Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026
Dr. John DeGaglia has been in practice 25 years and is licensed in Florida. Dr. lists stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and career difficulties among 9 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Dr.'s own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Dr. works with
Dr. lists 6 specialisms and 3 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Dr. chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Dr.'s own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
The selection of a psychotherapist is an intensely personal private intimate decision. Therapy is about one thing: focused communication. With the appropriate modification of language, we can think differently. If we think differently, we can change behaviors. And if we consistently change behaviors, they can become long-term, therapeutic, healthy change. Yes, that journey begins with the first step.
My journey began last century with graduate school and licensure. Spent many years working with our incarcerated brothers and sisters. Their needs are real and varied. Being on the “outside” doesn’t mean you aren’t still incarcerated. Spent over a dozen years working with a Native American community. So many needs and so little time. A very special time in my life working with all ages, all needs, often through the assistance of an interpreter. From that chapter, I moved into substance abuse eventually becoming clinical director at several programs. Sobriety like therapy is a day-to-day process and there is nothing wrong with that. Perfection is not possible but excellence is attainable! Lastly, as a former first responder, spent over a decade assisting that community with critical incident stress. Actually, earned a doctorate with the research we all generated together. Nothing quite prepares you for that profession and the significant costs it exacts but if you would just like the opportunity to be, in a kind of ministry of presence, that is one of the reasons I am here . . . And for all, sometimes absolutely the best therapy comes from being with someone in a special moment without saying a word.
So, how bout it? Even if it is not me, will you continue your search and seek? Why? Because there are some people on this Earth who do not need to meet you, be in a relationship with you, who know without a shadow of a doubt you are special! Unique! You are worthy! And although it may not be fashionable, will tell you are loved! Enjoy your journey and take that step and just maybe our paths will cross. Looking forward to it . . .
Dr. John DeGaglia, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026
03 · What happens next
Dr. practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Dr.'s own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Dr. at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Dr. is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Dr..
You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.
A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.
Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.
04 · Before you commit
Built from what Dr. actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - Dr. has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.
“How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”
Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.
“With 25 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”
Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.
“How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”
On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.
05 · Practical details
06 · Provenance
Dr.'s name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.
The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Dr.. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.
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