Family Therapy in Northampton, MA

please note I have limited openings in my practice; my current openings are during the day (no late afternoon, evening or weekend times available) I work by deeply listening to each person and witnessing with compassion their struggles and triumphs. If you struggle with emotional anguish, are working to heal from trauma, experiencing extreme states or are seeking personal development, I take a strength-based approach. We will work together to form a trusting relationship within which to process difficulty, understand your struggles, regain connection within yourself, your relationships and create meaning to move forward.

Humans are resilient. We break bones and recover. We are not defined by our fractures, so why be defined by our adversities? By the same token, trauma may feel like a fracture to one’s personality, but trauma does not define an individual. On the contrary, but rather, an individual is defined by the characteristics that silently evolve in the aftermath. My approach is relational, psychodynamic-oriented, and skills-based to teach how to manage emotions, tolerate distress, and improve relationships. I aim to tailor treatment based on needs and readiness in order to foster resilience, enhanced insight, and achieve personal growth.

I am currently taking new clients. Are you going through a major life transition and feeling overwhelmed? Feeling depressed? Wondering how to make your relationship work, or how to find a relationship that will be healthy for you? Experiencing anxiety that seems disproportionate to your life circumstances?

Feeling depressed, anxious, or stuck? Life presents challenges, and there are many reasons to seek help. I provide a comfortable, non-judgmental environment in which we can work together to transform your difficulties into avenues for personal growth. Things don't change, people do, as a result of conscious choices. My approach to treatment is flexible, compassionate, and tailored to what you're seeking from therapy. I take a strengths-based approach, using solution-focused strategies as well as humor to help you find the clarity to realize your full potential. You can change your life if you're ready to change your habits!

I have been in practice for almost fifty years. I am the author of six books, forty articles, and am a professor emerita at the Smith College School for Social Work where I co- directed the doctoral program, and directed the theory sequence in the Masters Program for over twenty years. I provide psychodynamicaly oriented relational and insight oriented work with a range of adults who come from many racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds and who have difficulties including anxiety, depression, gender issues, gay lesbian issues, trauma, racial trauma, relationship difficulties and problems in work or retirement.

Hello! I want to meet you where you are, understand your strengths, and support you in life’s transitions. We can focus on what matters to you now, whether that means developing a strong, authentic sense of self, increasing stress tolerance, becoming more skillful at emotional responses, or creating new patterns to replace old thoughts and help you move towards healing, health, and happiness.

The reasons people seek therapy are as diverse as the people themselves. I offer therapy to adults with a focus on helping them work on specific change as well as self-acceptance. Depending on people’s needs, I offer this help in the form of support, information, guidance, self-knowledge or the space to learn and practice new skills.

I am accepting new clients. My name is Larissa, and I am a specialist in treating eating disorders and neurodivergence.  I have successfully worked with many clients to improve binging, restrictive, and purging behaviors, ARFID, and related symptoms including sensory issues, a limited food variety (“picky eaters”), concentration and focus skills, and coping with chronic illness.  I give positive, trauma-informed care without sugar coating of the challenges of mental health recovery. I provide context behind the development and maintenance of symptoms while holding my clients accountable for what is within their own control.

If you're curious about yourself and open to exploring your past and unconscious mind, you might be ready for transformative work. My ideal client seeks more than just symptom relief—they want a profound understanding of themselves and their place in the world. They aim to uncover the roots of their challenges, develop authentic ways of living, and build satisfying relationships. Whether you're grappling with anxiety, depression, or a general sense of unfulfillment, our work together can illuminate the path forward. If you're looking for lasting change and deeper self-awareness, we could be a great fit.

Have traumas or other events thrown your life off course? I see my job as helping people get back to their "regularly scheduled lives". Whether you have PTSD, or you are a bereaved parent or someone grieving a recent loss, I believe that with the right amount of understanding and validation, every person can successfully reclaim their lives and find his/her/their purpose again. As a consultant and Adjunct Professor specializing in grief and loss, I realize that not all losses are due to death. Grieving for a multitude of losses, including Learning Disorders, ADHD, and adoption, is my focus of treatment.

Life transitions often lead us to feel overwhelmed. While people close to us may be supportive, we may not always feel able to share with them our doubts and discomfort. Whether we’re holding our own or a loved one's sexuality or gender identity; navigating changes in our primary relationships, or reflecting on adverse experiences, having a safe space to reflect and process is invaluable. My practice serves adult clients who have struggled with anxiety, live with trauma or grief, or who experience the world as members or allies of the LGBTQ+ community. My approach is conversational, strengths-based, and results-oriented.

I have been doing, teaching, and supervising psychotherapy continuously since 1969, and I still love it. I tailor my style to the needs of each person, drawing on Psychodynamic, Humanistic/Existential, Cognitive Behavioral, and Eye Movement Accelerated Resolution Therapies. I work with adults, seeking individual or couples therapy. And I am experienced with the full range of issues, from simple phobias to major affective and thought disorders. I believe patient-therapist match is extremely important and for that reason offer free initial, in person consultations. My office is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, and offers privacy, convenient parking, and pleasant surroundings.

Therapy is an opportunity to intentionally pause, acknowledge our experience, and forge a deeper connection with ourselves. In these times of elevated stress and fear, it becomes vital to cultivate meaningful pathways for self-nurturing. As we navigate the waves of life, we learn to embrace them with greater acceptance and tenderness. I offer a unique blend of modalities that include that include psychotherapy, IFS parts work, somatic bodywork and creative arts therapies. Whether you seek support for physical discomfort, emotional healing, or personal growth, my practice provides a safe haven where you can explore new ways of being.

We are all born into life with a story. Sometimes we're the sad kiddo, sometimes the quiet one, the perfect one, the silly one, the list goes on and on. Often these stories stick with us and become our paths but they don't have to define us. Sometimes life just takes its toll. The stress of work, loss, parenthood, health, loneliness, relationships, identity or even making day to day choices can add up and leave us feeling stuck. I've worked with individuals and couples to help amplify what's working and change patterns that are no longer serving them. Let me help get you unstuck. I'm also available for clinical supervision.

Welcome to my site. I hope I can answer your questions so that you can make the best decision for choosing a therapist. Do you get in your own way that keeps you from living more fully & effectively? Do you struggle with trauma; relationship difficulties; feeling overwhelmed, ashamed, insecure, angry; transitions, loss, unresolved grief? Do you find yourself reacting to or doing things that you know are not healthy or helpful for you, your relationships or work? Does your past limit or complicate your present? Do you have challenging experiences as an immigrant or person of color you want help with?

<- New sessions available mornings & evenings - New couples welcome -> Are you living with challenging routines like having the same fight over and over or the same negative thoughts about yourself each morning? Often, these painful patterns actually came out of an initial attempt to help care for yourself. My goal is to support you to explore how these patterns influence your life today and then to continue the ones that serve you and to change the ones that don’t. I support you to build new boundaries, to quiet shame and to invent new narratives of possibility to achieve the growth you're looking for.

Looking for a therapist can be challenging. For those looking for the first time, I'd like to offer some thoughts on finding one who's right for you. While credentials and experience have their place, at the end of the day the most important thing is fit. I encourage you to "go with your gut." Do a phone consult. Did they give you space to talk? Did you feel heard? Sometimes what we need is feeling supported by someone who "gets" us. Other times we grow from someone who is able to challenge us in just the right way.

I believe the therapist's role is to be authentic and compassionate, as well as an active participant in helping you to overcome whatever concern brings you to therapy. In addition to listening to what you are struggling with in the moment, I try to help you find ways to manage the distress and more fully engage in your life. I use a combination of traditional talk therapy and skill-building, primarily drawing from CBT, DBT, and ACT.

I work with indivuals who are open to experimenting with different modalities in order to identify the best path to their healing. I support adults who are ready to make the changes in their lives needed to grow out of stagnancy. I believe that supporting my clients to connect with the unconscious parts of themselves is the key to healing. I support clients in understanding their relationship to their gender and sexuality.