work with, and keep my caseload intentionally limited so that I can remain deeply engaged. You can expect me to be reliable, thoughtful, consistent, honest, and willing to offer a genuine point of view.
What Therapy With Me Is Like
You do not need to arrive knowing exactly what you want or feeling completely ready to change. Some uncertainty and ambivalence are normal.
I work best with people who value both a place to speak honestly and an active effort to understand and change the patterns affecting their lives. What matters is a willingness, over time, to look honestly at yourself, consider new perspectives, and experiment with doing some things differently.
Who I Work Best With
My areas of focus developed through clinical experience rather than from a single defining moment. My training took me through community mental health in rural Mississippi, primary care clinics, a Veterans Affairs hospital, and a postdoctoral fellowship at an urban community clinic in North Minneapolis. Since completing that fellowship, I have spent most of my career providing outpatient therapy in group and independent private practice. Across these settings, I have worked extensively with trauma, anxiety, depression, substance use concerns, and complex relationship difficulties.
Over time, men came to make up most of my practice. Many were looking for a therapist who could take their concerns seriously without making therapy feel forced, vague, or overly clinical. I found that my straightforward, relational, and practical approach connected well with them, and men’s mental health became a more intentional focus of my work.
Across settings and diagnostic categories, I also kept encountering the same underlying theme: mental health challenges are often both shaped by and expressed through how we relate to ourselves and the people around us. Anxiety, depression, trauma, and chronic stress may look different, but they frequently involve patterns such as self-criticism, avoidance, overcontrol, emotional disconnection, or difficulty communicating what matters.
This is why relationships have become central to how I understand and treat psychological problems. Examining how someone relates to themselves and others often provides a coherent and useful way to understand what keeps them stuck and where meaningful change can begin.
How My Approach Developed
What continues to make therapy meaningful is the experience of understanding someone well enough that the pieces begin to fit together. I value the moment when a person sees a longstanding problem from a different angle, questions assumptions that once seemed absolute, and begins responding differently in their life.
I am honored when someone trusts me with the parts of their experience they rarely share and is willing to seriously consider my perspective. Seeing that shared understanding lead to greater freedom, stronger relationships, or a more grounded way of living is what continues to make this work deeply worthwhile to me.
Why This Work Matters to Me
MY SPECIALTIES
Recurring conflict, emotional distance, communication difficulties, divorce or breakup, challenges with trust and closeness, or patterns that leave you feeling misunderstood and alone.
Experiences from the past that continue to shape your sense of safety, self-worth, emotional reactions, coping strategies, or current relationships.
Career pressure, fatherhood, identity, self-criticism, isolation, substance use, difficulty opening up, and the strain of feeling responsible for holding everything together.
I primarily practice through secure telehealth. Online therapy allows you to attend sessions from your own space without commuting, arranging childcare, or sitting in a waiting room. For many common mental health concerns, research has found telehealth to be as effective as in-person treatment.
I also offer limited in-person sessions in Minneapolis for clients who prefer face-to-face care.
If you live in Minnesota, North Dakota, or one of the 40+ states where I am authorized to provide telepsychology, we may be able to work together.
Therapy That Fits Your Life
Outside of work, much of my time belongs to my wife and two young children. I am also an avid cyclist, sometimes riding to push myself and sometimes simply to clear my head. I generally prefer a small group of close friends, good conversation, and a craft beer to a crowded room.
Music has always been important to me. I play guitar and sing, not well enough to quit my day job, but well enough to enjoy it.
A Bit More About Me
Training and Credentials
Licensure:
Licensed Psychologist in Minnesota, LP6617
Authorized to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology through PSYPACT in participating states
Postdoctoral Fellowship:
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Two-year advanced training program focused on treating anxiety, depression, trauma, and substance use concerns within the historically underserved community of North Minneapolis.
Predoctoral Clinical Internship:
William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital
Madison, Wisconsin
Yearlong clinical internship focused on treating anxiety, depression, trauma, and substance use concerns among military veterans.
Education:
PhD in Clinical Psychology
University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
MA in Clinical Psychology
University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
BA in Psychology
Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota
My research has addressed psychological assessment, anxiety treatment, physician well-being, care within underserved communities, and the needs of individuals and families affected by opioid use.
Sattler, A.F., Hooker, S.A., Levy, R., & Sherman, M.D. (2021). Psychosocial needs of parents engaged in treatment for opioid use disorder. Substance Use & Misuse, 56(14), 2202–2213.
Sherman, M.D., Sattler, A.F., Brandenberg, D., & Hooker, S. (2021). Providing psychotherapy in an urban, underserved community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 32(3), 1096–1101.
Sherman, M.D., Sattler, A.F., Carver, B., Bishop, R., & Albee, J. (2021). An epidemic within a pandemic: System-level changes for physician wellbeing. Minnesota Physician, 34(9).
Hooker, S.A., Sherman, M.D., Lonergan-Cullum, M., Sattler, A., Liese, B.S., Justesen, K., Nissly, T., & Levy, R. (2020). Mental health and psychosocial needs of patients being treated for opioid use disorder in a primary care residency clinic. Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 11, 1–8.
Sattler, A.F., Bentley, J.P., & Young, J. (2019). Validation of a brief screening instrument for adult psychopathology. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 50(5), 315–322.
Sattler, A.F., Leffler, J.M., Harrison, N.L., Bieber, E.D., Kosmach, J.K., Sim, L.A., & Whiteside, S.P.H. (2018). The quality of assessments for childhood psychopathology within a regional medical center. Psychological Services, 16(4), 596–604.
Sattler, A.F., Whiteside, S.P.H., Bentley, J.P., & Young, J. (2018). Development and validation of a brief screening procedure for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder derived from the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 16, 29–35.
Buchanan, J.A., DeJager, B., Garcia, S., Houlihan, D., Sears, C., Fairchild, K., & Sattler, A. (2018). The relationship between instruction specificity and resistiveness to care during activities of daily living in persons with dementia. Clinical Nursing Studies, 6(4), 45–52.
Sattler, A.F., Tiede, M.S., Dammann, J.E., Jensen, A.H., Walton, G.A., & Whiteside, S.P. (2017). Utility of a single-item child anxiety rating for use in community practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48(4), 259–266.
Whiteside, S.P., Sattler, A.F., Hathaway, J., & Douglas, K.V. (2016). Use of evidence-based assessment for childhood anxiety disorders in community practice. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 39, 65–70.
Sattler, A.F., Ale, C.M., Nguyen, K., Gregg, M.S., Geske, J.R., & Whiteside, S.P. (2016). Use of evidence-based assessments for childhood anxiety disorders within a regional medical system. Psychological Services, 13(4), 411–418.
Whiteside, S.P., Sattler, A.F., Ale, C.M., Young, B., Hillson Jensen, A., Gregg, M.S., & Geske, J.R. (2016). The use of exposure therapy for child anxiety disorders in a medical center. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 47(3), 206–214.
Lombardi, N.J., Buchanan, J.A., Aflerbach, S., Campana, K., Sattler, A., & Lai, D. (2014). Is elderspeak appropriate? A survey of certified nursing assistants. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 40(11), 44–52.