Empathy, honesty and trust are the foundation of how we work with clients.
As a mental health therapy practice in Billings, MT, we’re here to walk alongside you through life’s challenges and changes—whether you’re facing grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, loss, or mood disorders. Some clients seek clarity, while others come looking for peace, purpose, or balance.
Often, when clients take that first step toward healing, they discover they already have the strength within them to succeed. We use a variety of evidence-based therapeutic approaches—including Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Logotherapy, Mindfulness, and Humanistic/Person-Centered Therapy—to help them realize they are capable and powerful. We treat clients like experts in their own lives. There’s no “psychobabble” or talking down in our practice.
We believe therapy is informed by your past, rooted in the present, and inspired by hope for your future. Every session is customized to your needs and goals. No two people are the same, and we welcome clients from all walks and stages of life—teens, adults, and seniors. Whether you’re spiritual, secular, married, single, widowed, retired, or somewhere in between—this is a safe, inclusive space for you.
We’ve named this practice “Next Stage” because that’s what it represents—for you and for me. Life is a series of changes and stages. We bring four decades of lived experience to our clinical work. Change is hard. We get it. You can do it.
“What we therapists have in common is not expertise but our capacity to enter into the patient’s experience.”
— Irvan D. Yalom
My Story - David Eichler, MSW, SWLC
I have spent more than two decades as a small business owner, learning how to bring out the best in people—especially under high pressure. Having crisscrossed the country, I’ve faced the challenges and celebrated the successes that come with significant personal and professional transitions, and sacrifices.
In 2001, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That experience sparked my deep and lasting interest in mental health advocacy and patients’ rights. Little did I know it would also set me on the path toward becoming a therapist. I earned my Master of Social Work degree from Walla Walla University in Billings, Montana. While completing 900 hours of clinical field placement at two outpatient counseling practices, I provided pro bono therapy to adults, teens, and couples.
Next Stage Therapy and Counseling feels like the fulfillment of my calling—long overdue, perhaps, but exactly where I’m meant to be. If I’ve learned anything along this journey, it’s that knowledge can be taught, but wisdom must be earned. I am currently accruing the 3,000 supervised hours required for full licensure in the state of Montana.
In addition to treating clients with anxiety, trauma, or depression, my specialties include grief and loss, suicide, men’s mental health, and bipolar disorder—topics that are deeply personal to me. My clinical approach integrates Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Person-Centered Therapy, and Logotherapy. I rely on sincerity, authenticity, resilience, creativity, and humor to create a therapeutic environment that nourishes my clients and produces meaningful results.
Outside the office, I enjoy photography, reading, cars, sports, and attending rock concerts. My wife and I have been exploring the world together for 32 years, and we are currently raising two exceptionally pampered dogs, Bam Bam and Lola.