Attachment-based Therapists in Cambridge, MA

My ideal client is an individual facing challenges such as life transitions, stress, anxiety, or depression, who seeks guidance and support in navigating their emotions and relationships. They may be grappling with self-esteem or identity issues and are motivated to better understand their needs and feelings. Their goals include building resilience, enhancing mental well-being, fostering healthy connections with others, and finding a sense of purpose and fulfillment in life. They are open to have their believes be challenged, self-help, self-reflection, and are committed to personal growth in order to develop.

Feeling nervous or stressed is natural. When these feelings overwhelm us, we need someone to listen, to validate our concerns, and to help us get to the root of our problems with tools that will inspire hope, and help us regain control of our lives. I use Mindfulness Practices to help people sit with, and tolerate what comes up. I use Self-Compassion Practices to help soothe what ails you, and I often use CBT to organize our plan going forward. This gives you tools that you can use immediately, and strikes a fine balance between listening and responding.

My therapeutic approach is grounded in psychodynamic and relational theories while integrating principles from liberation and feminist psychologies and emotion-focused, mindfulness, and acceptance-based interventions. I seek to understand how clients view themselves in relation to their social and cultural contexts. I strive to co-create an affirming and authentic space with clients by meeting them where they are at and seeking to understand what healing looks like for them at this point in their lives.

If it feels like you have been stuck in patterns that are hindering progress towards your goals, and keeping you depressed or anxious, working with me can help. Together we will shine a light on thoughts, feelings, and experiences that are not fully digested, but important to make meaning from. If you want to bring an, honest, courageous and loving self to relationships, including the one with yourself, therapy can help.

Active in approach, transparent in nature and collaborative in style, my practice will validate all it has taken for you to arrive at my door. Then begins the process of crafting a clear pathway towards a different experience of self. Supporting individuals and families in acquiring and sustaining the real skills necessary for positive behavioral change is what I do best, be it in my Cambridge office or in the front room of your home.

In my 30 + years as a therapist, I have had the honor of helping many people overcome negative patterns and make meaningful, positive changes in their lives through self-reflection, insight, and behavioral interventions. People with depression, anxiety, and relationship challenges feel supported, understood and respected in our work in individual, couples or group therapy. Sometimes you may feel that your life is at odds with how you wish to see yourself and yet you can't quite figure out what the next step should be. Or maybe you long for closeness and intimacy yet you're afraid of it.

It is often difficult to be one's unique human self. How wonderful you have the courage to propel hope for deep and lasting change for your emotional struggles. Adults in individual and couples therapy deserve to experience loving relationships, and freedom from anxiety, depression, trauma, ADD, and one's idiomatic patterns of difficulty. When your strengths come to the fore, problems loosen their hold, creating the possibilities of you consistently being lovingly in charge of your own life. When your inner life is enriched, you increase possibilities for more abundance. Your private education becomes a great overall investment.

Please inquire for accurate availability. What creates disconnection in the ways that we relate to ourselves and others is not always obvious; often, conventional knowledge can lead us astray from the kind of work that might be most useful to us. To this end, my approach goes beyond coping strategies and attachment styles; I view the therapy process as a specific kind of attending to your experiences and your inner world with the aim of developing your internal capacities and widening perspective. Broadly, I specialize in psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approaches. However, my approach is tailored non-generically to each client.

*PRACTICE CURRENTLY FULL* I am an experienced, licensed psychologist in private practice, and on faculty at Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis. I work with adults and older adolescents struggling with depression, anxiety, and relationship problems. I never underestimate the complexities of the mind, personality, and the unconscious dynamics inherent in relationships. At the same time, I feel psychotherapy should be practical. I have a thoughtful, compassionate style in addressing the roots of repetitive distress, while keeping in mind that such work must also ameliorate more immediate distress.

We all struggle with something - our work, our relationships, even ourselves. Often, we are not aware of the obstacles keeping us from living a satisfying life. Asking for guidance can be scary or intimidating, but why suffer alone? Therapeutic work can provide a secure environment to discover creative solutions to life’s frustrations and become aware of our unconscious mind.

Sometimes, there is an empty place or challenges that won't let you go. Sometimes the negativity in your head is louder than your resilient voice. I work with clients facing many changes or challenges including educational, relationship issues, financial stress, parenting, care giving, trauma, chronic health issues, bereavement and recovery.

Acknowledging that we cannot face life’s challenges alone and making the decision to ask for help is one of the most scary and courageous actions a person can take. I work from the perspective that all behaviors, thoughts, and feelings make sense within the context of our lives. At times though, things that once helped us cope with our circumstances no longer serve their purpose, but the thought of letting go or healing can feel overwhelming. My goal is to help clients gain better insight into their experiences while empowering a greater capacity for self-compassion and change.

Hi! I'm glad you're here; this is the first step to healing and growth. I work with adolescents, adults, and families; I have a passion for working with teens/adults who are processing emotional impacts of dyslexia and with survivors of domestic violence.

Healing is hard, we often find ourselves battling our inner child, our inner teenager and our adult self who just wants to be authentic. Some of us carry unchecked, unresolved wounds leaving us to rely on old, unhealthy ways. Unlearning some of these mechanisms is part of the healing journey. I invite us to be curious and gentle with all those younger parts as we guide your adult self to heal and feel safe. I use various clinical treatment approaches from a trauma informed framework to relational/attachment and emotion focused therapies. In addition to Christian faith/based counseling.

If you feel burdened by sadness, anxiety, unsatisfying relationships or difficult life transitions, therapy can help you find more effective ways to cope and connect to others in a more meaningful way. I believe that therapy is a process in which we will work together to help you live a more fulfilling life. My approach involves helping you cultivate curiosity about yourself, to understand both the positive and painful experiences now and in your past, so that you can move toward your most authentic self. Ultimately, my wish is for you to feel more comfortable and at peace, and to live a life that feels meaningful to you.

Do you struggle to feel satisfied in your personal or professional life? If so, you're certainly not alone. In striving for personal and professional success, it’s easy to become disconnected from yourself and the relationships that matter most. As pressure and stress build, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or struggling to remain present. I enjoy helping high-achieving students and working professionals face the demands of high-pressure environments without losing connection to themselves or the people they care about most.

My approach to psychotherapy is person-centered, tailoring the therapy to the unique needs and lived experiences of each client. I draw primarily from psychodynamic therapies, with attention to the neurobiology of trauma and attachment. I also integrate narrative practices to help clients reauthor the stories they tell about their lives, and cognitive-behavioral practices to help transform insight into strategies for change. My style is authentic, non-judgmental, and warm, and I work with clients to enrich therapy with diverse sources of meaning-making, including art, music, film, literature, and world philosophies.

My name is Colleen McKay, and I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. I have been working in the field since 2011. I have primarily worked with children and families (parents) through providing both behavioral training, individual and family therapy, as well as the foster care system.

We offer a sex positive approach to helping people with many sexual and relationship issues. We provide services for those with sexual dysfunction (problems with desire, arousal, orgasm, pain) and sexual compulsivity/infidelity. We utilize a trauma lens and support the relationship structure it may exist in. We support issues related desire, arousal, and orgasm. We help couples with desire discrepancies. Our clinicians use evidence-based approaches to offer guidance and education. They are kind, compassionate, empathic, and use humor to build a connection with you so they can walk beside you on your path.