Therapists for college students near 02138

Over the past more than 10 years of practice in psychotherapy, I am always amazed by people’s resilience, their longing and efforts for something better. I feel privileged to be part of their journey. While I have worked in a variety of clinical settings, including 5 university counseling centers, I have deeply enjoyed working with college students and young adults during an important transitional period in their lives. I approach therapy from a strength-based, humanistic perspective which integrate Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), interpersonal process, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Emotional focused Therapy and mindfulness. I was born and grew up in China. Living in two different cultures has its own challenges and rewards. I learned to appreciate the richness of human experiences and cultures, also practice therapy through a multicultural lens. I am bilingual, provide psychotherapy both in English and Mandarin.

Welcome! My name is Sarah and I'm a licensed psychologist in Cambridge, MA. I work with students with concerns related to relationships, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, identity development, and navigating big life transitions that come with college life. I provide in-person sessions in Harvard Square and telehealth throughout Massachusetts.

My approach to psychotherapy is ​integrative and responsive to the needs of each individual person within the general contexts of multicultural sensitivity and a strong therapeutic relationship. Best summarized through Paul’s (1967) question: “What treatment, by whom, is most effective for this individual with that specific concern, and under which set of circumstances?" I have extensive experience working and training in University Counseling Centers (i.e., Penn State University Graduate Assistant, Pre-doctoral internship at Suffolk University, Post-doctoral Fellow at Tufts University followed by three years as a Staff Psychologist at Tufts). My clinical interests include college student mental health, in general; stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, interpersonal concerns, drug and alcohol use/misuse/abuse; Men’s issues; Childhood trauma; Working with students on the Autism Spectrum; Identity concerns; Relationship concerns; Issues of diversity and inclusion.

About Me / Specialties I am a licensed psychologist specializing in treating adolescents and young adults with OCD, anxiety (including social anxiety, panic, phobias, and generalized anxiety), and related conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania, tics, and excoriation disorder. I provide evidence-based therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I see clients in-person in Cambridge, MA and virtually throughout Massachusetts and Texas. I also work with parents, offering coaching to help support their teen or young adult while reducing family accommodations. My goal is to create a compassionate, collaborative space where we take mental health seriously—but not ourselves too seriously. A little humor can go a long way in therapy! Treatment Approach I tailor treatment to each individual, often addressing co-occurring concerns like depression, eating issues, or trauma alongside anxiety or OCD. Using ERP, CBT, ACT, and DBT strategies, I help students manage symptoms, regulate emotions, and make meaningful, lasting changes—all in a supportive and approachable way. Training & Experience I earned my PhD from the University of Virginia, completed my clinical internship at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for OCD and Related Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where I currently see therapy patients and conduct research on OCD spectrum disorders.

We are a group of psychologists who are experienced in college mental health. Our services are informed by research on college mental health, developmental characteristics and needs of emerging adulthood (ages 18-29), trauma-informed approach, and sociocultural issues in mental health. We assist our clients by providing individual therapy, group therapy, and career services.

I have immediate availability in my schedule! I love to help my clients gain insight into their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, build new skills, and use that enhanced self-awareness and skill to make meaningful changes in their lives. I take a strengths-based and collaborative approach that draws from a range of therapeutic modalities and is responsive to your needs and desires. I aim to bring warmth, humor, and authenticity to the therapeutic relationship. I love to work with college students and am a former counselor for the non-profit Bottom Line, where I supported first generation college students through any and all challenges that arose on their journey towards graduation and career readiness. I also enjoy working with people who are anywhere on their journey towards becoming parents or who are searching for greater wellness as parents.

Welcome I'm Melissa and I'm so glad you landed here! I work with young adults who are feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges—whether it’s relationship struggles, a constant worry loop that you can't get out of, low mood, struggles with food and body image, or difficulty with change. If you're reading this, you might be feeling out of balance or disconnected from what’s meaningful to you. Maybe you’re not sure what’s meaningful right now. You could be stuck in old patterns that no longer serve you, unsure about your next steps, or just know something feels "off" without being able to explain why. Or maybe you just need a safe space to explore it all. Whatever you're experiencing, it’s all valid—and it’s all welcome here.

Welcome! I provide nutrition counseling from a relationship-based, trauma-informed, and Health At Every Size (HAES) lens. I specialize in working with college-aged students. Whether it’s tackling eating disorders, disordered eating, intuitive eating, chronic illness, or other nutrition challenges, I bring an inclusive and non-diet approach to help you find your balance.

Join me in a collaborative focus on your mental health, designed to build resilience, improve the quality of life, and increase self-acceptance. I work with adults and young adults in individual psychotherapy on a short or long-term basis. I have a background in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance Commitment Therapy. I treat a range of presenting concerns, including relationship stress, life transitions, depression, anxiety, and trauma. I have experience in college mental health, early intervention in mental illness, and family therapy. I have a special interest in issues of diversity and inclusion, and exploring an individual’s unique relationship to a variety of their own personal intersecting identities.

We all encounter difficult stressors, setbacks and experiences that sometimes cause us pain. We may be challenged by difficult transitions, our relationships, previous trauma, depression or anxiety. We can make the choice to work through these events and grow even when things are hard and confusing. My goal as a therapist is to provide a safe place for you to explore your struggles, and give you objective feedback and guidance to help you improve your life. Whether you'd like to improve your mood, strengthen relationships or need support coping with a difficult circumstance I can help. I work with young adults who have difficulty managing their emotions and who struggle with depression, anxiety, impulsive behavior, thoughts of suicide and self-harm, interpersonal problems, or problems functioning at work or school. I provide in-person and virtual evidence-based treatments including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help my clients change ineffective behavioral patterns, develop more helpful ways of thinking, and accept difficult realities in order to build the lives they want. I see therapy as a collaboration between client and therapist to work towards their goals in treatment and in life. Through my validating and nonjudgmental style, I am committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based treatment to help you reach your most desired goals and build a life worth living.

HEAL Psychotherapy Group is a growing mental health practice dedicated to providing thoughtful, high-quality care for young adults. We specialize in working with college students, graduate students, and early-career professionals as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of emerging adulthood. Whether you are adjusting to a new environment, managing academic or professional stress, exploring your identity, navigating relationships, or coping with difficult life experiences, our therapists provide a supportive space for growth and healing. Our practice has particular expertise in trauma treatment. Our clinicians have advanced training in evidence-based and insight-oriented approaches to trauma care and understand the many ways trauma can affect emotional wellbeing, relationships, self-esteem, academic functioning, and physical health. We take a compassionate, collaborative approach that helps clients better understand their experiences while building practical tools for healing and resilience. We recognize that not everyone who seeks therapy identifies as a trauma survivor. We also welcome individuals who are interested in exploring how past experiences, family relationships, or prior challenges may be influencing their present lives. We work with a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, identity development, stress management, grief and loss, self-esteem concerns, and life transitions. Founded by a psychologist with extensive experience as a clinician in university counseling centers, HEAL Psychotherapy Group is deeply familiar with the developmental, academic, and social pressures facing today's young adults. Our goal is to provide care that is warm, relational, evidence-informed, and tailored to each individual's unique needs and goals. We offer both in-person and telehealth therapy options. We have an office location in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with telehealth services available throughout Massachusetts.

Life is full of uncertainty, changes, losses, gains, and growth. Some are expected, some are not. Therapy can help you give voice to your own narratives, make sense of experiences, better understand and embrace who you are, and empower yourself for meaningful changes. This is a journey to enhance relationship with self and others, to extend the sense of safety and belonging, to know the art of accepting and forgiving, to be in touch with resiliency, to move toward self-compassion, and to have the courage of fully being and thriving. Being bilingual, I do therapy in English and Mandarin, with specialties in cross cultural adjustment, identity development, interpersonal relationships, family issues, grief and loss. I enjoy helping individuals who are going through life transitions and needing help and support on battling self critic, experiencing marginalization, and being a POC in a PWI. Therapeutic relationship is dear to my heart. I approach therapy with respect, curiosity, empathy, thoughtfulness, and collaboration. My style is warm, relational, strength based, integrative with multicultural lens and mindfulness approach. If you are interested in learning more about my practice, or have any questions to me, please contact me by phone or email.

I work at CampusCare Counseling. I am trauma-informed in my approach. This means I work with clients to build trust, taking into consideration personal and socio-cultural factors, with the goal of forming a therapeutic relationship that empowers clients and allows their authentic selves to be in the therapy space. I believe growth, as defined by the client, happens from there. When clinically indicated, I pull from my experience and training with trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and EMDR. Additionally, I use psychodynamic, existential, and feminist perspectives to inform my work.

Starting therapy can feel like a nerve-wracking process. To ease this, I prioritize developing a genuine connection so that you can feel seen, heard, and valued in session. I believe that therapy is not a "one size fits all" practice. We all have different personalities, different histories, and different needs. My eclectic style as a therapist draws upon multiple therapeutic approaches and theories to better tailor treatment to you and your individuality. If you are interested in therapy centered on compassion, connection, humor, and authenticity- I am here to help!

When people come to treatment with problems, it is important to remember that they are trying to cope with them in the best way they can. With that in mind, I offer a reflective and engaging partnership with my clients, working toward the goal of helping them to be autonomous, authentic and compassionate in a world that can be extremely stressful. Although my work is solidly grounded in psychodynamic, cognitive/learning, and systems theories, my approach is client-centered, practical and strengths-based. I bring honesty, warmth, and humor to the therapy relationship. I am LGBTQ affirmative and invested in doing cross-cultural therapy which is culturally sensitive. I have a dog, Bracket, who works with me, and I have been doing AAT since 2002. There is a growing body of research which suggests that AAT (Animal-Assisted Therapy) can be helpful with a range of diagnoses, including Depression, PTSD, and Autistic Spectrum. Many therapists know little about online games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. They may dismiss it as unimportant, or assume it is a problem. I am a gamer-affirmative therapist, meaning I’m more interested in understanding your in-world experience and activity than pathologizing it.

We go through life trying to figure out who we are and whether we can be accepted by family, co-workers, and friends. You learned strategies to show or hide certain parts of yourself to survive after experiencing hurt or rejection, pretending to be "okay" when others ask you how you are feeling to not burden them, but numb on the inside with anxiety or loneliness. Despite the desire to break out of the shell and be happy, life continues to be hard, especially when you look to others and seeing them being happy. And that is why you come to therapy: Because you want life to be meaningful and fulfilling! Therapy will not be simply talking, but a space where we will explore and mend parts of yourself that you love and parts that you avoid. The process may be challenging as I help you rediscover the things you have "swept under the rug" through questions and emotions, but also rewarding as you hopefully come to see yourself in a new light. I will provide a space for you to be you, whoever that may be so that you can look in the mirror and see yourself as deserving of love and happiness. Gamer? Great! Kinks? Awesome! Anime? That's my jam, too! If you are ready to take that courageous step again, please contact me for a 15-minute consultation on what you want in therapy and next steps.

Life hurts. It just does. We all go through tough times at some point. Tragedy and hardship hit unannounced. These events have a lasting impact - even subtle ones - especially if they took place during our formative years. They can leave us on high alert, isolated, stressed out, hating ourselves, experiencing nightmares, not being able to feel joy, or to concentrate. If you have experienced any kind of trauma, be it a massive event that you didn't recover from, the repeated attrition of abuse, or the subtle and insidious wounding of emotional neglect, there is hope. I'm a trauma-informed mental health counselor and energy psychology practitioner. I specialize in trauma treatment and have gathered an eclectic collection of tools. Not everything works for everyone, so I pride myself in always widening my knowledge of counseling interventions and incorporating holistic, somatic, and mindbody methodologies as well. As a human being I have had many opportunities to use my healing tools. I know what it's like to be deeply hurt, defeated, anxious beyond belief, trapped in my own skin, struggling to even function, going through life numb and on autopilot because everything feels so bad. But most importantly, I know how to overcome and transcend the pain. Let me show you.

Supportive Minds was founded by two clinicians passionate about providing community- and empowerment-oriented mental health services. We are a new specialty addictions/high-risk behaviors outpatient group practice that offers inclusive, harm-reduction-oriented addiction and mental health services. We service adult and adolescent populations that include traditionally vulnerable and underserved populations. We offer confidential and safe mental health services that are flexible and customized to our clients in the community, in our office space, or virtually on telehealth. We are trained in various evidence-based clinical models of care. We are a minority-owned business and proud to serve the people of Massachusetts. We at Supportive Minds, PLLC believe in creating entry points for access to high-quality mental health services, especially for vulnerable populations (BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women). We believe in providing evidence-based harm-reduction-oriented treatment and support for high-risk behaviors. We believe in our duty to care and see ourselves in the suffering of others so that we may collectively listen, understand, and when possible, offer support toward empowerment and change.

It's hard to be successful as a college student when you are constantly worried, have that "sinking feeling" in your stomach, have difficulty managing your time and social commitments. These can be signs of anxiety and I can help with treatment that works. I also treat panic disorders, PTSD and other trauma related challenges. I can help you deal with perfectionism, performance anxiety, creativity struggles, environmental anxiety, gender identity, experience of sexual trauma, and attention related struggles. I also help improve male mental health journeys. My clients note they like my present and focused approach that does not leave them "floundering" in therapy. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you get better faster. I know you already have the capacity and the strength to change, and you are channeling it right now. Even if you don't feel that power we will help you connect to it. I have seen the transformation many times, the freedom and the full engagement in life that can follow after the most distressing anxiety symptoms are under control.

I have been practicing for over 30 years. I mainly have a client-focused approach. I’ve treated issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, career counseling, relationship stress, substance abuse, and others. In addition to psychotherapy, I have experience as a Life Coach. I also have training in sport psychology. I have developed Activity Therapy, bringing in a client’s sport, hobby, or other activity into the session. If you have specific questions, feel free to call, text, or email. I offer a free phone consultation for first time clients.