Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Somerville, MA

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.

Entering therapy is courageous. It can be a transformational space, a bridge from suffering to the discovery of choices that enable people to actively engage life. Depression, anxiety, fear and difficult feelings are not indicative of sickness, but rather signals that call for self-care, curiosity and empathy. I believe people's strengths are integral in the therapeutic process; I seek to help people access their humor, resilience, courage, intelligence, sensitivity and honesty throughout the healing process.

I provide client-centered psychotherapy services that are tailored to the needs of each client. I draw from a variety of theoretical orientations including Psychodynamic (insight oriented) and behavioral (skills oriented) treatment approaches.

The journey of life presents us with moments of confusion, fear, sadness, and anger, but also with times of clarity, joy, and peace. As a therapist, my role is to bring clarity and hope to this journey while emphasizing my clients’ strengths. To me, it’s an honor to work with men and women who are looking for new ways to deal with the challenges of life and to explore their possibilities and potential.

I believe whole-heartedly in each person's capacity to heal, and I work collaboratively with my clients. My work connects people with their strengths, their creativity and with their internal healing systems so that they can make the kinds of changes they want to make. My clients utilize the insights they discover and the tools they learn in our sessions to create more peace and joy in their lives.

My work is with adolescents, couples and adults coping with a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, OCD and ADD. It is not an easy process to find a therapist that offers the specific type of therapy you or your child needs. The "goodness of fit" between you and your therapist is essential for a successful therapy experience.

Welcome. People seek psychotherapy for a variety of reasons, such as relief from anxiety, loneliness, or grief. Others feel stuck or disconnected. Perhaps patterns of unsatisfying relationships or difficulties deepening relationships have emerged. Psychotherapy provides a unique opportunity to explore personal issues in an environment of trust and respect. I appreciate the courage it takes to work through problems. Emotional pain can signal that one is called upon to make changes or understand things in a new light. I am interested in helping others express themselves more openly, feel more connected to others, and enhance capacities for making authentic choices.

Please see my website for more information, and to get started. 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.

In my practice I utilize a collaborative, strengths-based model to help clients increase awareness and develop strategies to feel more successful in their lives. My therapeutic approach is overall eclectic, drawing on my training in the evidence-based modalities of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). As an LMHC with a Master's Degree in Art Therapy, I also incorporate expressive therapy when beneficial. In all of my work, I aim to focus my approach depending on the needs of the client I am working with.

Hi, I'm Christina! I've been in the social work field for 15 years and I am a Co-Founder of Mountain View Therapy. Bailey Schendell and I created this telehealth group practice based in the principles of Narrative Therapy. We believe that meaning-making through stories shapes lives, relationships and communities. Our practice hopes to use this knowledge to help the people we serve uncover the stories that support their preferred lives.

I work with children, adolescents, and adults to resolve challenges related to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, relationships, and school/work adjustment. I offer a collaborative, empathic environment and an integrated approach that combines aspects of cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, relational, and psychodynamic theories to help you and/or your child understand and change nonproductive thoughts and behaviors, expand emotional awareness, improve relationships, build self-confidence, and face the obstacles that are getting in the way of reaching life goals.

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.

In working together I will encourage you to find your own "clear voice" by connecting with your values, sorting out conflicts, and developing new skills. Most importantly, our work involves connecting to your own inner strength. My clients describe me as an astute listener who provides them with a warm and grounded place in which to expand understanding and to learn new and practical approaches. Therapeutic work we do together will often result in your improved ability to "unstick" stuck relationships, get unblocked and communicate more effectively, as well as making meaningful decisions that fit for you.

Anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, regret. Marital conflict, parent-child struggles. Alienation, isolation. These are real problems that don't always have easy solutions. I help clients to learn, grow, and resolve their problems - big or small, simple or complicate. Whether they include: self-defeating habits, hurtful relationship patterns, overwhelming enotions, or debilitating personal histories. Want a safe place where you are appreciated and your experience is validated? I can provide it. Need interpersonal understanding and wise guidance? I offer that, too. Want to mobilize inner resources? Contact me.

I’ve found that a key to feeling better, ironically, is learning to feel bad; learning how to feel and accept painful feelings with less judgement, fear, and struggle. Unfortunately, for those with attachment difficulties, these tools and skills may feel completely out of reach. Attachment wounds can prevent us from feeling whole, connected, and accessing deeper meaning and vitality. I work best with individuals who may have had exposure to skill-based therapies, but are now looking for something beyond symptom management.

Something that sets me apart from other therapists is my fresh perspective and enthusiasm to help others. I am qualified to work with a wide range of people, but I specialize in working with people who wish to connect with themselves and explore how past experiences, relationships with others and their sexuality form their identity. My passion for understanding how people think, feel and interact with others led me to the field of psychotherapy.

It can be 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.

People come to see me when they feel stuck and have had enough. I help parents help their children; help couples and families get closer and happier; and in general help people successfully resolve issues such as: stress, anxiety, adjustment to new life circumstances (relocation, family changes), relationship issues (divorce, extra-marital affairs, conflict), and dealing with difficult family members. Typical 50 minute sessions don't work for everyone, so I offer longer sessions when appropriate (up to 4 hours), where we use experiential techniques (meditation, sound, movement, Ketamine) to go deeper and facilitate transformation.

I currently have openings in my adult psychotherapy group. I am a certified group psychotherapist, with extensive experience working therapeutically with groups. A therapy group provides you with a safe-enough sandbox to explore your interpersonal strengths, challenges, and patterns. We humans are social beings, and our concerns play out within our relationships. With a group, you can explore your interpersonal map with the help of the group and myself.