Andrew Sweeney, Psy.D.
Hi, I’m Andy. I love to try things that sound kind of impossible. I used to think becoming a psychologist was impossible, but here I am. Every year I convince friends and family to have an outdoor chili cookoff in January to watch the WWE Royal Rumble. It sounds like a bananas idea and everyone is skeptical the first time they come, but it’s always a great time. A few years ago I talked friends into starting a band before I even knew how to play an instrument. Within a year I got to live out a childhood dream when we played a gig at a local brewery. Impossible is fun.
Sometimes it feels impossible to imagine life getting any easier when you or your kids are struggling, but I believe better, easier, and happier lives are possible.
It’s easy for people to be intimidated by therapy, but it’s important to know that therapy is just a conversation. That conversation has a purpose, but it’s just a conversation. I love to think of creative ways to make conversations with kids happen: sitting in our office, playing UNO, walking in a local park, or trekking around the corner to get ice cream. This is an ideal job for me because it combines some of my favorite things: talking to people, helping them feel better, and (sometimes) doing something really fun.
I’ve had an interesting road getting here. Before working at Basset, I worked on an inpatient psychiatry unit, at a community mental health center, and for a school-based behavioral health program. All of those experiences were great, but I never felt at home as a therapist until I started Basset. There is something about the simplicity of meeting with a kid and their parents, either in the office or at a park or even online, and digging into whatever challenges they are facing. My office is truly one of my happy places. You can tell because it’s decorated to show some of the things I love. This is the best setting I’ve found for helping people get better. And better is possible.
I was born in Cincinnati and have not strayed far. I received my undergraduate degree from Miami University, both my Doctoral and Master’s degrees from Xavier University, and did my predoctoral internship in Cleveland at Applewood Centers, so I don’t think you can pry me out of Ohio at this point. I live with my wife, our three daughters, a guinea pig named Napoleon, and a Basset hound named Lorelai. My family loves bassets, which is where our practice got its name.