Individual Online Peer Counseling
30–45 minute video or audio sessions focused on substance use, mood disorders, trauma, recovery, and identity. We explore safer choices, coping skills, and realistic goals.
About Good Therapy
I'm Tunç Tuncer, a certified peer counselor offering online support in English and Turkish. My work is grounded in lived experience with recovery, harm reduction, and navigating mental health system for over 12 years both as a voluteer, as mental heallth activist and 8 years of experience working in New York City public healthcare system.
Services are provided under the clinical supervision of Bahar Seran Çağlayan, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist.
Peer counseling is a collaborative, person-centered approach. We focus on what matters to you right now and build practical steps that respect your values, culture, and identity.
Why peer counseling?
- Support from someone who has “been there.”
- Focus on hope, choice, and practical next steps.
- Works alongside therapy, psychiatry, and community care.
- Respects harm reduction, abstinence, and everything in between.
Services
Group Support for Recovery
Small online groups for people navigating alcohol or other substances. We practice connection, coping skills, and mutual encouragement in a confidential space.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Peer Support
Safe, affirming space to talk about sexuality, gender, family, stigma, and community. Queer and trans people are welcome here without pressure to “fit a box.”
Family & Allies Check-ins
Short consultations for people supporting a loved one with substance use or mental health concerns. Learn about harm reduction, boundaries, and recovery options.
Resources
Substance Use Warning Signs
- Pulling away from friends, family, or community.
- Sudden changes in sleep, appetite, or energy.
- Spending much more time using, recovering, or thinking about substances.
- Taking bigger risks to get or use substances.
Healthy Coping Skills
- Slow breathing: in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6.
- Grounding using your five senses (5–4–3–2–1).
- Movement: walk around the block, stretch, or shake out tension.
- Reaching out to one safe person today.
Stigma, Recovery & Self-Advocacy
- Recovery does not have to look one specific way.
- You deserve respectful, LGBTQ+ affirming care.
- You can ask questions and say no in treatment settings.
- It is okay to seek second opinions and different kinds of support.
If you need help right now
This website is not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger or thinking about ending your life, please contact local emergency services.
United States
Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or dial 911 for emergency services.
Türkiye and other countries
Call your local emergency number (for example, 112 in Türkiye). You can also contact nearby hospitals or mental health crisis lines in your area.
Stories from people I've supported
From hospital stays to more stable weeks
“I used to end up back on the psych ward at Bellevue every few months. Groups with you were the first place I felt like a human and not just a chart. We practiced small skills for when I got home – grounding, calling one person, not waiting until I was in full crisis.
This year I haven't been hospitalized once. I still struggle, but I know what to do earlier, and I don't feel ashamed for needing help.”
Composite client from Bellevue Hospital psych unit groups
Making a plan that actually fits real life
“Every other program told me to quit everything overnight. With you, we talked honestly about how I was using, what I was scared of, and what felt possible this week. We made a harm reduction plan, not a perfect plan.
My use is lower, my shame is lower, and I don't feel like I've ‘failed’ if I have a hard day.”
Person navigating alcohol use, early 30s
Being queer wasn't “the problem”
“In other places, my queerness was treated like the issue. With you, my identity was just part of who I am – not something to fix. We focused on coping with anxiety, family stress, and staying safer when I feel rejected.”
Queer client, mid 20s
Speaking in both English and Turkish
“Switching between English and Turkish in session helped me talk about things I'd never said out loud. Some feelings only made sense in my mother tongue. You followed me in both without making it weird.”
Bilingual client, Istanbul & New York
Family boundaries without guilt
“We practiced actual sentences I could use with my family instead of just saying ‘set boundaries’. I didn't cut anyone off; I learned how to say no, leave early, and protect my recovery a bit more each month.”
Client navigating family and culture, late 20s
Less chaos, more choice
“My life used to swing between ‘I'm fine’ and total chaos. Our check-ins helped me notice the in-between stages and act sooner – texting you, using grounding tools, eating, sleeping. I still have bad days, but they don't always turn into disasters now.”
Client with mood and anxiety challenges, 40s
Showing up imperfectly but consistently
“You never made me feel like I had to show up with a big breakthrough. Some weeks we just talked about getting out of bed and not drinking until the afternoon. That consistency did more for me than any ‘motivational speech’.”
Client in early recovery, 30s
A space where I don't have to translate myself
“I'm an immigrant, queer, and from a religious background. I'm tired of explaining all three. With you I could talk about faith, culture, and sexuality in the same sentence without being corrected or pitied.”
Client with multiple identities, 30s
Appointments
Sessions are held online (video or audio) and available across time zones. You can book from Brooklyn, Istanbul, or wherever you are.
Send a booking request with a few time windows that work for you. I will reply by email to confirm a time and share a secure meeting link.
Before we meet
- Peer counseling is not medical or psychiatric treatment.
- I cannot prescribe medications or provide formal diagnoses.
- For emergencies, please use the crisis contacts above.