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Client Spotlight: Dr. Joel Frank & Duality Psychological Services

Writer's picture: Jessica Kryzer, Founder & CEOJessica Kryzer, Founder & CEO

Consider the balancing games that exist in your life. The work-life balance. The balance of quality time with your friends, family, partner, and with yourself. A balanced diet. A balanced checkbook. When these aspects of your life are balanced, life can feel harmonious and that makes you feel empowered. However, when this balance falls away, whether through a small inconvenience or a life-altering change, it can leave you with a lack of control or power. Rebalancing is the work that Dr. Joel Frank wanted to emphasize when he founded Duality Psychological Services. The team at Mindful Admins were able to speak to Dr. Joel Frank and learn a bit more about his journey into the world of psychotherapy and the path to Duality.


The initial spark

Joel Frank was in Chicago when he first got a taste for the psychology field back in 2008 while employed with an organization that worked adjacent to Amnesty International. He worked in case management at the time and developed a passion for trauma therapy and the positive impact it could have on an individual’s life. This took him on a path to pursuing art therapy within the trauma field. Frank went on to have many clinical work experiences as a therapist, but it wasn’t until 2011, when he took a neuropsychology class, that he found himself on the path he is on today: doing evaluative work. Neuropsychology focuses on the relationship between the brain and behavior, in other words, the biological and psychological. The biological component helped him piece together a side of psychotherapy that he was missing. Now Dr. Frank is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Multicultural Competency-Based Clinical Observation, and “Seeking Safety” which serves to treat comorbid or co-occurring substance use and trauma symptoms. Frank’s wide-ranging background has equipped him with the knowledge to bring Duality Psychological Services to life and now handles a split in cases between more traditional therapy as well as neuropsychological and psychodiagnostic assessment services.


Dr. Joel Frank
Dr. Joel Frank of Duality Psychological Services


A place for individuality

When asked how the idea for starting Duality came about, Dr. Joel Frank described his interest in people first and foremost. He has a strong appreciation for every person’s unique individuality. When it comes to psychology, there is no one-size-fits-all way to treat someone, even if they are suffering through the same problems. Trauma, for example, is something that varies person to person, and vastly so. Two individuals can experience the same event but come out of that hurdle completely different. Not only is the effect of that trauma different, but the resiliency of individuals can also be varied. With that in mind, while Frank was working in a community counseling and substance abuse treatment center back in 2010, he found there were staunch ways of treating these patients. Given every patient’s individuality, it left little room for clinicians to treat patients differently despite their needs. Seeing that lack sparked Frank’s desire to create a place like Duality where individuality is the first thing in mind.


What is Duality?

Dr. Joel Frank founded Duality Psychological Services in 2023 in Los Angeles. Duality was founded on two key principles: balance and power. Frank believes that every individual has various “realms” in which they live their lives, such as work, family, and friendships. These realms can include things like your emotions and the activities that one does day to day that make them up. Duality focuses on helping each individual find that balance in their lives. Power is the element that comes from that balance. When life feels skewed, it can leave someone feeling a lack of control, anxiety, and even depression. Duality works to restore power to an individual’s life, to give them the agency to find that balance and help them create a healthy and enjoyable structure in their life. Frank is passionate about not committing to a single modality, instead taking in an individual’s unique circumstances and the setting in which the clinician sees the patient. Once the setting and the individual are taken into account, only then is a treatment chosen from which to operate, thus acknowledging each person’s individuality. It’s something Dr. Joel Frank stands for and hopes to see Duality pushing further in the future regardless of how much the business might grow in the years to come.



Duality Psychological Services logo
Duality Psychological Services located in Sherman Oaks, California.


Why should you reach out to a professional?

When asked what kind of patients would benefit best from Duality’s psychological services, Dr. Joel Frank mentioned tiny traumas, a reference common in the psychology world. “Life is full of tiny traumas,” as in small life events that can build up a significant persistent distress not unlike a trauma response if not processed. That could be events such as being laid off from work, losing a loved one, or entering a new relationship. Duality’s “primary niche” is trauma, whether small or big; anyone could benefit from Duality’s services. Duality is also available for psychological evaluations. “Pop psychology” came up in our conversation; that is the phenomenon of psychotherapy becoming popularized on social media in recent years. Dr. Joel Frank described it as “a double-edged sword” in today’s psychology world but ultimately, “with the good far outweighing the negative.” Historically there’s been a large stigma on diagnosis; even discussing mental health felt taboo ten years ago. Now people are relieved of those feelings of shame and are able to find more support with the people around them. However, Frank also warned about being too quick to self-diagnose based on a few social media videos. It is important to seek a professional opinion so as to not be susceptible to confirmation bias. 


What you can do now

A tip that Joel Frank offers to aid with one’s mental health is to have consistent check-ins with oneself. Remain aware of how your self-care is going, especially during times when your schedule is more stacked; it’s important to maintain that awareness so that you can adjust your load accordingly and give time to what needs attention. It all goes back to one of the key tenets of Duality: balance. Frank states that it’s important to have people you can reach out to when things get heavy in your life. Have those important conversations with the people you trust, and if you are finding it difficult to bring it up, introduce the conversation with your loved one before starting it. “Hey, there’s something important I need to talk to you about. It would be great if I could discuss it when you are free tonight.” This makes it easier for both parties to ease into a discussion with the seriousness it deserves. “It’s hard to have those conversations if you’re not honest about your need to have those conversations [to begin with].” 


In the fast-paced and turbulent times life brings us, it’s important to remember that help is out there for those willing to seek it. If you find yourself bogged down by the daily stressors of life and desire a change, we at Mindful Admins, strongly suggest Duality Psychological Services. Its brick and mortar is located on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, but it offers virtual sessions for those who require it. With Dr. Joel Frank’s encouraging perspective on trauma, resilience, and individuality, you can rest assured that your truest self will emerge feeling more empowered than ever before.





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