I'm a Husband, Dad and Grandpa and employ those life's lessons, as well as my professional training and experience to help couples and single adults get what they want out of life. My approach is straight forward and solution focused to that objective. As a former police officer, I bring a keen insight to the lives, experiences and challenges that law enforcement families experience. Clients wishing to come to a deeper understanding of themselves, their spirituality and their relationships will enjoy the real life, honest and to the heart approach of my practice.

As a thirty year veteran in Clinical Social Work, I worked for many years at the premier Harvard teaching hospital for Psychiatry in Boston.. I am an eclectic therapist. My clinical work is based upon a psychodynamic foundation to which I have integrated Cognitive and/or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness and Relaxation Training, Family Systems Models and Coaching. In my initial assessment and subsequent work with each individual, I strive to listen as closely as possible to the feeling experience of the client and help each person develop an understanding and perspective of their life experience.

Please call me directly for a free 15 minute phone consultation in order to find out more about how I work. One of my offices is located on the Newton/Wellesley border with plenty of parking available. My other office is conveniently located near the Copley T stop in the Back Bay on a street with easy parking and lot of metered parking spaces.

I specialize in alcohol and anxiety counseling and intervention services that utilize a unique approach that is custom tailored to each individual clients needs. The decision to seek help is not an easy one, yet the decision to do so could very well be the most important decision you will ever make for you and your family. Please email or call us to discuss your personal situation and needs. We also invite you to visit our private and secure website designed to help explain our services and fees in much greater detail https://www.jjmcneil.com.

Change is hard. People often seek psychotherapy around change. They want to change. People in their life want them to change. Or some life change is affecting them in a meaningful way. Often, it's a combination. By working together I can help you in this challenge. I frequently work with adolescents and adults struggling with addiction in themselves or in their families. Many of my patients are addressing anxiety, depression, questions or challenges regarding their sexual orientation, infertility, life transitions, traumatic experiences or eating disorders and other compulsive behaviors. A lot of my patients are college or graduate students.

Our lives consist of welcome routines and happy memories, turning points and challenges. Sometimes it is painfully difficult. Perhaps you have experienced the loss of a dream or a loved one, or been unable to move past a traumatic event. Maybe life feels like a daily rut, void of meaning or joy. Even in the company of people who care about us we can feel alone, sad or overwhelmed. The good news is we can find connection, experience change and move through pain and struggle to a place of greater freedom and happiness. This kind of progress only happens when others extend to us safety, caring, respect and attentive listening.

My practice provides safe and supportive environment to reduce pressure, discomfort, fear of judgment creating an atmosphere of trust, acceptance, and validation. This setting allows to speak openly about physical, emotional, and psychological concerns, to freely express doubts, believes, thoughts, feelings, emotions, ideas, and concepts. I encourage, but not pressure, exploring difficult situations, traumatic events, defense mechanisms, malfunctioning schema, identifying patterns, values, beliefs, connections between past and present; building on strengths to overcome challenges, realize potential and find meaning.

Resiliency, or grit, is an inherent quality. However, with transition comes stress, worry, and doubt. With timely and proper consultation, well-guided suggestions are often the simplest way to make quick and easy progress towards personal or professional change. Recovery from the occurrences of life is a process of study and practice. Learning and strategizing for health requires teamwork and vision. Supporting you to restore grit, develop skills, understand clinical interventions and build personalized strategies for wellness is my expertise and passion. Let's sit to explore, learn, laugh or cry, and let me coach your recovery.

I have over fifteen years of experience providing psychotherapy for adults, couples and families. My style is interactive and I offer some life and parent coaching when requested. I believe in using clients' strengths to help inform the work we do together. I believe in understanding what is going well as well as understanding where people are struggling. I have a strong respect for all of my clients and believe in providing a safe, trusting environment for clients to have the space they need to discuss where they may be feeling challenged at this time.

Please call me directly for a free 15 minute phone consultation to learn more about my approach and availability. My office is located at the Newton/Wellesley border with plenty of parking available.

I have more than 30 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of individuals, couples, and groups. I am open-minded, warm, and have a good sense of humor. As an experienced institute and workshop leader for the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, I've led many training sessions on group development and practice. I've found that people grow in groups and learn as much from each other as they do from me as leader. Also, having EAP experience, I work with employees around substance abuse and anger management concerns.

COVID19 seems to be accelerating the development of drinking problems -- Now is a good time to do something about it. My Areas of Specialized Experience are: -->(a) People with Drinking/Drug Problems and their Family Members (i.e., Spouses, Parents, and Adult Children); -->(b) People with Depression or disturbing memories, including situations where those issues contribute to problematic alcohol or drug use; -->(c) Lawyers and the stresses they face (having spent half my professional time at the Massachusetts Lawyer Assistance Program for 20+ years, and co-author of the book “The Full Weight of the Law").

Creating meaningful change in the face of complex life stressors and situations can feel overwhelming, and frankly, quite intimidating. However, change IS possible. I'm here to help: I will provide you with a safe, open, and non-judgmental space so that we can explore your needs, goals, and hopes while engaging in thoughtful problem-solving. We'll work collaboratively to generate new insights and chart a new path. I bring a wealth of clinical and leadership experience to our meetings, in addition to a curious and growth-oriented mindset that wants to get to know you on a deeper level and support you in becoming your best self.

Have you ever felt stuck, ashamed, embarrassed, guilty, stressed, traumatized or overwhelmed? These are some of the many emotions we can experience on a daily basis throughout our lives. You are not alone. I enjoy working in collaboration with clients in recognizing this, as well as identifying their strengths, working through past events, thoughts, feelings or behaviors, that they have felt have held them back from experiencing a full life today. Each client has a unique set of amazing qualities just waiting for a chance to shine; let us work together in a safe space and explore yours!

I believe that therapy is a journey that takes place in a safe and collaborative space between therapist and client. Within that space, I use a warm, supportive, curious and empathic approach to guide our work as we look at current and past stressors that may be causing you to feel "stuck" in various aspects of your life. Together, we can work to identify your inner strengths and resources that will aid you in managing current stressors, work through past events, and move towards health and healing. Specializations include: PTSD/Complex PTSD, Anxiety/Stress, Dissociation, Sexual Assault/Abuse, and relationship/adjustment challenges.

I am a therapist who pays careful attention to you, who you are, who you want to be, and how you will get there. In therapy, I place primary importance on helping you have the sense that whatever you are going through is more manageable because we are both working on it together. I have been successful in working with many types of individuals, with a large variety of issues. Please explore further down the webpage for a list of some of the most frequent issues and diagnoses I help people with. My office is a place where it is okay to feel any way you feel, think anything you think, and talk through it with another trusted person.

It is not uncommon to realize we are living lives we never planned on. We may be in an active crisis, or a life transition, or we may realize that we are stuck, or that things are just not working. Often, present-day challenges can be traced back to old patterns of relating, perceiving, understanding, and behaving. I help my clients identify and understand old patterns, and then develop greater flexibility in how they relate and respond. I work with them to adopt new practices which will allow them to move away from impasses and towards lives that are more fulfilling, productive and connected.

As a neurofeedback specialist, I am most effective with people who have brain based problems and goals. These include: Attention issues, anxiety, hyperactivity, impulsivity, executive function challenges, emotional problems, epilepsy, head injury/ post concussion syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, depression, learning disabilities, language delay, developmental delay, anger problems, underachievers, and cognitive decline of aging. Goals may also include improvements in: Athletic performance, decision-making, job performance, parenting and creative performance and brain anti-aging. I use other biofeedback applications when called for. As a well-seasoned cognitive/behavioral, individual, couple and family oriented therapist, I help people make sustainable progress toward their goals.