Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Back Bay, Boston, MA

Have you ever been stuck in a snowbank, with your tires spinning, having to rock your car back and forth over the ice again and again until you make your way out? Perhaps you had to dig the car out. Maybe you needed a little push. Maybe you needed a tow truck. Whether you need a push or a tow truck, Active Insights Therapy is all about helping you dig and pull yourself out of those stuck places. I love helping my clients discover their inner best friend, know what they deserve in relationships and move toward their higher calling while taking action in life. Above all, I love making really bad jokes!

If you are having trouble with relationships in your life or have lost interest in the things that once brought you joy it might be time for counseling. These are not uncommon experiences in our human lives, but if they go on too long life may start to unravel. My passion is to help people find answers to these questions and move beyond their difficulties to a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Although I use a variety of modalities in my work I specialize in using EMDR to treat trauma , anxiety, OCD, panic and phobias.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" (-Mary Oliver) Hello! I've had the privilege of providing psychotherapy to clients in the Boston/Cambridge area for more than 17 years. In my practice I establish a caring, safe environment where clients can feel comfortable exploring their concerns. Whether you are new to therapy or have found therapy to be helpful in the past, I use a collaborative process that respects your comfort level and your goals for treatment.

I see therapy as a collaborative process in which I listen to how you want to move forward with your goals. I always take time to really hear how you, as an individual or couple, want to make changes and respect your own choices in your life. We sometimes find ourselves repeating negative patterns or stuck in challenging situations but have difficulty knowing how to make lasting changes. Therapy can help make this clearer.

Licensed in CO and MA. It’s like a video stuck on a loop that keeps playing over, and over, and over… You can’t get the images out of your head. Looking over your shoulder, being easily frightened; it wasn’t you before, but it is now. Things look bleaker than they did before it happened. Remembering or not remembering, you’re unsure of which is worse. Is this your new normal? To others, you look like you’re keeping it together. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. You’re hiding behind a thin veil of normalcy and you're worried about what would happen if the curtain were pulled back.

My clinical work is psychodynamically oriented, client-centered, and culturally aware. I draw from Internal Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Narrative Therapy to inform my work, incorporating psychoeducation, mindfulness, and narrative / storytelling techniques when helpful to my clients. I hold an M.S.W. from Boston College and an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University and am currently a postgraduate Fellow at Clinical Alliance Services, LLC. I have trained in community mental health and education settings and as a Victim Witness Advocate.

At times, life events can seem to control the way we feel, creating feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Other times, you may struggle with feeling unmotivated or purposeless without any specific cause. I believe psychotherapy empowers people by understanding specific struggles while actively developing skills to create change. A key part of our work will be identifying the things that matter to you and finding ways that therapy can bring you closer to a life that is more connected with your values.

Whether working with a family, individual, and/or couples, I believe in a relational process in which finding a therapist that is a "good fit" as the groundwork for a supportive, transformative process. I believe that every individual has the ability to examine their life's journey and own their story; all while strengthening self compassion and working to navigate who and how to be in relationships. This along with growing to know, understand and accept oneself. Stepping into the therapeutic process is the first movement towards self discovery and growth.

Are you or your child struggling to regulate thoughts, feelings, or behavior? Perhaps you feel like you don't have much energy these days. Or maybe you are feeling on edge or "sped up" and have a hard time relaxing. Regardless of whether you or your child are struggling with Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, or the effects of trauma or relationship challenges, we will view your symptoms through the lens of nervous system dysregulation. Through a combination of biofeedback, neurofeedback, and traditional CBT-focused psychotherapy, we will collaboratively seek to provide you with more control over your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

I specialize in treating people who have experienced trauma , mood disorders, eating disorders, and psychosis. My expertise includes working with adults, youth, and families. I am passionate about working with adolescents and young adults on identity formation. Most youth I have worked with have identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community, with particular focus on gender identity and affirmation. As a holistic practitioner, I give consideration for intersectional factors of race, ability, culture, and other dimensions of identity as well.

Are you unhappy in your relationship? Feeling disconnected? Unappreciated? Maybe you have same discussions over and over, but nothing changes. You feel your relationship withering, month by month, and you can’t seem to change it. You might even be thinking about separating, though you aren’t ready to make that big decision. One of the most painful experiences of my life was the slow death of my marriage. It took me years to recover. Let me teach you the Relational Life Therapy tools that have made my second marriage so happy.

My therapeutic approach is informed by psychodynamic and relational theories, as well as internal family systems, narrative techniques, and anti-oppression principles. I seek to draw connections between clients’ histories and their experience as it unfolds in the here-and-now of the therapeutic exchange, all in service of coming into deeper relationship with oneself. My therapeutic style is non-judgmental and compassionate with attention to the relationship between us, as individuals, and the systems that impact us.

I personalize treatment to you. Everyone is different and unique, and I believe that my job is to have all the tools at my disposal to provide a treatment that will be tailored to you, who you are, your experiences, and what you're going through. I'm looking forward to working together to achieve the life that you want for yourself.

I specialize in short-term, adjunctive individual DBT skills training and other time-limited, focused treatments such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for individuals with PTSD . I received my Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and have over 10 years of clinical experience in a broad range of mental health settings including outpatient, residential, forensic, and inpatient environments. Outside my private practice, I'm a staff clinician at McLean Hospital providing DBT skills group training and trauma -focused treatment in the Adult Outpatient Clinic, Outpatient DBT Program, and Outpatient Trauma Clinic.

Richard Nalbandian, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist as works with individuals located in OR and MA. Dr. Nalbandian has experience working with adults from various backgrounds on issues including anxiety, depression, grief, complex trauma , relationship struggles, family conflict, and personality troubles. He completed his internship and post-doctoral residency in Massachusetts as a fellow at the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute at Boston University. Dr. Nalbandian has focused training in and provides psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families. His therapeutic style is collaborative and relational.

I work with adolescents (14+ y/o) and adults who are seeking individual, family, and couples therapy. Many of the adolescents and adults I work with experience general and social anxiety, grief, depression, PTSD , and may engage in self-harming behaviors or have suicidal ideation. I provide parent/ caregiver coaching to parents who want to improve the quality of their relationship with their children and learn skills of effective conflict management and limit setting. The couples I work with want to learn skills to improve their communication, manage conflict effectively, and rebuild trust and intimacy within their relationship.

I have worked in a variety settings serving a diverse population of clients. Among these are, young adults , chronic illness patients , Veterans and the LGBTQ community. Life is often filled with challenges , transitions and change. Psychotherapy can help weather these storms in a way that is healthy and promotes individual growth. In my work, I assist clients in their personal quests for greater self acceptance and understanding . At times, this work can focus on changes in thought patterns and behaviors as well improving coping skills. When trauma and loss are creating obstacles to living a fulfilling life, I provide a trauma -informed and compassionate approach to care.

Update Nov 2022: Limited spots available. Imagine what your life might look like without sadness, resentment, and pain from the past affecting your daily existence. Would you like to move towards manifesting more joy, abundance, peace, clarity, love, and fun? Are your relationships with yourself and others what you want them to be? Through our work together, you will acquire the tools and strategies needed to thrive in the present without negativity of the past blocking and preventing you from achieving your goals. I believe it’s never too late to course-correct to create a life worth living.