Relational Therapists in Andover, MA

Living life presents each of us with unique challenges and difficulties that can live inside of our bodies, often resulting in emotional and physical pain. Learning to listen to and trust our body's inner wisdom is an empowering experience that can help us to heal and find forward direction with our lives. While I utilize a variety of traditional approaches in my work with clients, I also use mind-body and energy psychology approaches as I feel that these experiences often lead to a deeper more empowering healing for my clients.

I work with clients from a relational perspective based on the attachment model. In the past 25 years, I have worked extensively with adult clients individually or as a couple to work through depression, anxiety, and other mental health illnesses due to the relational trauma with their significant others. We will work together to process through old relationship patterns related to mental illness, rebuild a secure attachment experience, and build a new working model for your life. Our work together is to transform traumatic experiences into a fulfilled and satisfying life.

I am deeply curious about human relationships; the conditions that make them mutually satisfying and joyful as well as how they can go wrong leaving people feeling in pain, lonely or unworthy. My practice consists of couples and adults whose relationships with themselves and/or others are in disrepair. We all have many relationships. Yet, the more personal and intimate they are, the more distressing and challenging they can be at one time or another. I encourage individuals and couples looking to discover greater relational joy and willing to look both inward and outward for more satisfying life solutions to contact me.

Life is challenging - full of joys,sorrows and everything in between. Sometimes, the challenges seem too daunting or affect more than one area of life - relationships, career, physical and emotional health. When this occurs one can feel stuck, unclear, anxious. It helps to have a place to talk, to process and then be able to move forward. As a licensed mental health counselor with a holistic orientation to therapy I assist individuals and couples to do just that. Anxiety, depression, chronic physical/emotional conditions, stress management, work/life balance, marital stressors - communication, finances, parenting - are areas to be explored.

***18+ ONLY*** DAYTIME AVAILABILITY My approach to counseling centers on the partnership between client and counselor. My style utilizes an eclectic mix of cognitive behavioral, solution-focused and relational approaches tailored to meet my clients' individual needs. I strive to provide a warm, supportive and judgement free space in which we can explore and gain a better understanding of the issues and concerns you bring forward.

I have had a private therapy practice in Andover and Westford, Ma. for nearly 30 years. During this time, I have worked with those struggling with a variety of concerns including relationships, parenting, identity, work and careers, depression, anxiety, trauma, school and education, gender, and cultures. Generally, the individuals, couples, and families with whom I work come to my office in some sort of pain or discomfort as they move back and forth between their real and ideal lives.The conversations we have shed light on what is happening and to try to help reduce feelings of pain and distress.

My ideal client is anyone who wants to feel and function better and is willing to engage in therapeutic conversations about their life and experiences. Clients who work well with me are ready to reject shame. They describe feeling trapped or powerless, with a constant, withering, internal buzz-saw of self-criticism. They sometimes don't fit categories or want to. They get angry sometimes and aren't always nice. They're stronger than they know. All they need to do is talk. And therapy works.

Sometimes talking through our feelings and emotions can be helpful as we deal with day to day stressors. Whether you or your child is experiencing situational or environmental stressors or are coping with life-long biological symptoms or past trauma, the highly trained team at Avista Counseling can support you through your challenges. Let us help you manifest the changes you desire. There is no dress rehearsal in life. Together we will create an individual and/or family plan of productivity and happiness and bring it to fruition.

I believe that everyone's journey to therapy is unique. Whether you seek help for anxiety, depression, relationship issues, personal growth, life changes, or any other concern, I am here to support you. We will work together to explore the reasons that led you to therapy and address them in a personalized and effective manner. Your well-being and empowerment is paramount. I have created a safe and secure therapeutic environment where you can freely express yourself, knowing that your words and feelings are protected.

"Choosing to use therapy as a support is a personal decision. Sometimes people believe they have an idea of what therapy is all about and others are not sure what to expect. The truth is, therapy can be a number of things from a place to decompress, a place to address personal issues/struggles, a place to learn new skills to include in your lifestyle, etc. What your therapeutic experience will be shall be defined by you, your therapist and what you have gained from therapy. Finding the right therapist you feel comfortable with is essential to this process.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Clinician who believes in providing you with a non-judgmental atmosphere of support on your path to self-acceptance. My professional work has focused on the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma recovery, women’s issues, substance abuse, self-esteem issues, maternal mental health and life transitions.

I coach motivated women , aged 18 +, who are interested in making sustainable change and in actualizing their best self. I am passionate about helping women get clear on what they want their life to be about and then in helping them move towards that vision, step by step. Together, we can identify where you might feel stuck; what thoughts and behaviors contribute to that and begin challenging old patterns that no longer serve you. My goal is to help you let go of patterns that don’t support you, optimize the ones that do and find new ways that allow you to show up for yourself and step fully into your life.

I believe that how comfortable someone feels with their therapist is the key to a positive treatment outcome. If you can’t speak freely about everything (EVERYthing) with your therapist, the real work of therapy can't occur. I will work alongside you - to guide you, and to extract the parts of you that are capable of change. That’s why I love this work - every person who comes to me absolutely has the capacity to evolve and change for the happier. And I am the one who gets to help guide them there. (AS OF June 2024: Limited virtual & in-person availability; NO after-school availability at this time.)

Are you struggling to concentrate, lacking passion, or generally not feeling like yourself? Tell me about it. No, really. Let's see what's keeping you from yourself. Are you awesome, but wish you could be more so? I bet you are! Let's figure out how to turn that awesomeness up to 11. Are you the absolute worst and frankly deserving of your suffering but getting tired of it all the same? Of course not, but it might feel that way sometimes, and it's probably time to unpack that and figure out why you're so hard on yourself.

The inherent nature of life is constant change. You set a goal, create a plan. Something happens that changes your plan. You could benefit from guidance to help promote your mental health wellness. Some methods to acquire balanced mental health are Self-awareness, Understanding, Acceptance and Courage. Women progress through "Natural Life Stages". Pregnancy Loss, Infertility, PTSD, Postpartum Depression, Relationship Discord, Menopause and Medical Issues. Children & Adolescent Behavioral Issues are also areas of interest to me. Children our born with a "blank slate". The world around them has the greatest influence on their development.

I am a compassionate trauma-informed mental health counselor providing therapy to individuals aged 21 and up. My therapeutic approach is deeply rooted in empathy, acceptance, and respect. I feel it’s a sincere privilege to walk side-by-side with you on your healing journey. I provide a safe space for you to navigate life’s challenges and explore the feelings that creep up along with them. My passion is to guide other others to achieve their goals while encouraging personal growth and self-empowerment.

Please reach out via email if interested in scheduling an initial assessment/session. I hold the foundational view that all of our stories occur within the context of the family, cultural, and social systems in which we live. Therefore, the pressure and supports that each of these systems provide are integral parts of both how we experience challenges and how we heal them. In each session, I utilize a strengths-based approach as well as my training in Family Systems Therapy to contour the work in order to find greater balance in client’s lives.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with an extensive background treating a variety of different ages, situations, emotional and mental health disorders in individuals and their families. I specialize in treating adolescents and college-age students, but also have significant expertise providing treatment to adults, families, and couples.

Currently accepting New Clients. I have worked with many clients managing a variety of challenges during my time in the helping field, and I am very excited by the possibility to get to work with you too! My priority in therapy is to honor and value the therapeutic relationship, while creating a safe space conducive to healing. I hope to help each individual develop an understanding of their life story, one which they feel encapsulates their values and makes sense for them. I believe in a strengths based approach to therapy, one in which each individual is the expert of their story as we work together to discover a path forward.