Existential Therapists in Somerville, MA

I have 12+ years of clinical experience working with diverse populations across various treatment settings including community mental health centers, inpatient and outpatient programs, and residential care. Across all these contexts, I've helped clients navigate challenges like life changes, relationships, depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, career changes, creative growth, substance use, anger management, emotion regulation, identity, and more.

YOU are so much more than a diagnosis or category. The challenge we all share is how to make meaning as human beings in a chaotic world. I work with creative people, perfectionists, harsh self-critics and existential thinkers; with singles, couples & especially groups. I have expertise in helping people recognize problematic substance use, with Harm Reduction as a philosophical approach. . I enjoy working with young and early-career adults. I look forward to beginning a group for seniors, to discuss this meaningful chapter of life, and all its challenges. I enjoy learning from the people I see.

With a warm, down-to-earth, and supportive style, I help clients work through challenges such as depression, anxiety, OCD, relationship difficulties, life transitions, academic and career concerns, and creative blocks. Whether we are working to help you become more flexible, mindful, and aware; reflecting on patterns that may be getting in your way; identifying sources of meaning and purpose in your life; or exploring aspects of your identity, my goal is to help you work through what brings you into therapy and to help you thrive.

I see therapy as an opportunity to discover your own resilience and inner ability to heal and grow. It is my goal to give you therapeutic tools and coping skills to empower yourself with your unique strengths in your life journey. I hold space for you to engage with your mental health in an integrative way in line with your values, and I invite exploration of existential or spiritual themes in therapy. I enjoy working with adults, older adults, and individuals with disabilities, and I welcome the opportunity to work clients from different backgrounds.

I provide psychotherapy and psychoanalysis to adults in a thoughtful, warm, compassionate atmosphere. I treat a spectrum of issues ranging from the commonly practical to the loftily complex, including trauma, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, grief, loss, sexuality, gender, LGBTQ, family, relationships, marriage, professional, identity, existential and spiritual confusion. My therapeutic approach is rooted in psychoanalytic and contemplative theories of human development, function, and dysfunction. I am dedicated to helping my clients grow through their issues in a safe, comfortable, confidential space.

Many people are stuck. They cannot either make decisions or make decisions that do not help them move forward. This is like a bad Groundhog Day movie. Ineffective decision-making creates stuckness and futility. As founder of Three Worlds, I am dedicated in helping individuals to develop a practice of efficient decision-making. I work collaboratively with individuals in strengthening their ability to form decisions that increase life's happiness.

I have helped many people tame their anxiety and anger while improving creativity, intuition, and resilience. I focus on creating space to explore issues while utilizing evidenced-based holistic strategies. Our conversations are dedicated to your wellbeing and potential. I provide specific strategies for managing fear and rage with empathy and acceptance. My practice orientation is humanistic-existential and cognitive-behavioral. I blend in the philosophies of Taoism, Buddhism, and Existentialism. Please see my website for more information, and to get started.

It can be rather disheartening to expend considerable energy trying to change something and be left with a similar outcome. It is not easy to lead a fulfilling life while being caught in patterns outside of awareness. Psychotherapy gives the opportunity to look inward and ask how a fleeting thought, a dream, or a subtle change may be related to ongoing difficulties. Taking a closer look at something while also being curious during that exploration can open up a greater understanding and lead to meaningful changes.

NOTE: the only insurances I accept are the student insurances for Brown University and Tufts University students. I help students, artists, athletes, and other high-level performers bring out the best in themselves and each other. I specialize in healing trauma, anxiety, creative and performance blocks, existential and relationship issues, and the impacts of social forces on mental health. I tend to fit well with patients who are smart, creative, funny, introspective, curious, and ready for change.

Together, we can evaluate where your personality, coping skills, behaviors, lifestyle, and relational habits come together either to promote or impede your health. I am passionate about helping people who suffer from obsessions and compulsions, intrusive thoughts, avoidance, perfectionism, and other such behaviors. My attention to all-around health is also useful for working with those experiencing depression or addictive behaviors. In addition, I enjoy supporting those experiencing relational or familial difficulties, romantic/sexual dissatisfaction, or working through issues at the intersection of gender and culture.

I have been most fortunate to have worked in the field of psychology, human services and higher education for four decades. Initially, I worked in a college counseling center while maintaining a private practice. Later, I became a professor and chairperson of the human services department while continuing to see clients privately. Through these years, I was able to balance teaching students about psychological principles and techniques while practicing therapy. I have developed programs and courses in Substance Abuse Counseling, Health Psychology and Positive Psychology and have been able to use these methods in counseling.

You deserve wise answers as well as penetrating questions! This is my fundamental promise. Having high-conflict relationships; experiencing major life transitions, grief and trauma causing insecurity in career or personal life. My specialities include Adult ADHD, ASD, Anxiety and Attachment disorders, PTSD, Sex Therapy. using Positive Psychology, CBT, Mindfulness and meditation. Individuals, Couples, and Families. Focus on your inherent character strengths . My intuition, empathy, and creativity lead to solutions for improved well-being. Looking for creative expression? I offer training in Expressing Your Authentic Self.

I won't know on day one what method of treatment works best for you, because people reveal themselves over time, and at their own pace. My holistic, culturally sensitive approach is rooted in respect, truth and compassion. I respect the unique way in which you show up in the world. I believe there is power in discovering your truth, and I will always show you compassion. I incorporate my knowledge of the human body that I gained through professional experience in the fitness/yoga industry to help you better understand the connection between the mind, the body and the spirit.

Dr. Kaivani works with adults, and her areas of interest include: Anxiety, depression, interpersonal challenges, trauma, difficult life transitions, acculturation/adjustment to immigration, creativity blocks, and issues of meaning and personal identity, especially around gender and sexuality. She believes in a therapeutic pluralism in which individually tailored treatments are drawn from several different therapy approaches. She primarily utilizes psychodynamic and existential perspectives with a trauma-informed and relational framework. Dr. Kaivani immigrated from Iran in 2010 and provides therapy in Farsi in addition to English.

*Currently accepting new clients* Every person has their own story, own internal conflicts, relationships, and ways of making life meaningful. Therapy is a process of creating a trusting relationship, and creating space to explore and understand that story together. Through this process we can find ways to balance feelings of pain and conflict with the potential and desire for well-being.

Therapy hours: 8:30AM-2:30PM Mon-Fri. Individuals work with me in counseling to acquire skills to reduce, eliminate, or manage symptoms, dialog on root issues, explore and unpack deep truths, develop meaning, or for grief or emotional support. I treat anxiety, grief, depression, bipolar, PTSD, military trauma, sexual abuse, many forms of addiction, career issues, existential concerns, impostor syndrome, and relationship issues, including poly and ENM issues. I have worked with many facing complex mental health, personal, relational, and professional challenges. With over 12 years experience, I'm confident I can help you as well.

I help young, dynamic professionals and students deal with the anxiety and overwhelm that can creep up on you as you're out there doing what you always thought you were supposed to be doing. You work really hard professionally or academically but it's getting harder to hold it all together as you wrestle with the doubts and the stress. Your relationships might be feeling less than happy and fulfilling lately, or you're just plain overwhelmed. On the outside, you look like you have it all together - but that doesn't make you feel OK on the inside.

Hi, my name is Rachel, and I’m excited to be providing queer-affirming therapy through Queer Therapy Boston. As a queer and nonbinary neurodivergent fat person, I bring not only clinical experience but also lived experience in these areas. I specialize in working with queer and trans individuals, couples and polycules. I am poly and kink friendly, and have extensive experience working with people who have experienced complex trauma, are exploring their identities, going through life transitions, and just trying to survive under capitalism.

I invite couples, adolescents and adults to identify strengths, acknowledge challenges and develop strategies to solve a range of problems. We can explore ways to save and enhance your relationship. In the first session, I teach tools that you can use immediately to enhance your partnership, open the lines of communication and reconnect as a couple. If you are an overwhelmed parent, I can help you reach out to your teen by employing techniques that can be used in the moment. My professional experience encompasses coping with anxiety, managing chronic illness, grieving losses and achieving balance for an enriched life.