Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Somerville, MA

As a trauma specialized clinician and former Program Director at McLean Hospital, I have deep respect for clients' painful struggles as well as for their strength, resilience, and capacity for growth. My approach is fundamentally gentle, compassionate and collaborative. Are you curious about yourself and wish to understand how your past informs present relationships, emotions, and behavior? Join me to build insight and coping strategies, reduce the overwhelming impact of your symptoms and your past, and build a more present, empowered, regulated and satisfying life.

Is anxiety or depression preventing you from living a more fulfilling life? Are you feeling overwhelmed by a major transition? Are you unable to move on from an upsetting or traumatic past experience? I help patients change patterns of behavior that are no longer working, and learn new and more effective ways of coping and engaging with life. I believe that embedded in the painful crises that usually bring individuals and couples to therapy, there are also opportunities for self understanding and mastery that can be discovered and realized in a safe healing relationship.

I help people who are exploring questions of sexuality, gender expression, and relationship styles to accept themselves in their beauty and strength, so they can experience loving connection in their lives. Whether you are struggling with gender expression, sexual orientation, desire for multiple partners, BDSM or kink, or other desires that are outside the mainstream, I am here to listen, to educate, to guide, and to help you integrate the parts of you that are currently closed off. I also work with trauma and grief, and provide a space for the boundaried expression and relief of old wounds.

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.

I create a safe,supportive and nurturing environment for change to take place.I guide you in making changes that allow you to feel more successful,satisfied and empowered in your life. Along with this comes fulfilling relationships and work, enhanced self-esteem, physical well-being and more connection to yourself.I assist you in learning to interrupt negative patterns and self-defeating behaviors and help you replace them with positive feelings,new beliefs and life affirming behaviors.In the process you discover inner resources and develop self-acceptance and self compassion.I bring warmth,humor,compassion and wisdom to the process.

I bring compassion and a non-judgmental active approach to assist you in developing a greater understanding of yourself, overcoming challenges, and living your life to the fullest. I have experience treating a range of presenting concerns, including anxiety, depression, and trauma. I also enjoy working with clients who want to explore their identities, personal histories, and relationship issues.

I believe the therapeutic relationship is at the core of all treatment provided as the path to health begins here. Your growth and healing will require energy, commitment, and active participation from you, the client. I work with clients to establish a therapeutic relationship that is honest, straightforward, therapeutically challenging and inspiring, and compassionate. With my support, you will come to deeply understand your personal strengths, compassionately tend to your emotional wounds and learn evidence-based techniques to move toward health.

My practice is currently full at this time. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in trauma, complex or developmental trauma, and dissociation. In order to customize treatment to each client's individual needs, I utilize a combination of EMDR, Internal Family Systems Therapy, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.

Knowing how or even where to begin self-reflection and growth can feel daunting. A feeling of safety alongside active engagement are essential to begin the process. I believe that feeling seen, heard, and known can open up a space to develop and effect necessary changes in your life. Deep work, exploration, and drawing connections can lead to insight and new ways of thinking, changed feelings, and changed behaviors allowing you to exist more freely.

“Whether you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, going through a transition or needing support resolving a particular issue you need to feel heard and understood. I feel that healing and change are most readily achieved in a compassionate, non-judgmental and supportive environment. I have worked extensively with individuals who struggle with depression, anxiety, relationship issues, loss and trauma. My emphasis is on identifying strengths and working collaboratively to increase awareness, coping ability and well being."

Helping people live a life of authenticity and ease is at the heart of my work. We all need a safe and supportive place to feel heard, move through challenges and develop insight. I meet my clients where they are and encourage them toward their goals with compassion, hope, and kindness. On this therapeutic journey we learn to identify and embrace strengths, integrate new skills and self-understanding, and come into a deeper knowing of ourselves.

The client-centered psychotherapy services I provide are tailored to meet the individual needs of my clients. I draw from a variety of theoretical orientations, including psychodynamic (insight oriented), cognitive-behavioral (skills development) and relational treatment approaches, but the needs of my clients dictate the specific approaches I employ in our work. "Goodness-of-fit" between client and therapist, as well between client and treatment approach, is very important. I believe psychotherapy should address both surface-level problems (e.g. depression, anxiety, relationship conflict), as well as underlying causes of these problems, so it has a long-lasting impact.

I believe every person has inner wisdom and the capacity for fulfillment in life. However, challenging events in the far or recent past can make this wisdom hard to access, or, at times, even imagine. Instead, you may experience anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or feelings of chronic stress. Using a collaborative, integrative approach I help you connect with your strengths, develop practical coping skills, and gain deep self-understanding and acceptance. In this way you can free yourself from self-limiting patterns and become more of who you want to be in your life.

Do you feel overwhelmed when facing the obstacles in your life? Have you tried to find ways to help yourself, but no matter what you do, things are not getting better? Therapy can help you find new ways of dealing with the challenges in life that have become too much to handle alone. Every person has a reservoir of strength inside. Through compassionate, supportive therapy, you can connect to your strengths to develop new ways of dealing with problems and difficult feelings, relationships, and transitions.

I have been in private practice in the Boston/Cambridge area for 30 years working with adults and adolescents, couples and families. I work with clients utilizing a trauma informed lens as well as elements of liberation psychology. I feel all clinical work must begin with a thorough understanding of a client's multiple identities and how those identities interact within their communities and the larger culture.  My work and my passion are embedded in a deep commitment to social justice.

As a psychodynamic psychologist, I approach the therapeutic relationship as a powerful medium for exploring and reworking longstanding problematic relationship patterns. At the same time, I am committed to working flexibly and pragmatically, and frequently draw upon cognitive-behavioral, cultural, trauma-informed and neuropsychological perspectives relevant for individual clients. I am committed to addressing issues of class, race, gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity which may be relevant for my clients.

Accepting New Clients! - Seeking therapy or finding a new therapist can sometimes be both intimidating and stressful. Once the right match is made, however, the therapeutic relationship almost always matures into an integral and rewarding aspect of my clients' routines and lives. I strive to engage my clients in a collaborative partnership as they process feelings, explore solutions and improve relationships. My eclectic and person-centered approach ensures that you continue to be the experts of your own lives, while providing a supportive, empathic and non-judgmental space for you to change or cope with life's various challenges.

***Accepting new clients Feb 1, priority to healthcare workers/ first responders and LGBTQ+ individuals*** Unsure about therapy but notice that certain issues in your life keep recurring? Looking for someone to support you as you try to make sense of it all? Maybe your anxiety is starting to interfere with your functioning, or depression feels like it's weighing you down. Maybe there's a trauma in your past that you keep trying to suppress, but it keeps showing up in unexpected ways. Maybe you're used to being in control, but you're coming to terms with the fact that you can't control certain symptoms. I've seen it. I can help.

The focus of my career is helping people overcome symptoms of anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, trauma, and grief. We all have internal resources that can be strengthened to further one's goals. Habitual thoughts and behaviors can interfere with reaching one's personal potential. I will help you develop resources for managing stress, trauma, and overwhelm. I enjoy helping clients develop stronger connections with themselves and with others that meet their needs. I will work with you to determine the approach which will be most effective for you in meeting your goals.