Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Northborough, MA

With nearly 20 years of experience and extensive education and training, I will leverage my expertise to help you along in your healing journey. You will be able to overcome life obstacles, better manage adversity, and reach new heights of resilience and strength. We will achieve this by thoughtful integration of evidence-based practices into our work, tailored at being a catalyst for you to taking action. Let’s work together and focus on clarifying your past, attuning to your present, and planning for the future!

I have spent the past 10+ years working in a variety of mental health settings including residential care, emergency services, crisis stabilization, applied behavior analysis, and outpatient individual/family therapy. I have extensive experience helping a diverse range of populations including those struggling with severe mental illness, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, substance use, depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, suicidality, and impulse control disorders. I specialize in working with children/adolescents, families, and young adults but enjoy serving people of all ages.

Immediate openings for adult clients with flexibility! Pause Wellness Center is the group practice owned by Sarah Hamelin, LICSW. We have amazing clinicians that work with adults, adolescents and couples. The goal of Pause Wellness Center is to provide excellent therapy services for all clients. Every therapist at Pause Wellness Center has their own style and you will be matched to someone that meets your specific needs. We use evidence-base practices and we enjoy providing psycho-education and celebrating successes.

I love working with and helping people to live happier lives. In my years of experience working in the counseling field, I have assisted many people who struggle to function in their daily lives either because of a new hurdle or a life-long, mental health condition. Sometimes a person may feel hopeless, stuck, or unable to identify what holds them back. Other times, the client is in a new area of life that is unfamiliar or seems too intimidating to navigate. I strive to offer a compassionate, introspective, and collaborative setting where clients can feel free to explore the barriers that keep them from living their best lives.

I believe that coming to therapy when your life is not proceeding in the way you wish is a courageous and important step in building the life you want. Although it is sometimes difficult or frightening to make that first phone call, it's a strong sign of your belief in yourself and your desire to live fully and joyfully. I respect the decision to begin therapy and understand that it's sometimes a hard step that requires great courage. I firmly believe that however you're feeling now, there is a capacity for healing, change, and joy within you.

Updated 08/01/2024: Limited daytime availability: My career has involved working with individuals and families across the life span, in both outpatient and hospital-based settings. In addition to providing psychotherapy, I also do comprehensive diagnostic, psychological, and educational assessments for individuals and families. Further, I routinely consult with parents and teachers to better address the needs of students, in accordance with a thorough evaluation of their individual strengths and weaknesses.

It's ok to ask for help. It's true that I can't erase your past or instantly take away your pain (although I wish I could). However, I can help you carry your burdens more lightly, whether that means adjusting to major life transitions, processing grief, or learning new ways of coping with anxiety. Additionally, I have expertise in health-related issues and enjoy working with clients around eating concerns, chronic illness (cancer, diabetes, etc.) and prenatal/postpartum mental health. I can offer you a new perspective and help you overcome emotional challenges. Therapy is your time to feel supported and understood.

I enjoy working with children, adolescents, and young adults through their life transitions and changes. I am also passionate about my work with the LGBTQ+ community and strive to help individuals in the community overcome negative thought patterns, learn self-acceptance, and feel safe in their own body. I work to provide clients with a safe space in order to foster a comfortable and trustworthy therapeutic relationship.

I am a counselor, psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, and meditation and yoga teacher. I was born in Bulgaria and before coming to the USA, where I completed a Ph.D. in History and MA in Mental Health Counseling, I have a business background working in Germany for 10 years. I have taught for many years as an Instructor for various Psychology and History Academic Departments and also worked as a mental health practitioner in clinics in MA. I was trained in helping clients navigate through strong emotions, deal with transition and change, self-control, anxiety, depression and emotional regulation.

Providing individual psychotherapy for clients in need. Also offering supervision for LCSWs who are working toward independent licensure. As human beings, we each deserve a virtuous, healthy quality of life. While the days, weeks, and months pass by it can be easy to lose touch with ourselves; our own individual needs.

If your world has become so fast paced or hectic that it is difficult to stay focused on your own needs, then psychotherapy may be helpful for you. It is easy to become frustrated, stressed and feel out of control with so many roles and obligations in life. I offer support and guidance for individuals who may feel as if they need someone to listen and support them in their endeavors. Don't wait until life has become so unmanageable that you feel hopeless or overwhelmed.

If you are having difficulty managing the physical, emotional, and psychological demands that life invariably brings, perhaps I can help. I have twenty years' experience working with children, families, and adults. The core of my treatment revolves around identifying strengths and building on resiliency. I can help you manage daily stressors, form meaningful relationships, and rebuild a healthy sense of self.

I help people overcome many different psychological challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, relationship issues and many more (please see my website). By bridging two different careers myself for the past 24 years, I am able to work with people, not only around major mental health issues, but in career changing and strategic life planning. I am also qualified to work with professionals and executives who want to excel or redirect their careers. As an experienced divorce coach and educator, I help adolescents handle the impact divorcing parents have on their lives.

As a licensed therapist I enjoy helping a wide range of individuals facing a variety of challenges make meaningful life changes. I have worked with a culturally diverse population of all ages and most enjoy working with adults, ages 19-90. My style combines empathy, warmth, humor and compassion in a judgment-free, strengths-based environment. I believe a strong and collaborative client-therapist relationship is essential in creating a safe space for change.

With 20+ years of experience in the field, I work holistically from a collaborative, strength based approach. I apply specific therapeutic techniques and approaches based on identified client needs including, but not limited to, supportive talk therapy, individual therapy, family therapy, wellness strategies, psychoeducation around systems and mental health issues, parental guidance/support work, narrative therapy, and trauma work. I am specifically trained and certified in EFT/tapping, EMDR, and CBT. In practice, I meet you where you are, and use my experience to help guide you to where you want to be.

Currently, I have limited availability for new clients. Former clients are welcome. I am experienced in the treatment of depression, anxiety, Post-traumatic stress disorder, body-image issues, and relationship difficulties.

***NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS*** My overarching approach is Relationship-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I find that integrating CBT with key therapeutic relationship factors such as validation, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness produce the best outcomes. When appropriate, I also utilize such approaches as mindfulness, acceptance, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills, and Trauma-Focused CBT and Prolonged Exposure for trauma. My goal is to not only reduce the distress from your presenting problems but also improve your overall well-being and experience personal growth across many facets of life.

Taking the first steps to seek help may seem daunting when you don't know what to expect from therapy. My approach is to work collaboratively with you to identify your desired changes and to problem-solve how to achieve your goals. I work with individuals, couples, and families. I have experience helping clients with a variety of concerns, with current passions of couples therapy and EMDR. Overall, I work with you to bolster awareness, self-confidence, and interpersonal communication while addressing your specific goals.