Therapists for college students near 02139
If anxiety, substance use, or a difficult period of transition is making it harder to live the way you want to, psychotherapy can help. I work with young adults who want more than advice or a place to vent while a therapist sits back and nods. Imagine a therapy that makes no direct attempt to reduce symptoms, but achieves symptom reduction as a by-product. Our work is about changing your relationship with painful experience and helping you live more fully in line with your values. I provide in-person psychotherapy in Cambridge and telehealth across Massachusetts.
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 mental health challenges feel overwhelming, expert guidance can make all the difference. As a board-certified psychiatrist and a therapist, I offer comprehensive mental health care that integrates medication management and evidence-based psychotherapy. My clinical experience spans multiple settings within the mental health system: Inpatient units, outpatient clinics, consultation-liaison services, and community mental health centers. This diverse background gives me a top-down understanding of the American mental health system. If you are feeling lost, we’ll find a path forward.
My expertise is working with college students as I've worked at MIT for 22 and a half years at the MIT MH Counseling Service. Have worked with students from the US and all over the worlds on a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, academic challenges, sexual identity, cultural adjustment and relationships issues.
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.
If you've been feeling emotionally overwhelmed and it's affecting your sleep, work, or relationships, today is a good day to prioritize your well-being! I offer telehealth sessions throughout Massachusetts and Virginia, and in person walk-and-talk sessions in Charlottesville, VA. I specialize in helping young adults manage stress, anxiety, feelings of isolation, depression, or of not feeling good enough that can accompany being a college student in an academically rigorous environment. If your previous ways of dealing with challenges are not working, you find yourself drinking more than you used to, not sleeping well, or not feeling able to connect with your friends and family, this is a good time to get additional support. I take an active role in helping you sort out the best way to approach your challenges and teach you the foundations of mental health so you get back on track. Together we will explore the connection between how you live and how you feel, and identify the areas that feel out of balance. I take a comprehensive holistic approach to wellness because, for the people I work with, traditional talk therapy is often not enough. Our mental health is impacted by our environment, sleep, physical activity, what we eat, relationships, beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors–and I believe our mental health care should include these elements as components of the whole system. Evidence-based tools we may incorporate include meditation and somatic mind-body practices, techniques to work with thought patterns, interpersonal skills, and lifestyle interventions. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to discuss if we are a good fit to help you achieve your goals!
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College can be an exciting time of growth, but it also brings unique pressures and challenges. Whether you’re navigating relationships, academic stress, identity questions, family dynamics, or the impact of trauma or loss, therapy can be a place to reflect, process, and move forward. I provide psychotherapy with a focus on resilience—helping you build on your strengths while exploring the experiences and emotions that may be holding you back. I also prescribe medications when appropriate, integrating therapy and medication to support your overall well-being. My approach is collaborative, warm, and grounded in humanistic and relational values. I’ve worked extensively with students and young adults, and I understand how transitional this stage of life can be. Therapy can help you understand yourself more deeply, cope with emotional challenges, and create meaningful change in your personal, academic, and professional life. My office is conveniently located just a short walk from the Red Line at Central Square, and easily accessible by bus. If you’re curious about starting therapy or wondering whether medication might be helpful, I’d be happy to talk with you about the next steps.
Whatever it is that has brought you here, welcome! I work with folks facing a range of issues, with a specialty in trauma, anxiety, family conflict, LGBTQIA+ identity, and relationship issues. If you experience stress from caring for/about others and our environment, I am ready to support you. I am a climate-aware therapist, meaning I recognize climate grief and eco-anxiety as legitimate responses to a global crisis and important areas of attention in therapy to help you better navigate our changing world. In therapy, I attend to ways in which the ideas, actions and policies in our communities, cultures and families can be sources of both pain and resilience. I am committed to providing queer- and LGBTQIA+ affirming care, and I believe in the collaborative exploration of all intersections of identity that feel important to you. My experience informs my work. My career in international humanitarian aid and gender-based violence lends a unique perspective to trauma-informed care. Trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, I bring neuroscience and the mind-body connection into therapy. Our work will explore how the body holds past experiences and how it can help you heal. I also support people in therapeutically integrating psychedelic experiences. I look forward to getting started!
Hello, I’m Ruolin Xie, an outpatient therapist at Orange Door Collaborative. Since earning my Master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis in 2016, I have provided psychotherapy and clinical support to individuals and families of diverse ages and cultural backgrounds. My clinical specialties include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex trauma, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), grief and loss, LGBTQ+ concerns, interpersonal and relational challenges, parenting stress, and cultural adjustment issues. In my practice, I strive to create an affirming, empowering, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, strength-based, and client-centered therapeutic space. I dedicate myself to bringing both compassionate presence and active collaboration, offering skill-building where appropriate, while actively listening to each person’s unique experiences. My approach integrates neuroscience-informed methods with a holistic mind-body philosophy, allowing for tailored treatment plans that support both effective symptom relief and meaningful, long-term healing. I offer both short-term therapy for immediate needs and longer-term therapy for trauma recovery and self-exploration. I am trained in a range of evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). As a multilingual clinician, I offer therapy in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. A quote that continues to resonate with me is from Leonard Cohen: “There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.” While I don’t seek to romanticize suffering — pain can be disorienting and deeply isolating—I believe that with skilled support, it is possible to uncover the human resilience, self-authenticity, and fierce self-compassion that emerge through healing. I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to help you explore whether working together feels like the right fit. Please feel free to reach out by phone or email—I'd be honored to support you on your path.
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.
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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.
Marisa Anderson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has recently started work at Crooked Tree after many years of experience working with adolescents and adults in outpatient agencies within the Boston area. In her work with clients, Marisa incorporates both strength-based and cognitive behavioral therapies to help facilitate and support a better sense of self, healthy relationships, and stress management skills. Currently, Marisa also works as a school clinician at Beacon High School in Watertown. Marisa received her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University.
Using an integrative approach, my therapeutic style is grounded in compassion, honesty, humor, and humility. I work with individuals of all ages, but specialize in working with college-age adults. Individual therapy sessions are provided for 45-minutes/session, usually scheduled on a weekly basis. These weekly sessions lay the foundation for a strong therapeutic relationship, help with learning new skills, and create important momentum so you can experience relief and reach your therapy goals. We will work together to acknowledge and understand your past experiences and begin to re-affirm your feelings of personal worth. I also provide full and partial psychological evaluations, diagnostic evaluations (ADHD, mood, anxiety, learning, autism, developmental disorders), and educational evaluations. Assessments can be structured to measure social functioning, personality, memory, language, learning, and attention, or to provide diagnostic clarity. Individualized recommendations provided will support and facilitate growth, helping to set the path for success.
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Phoenix Rising Centers breaks barriers in mental health care for BIPOC, QTPoC, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities. Through trauma-informed, anti-racist, and culturally rooted practices, we empower healing, growth, and resilience while confronting systemic inequities.
We don’t like uncertainty. It is tempting to grasp for the certainty of “everything is doomed” or “everything will be ok.” But a part of us remains unconvinced. It is hard to face the truth: I don’t know what is coming, only that my experience will keep changing and eventually end. There are many aspects of our experience that are hard to face. We aren’t meant to do this alone. I partner with my clients to walk together into this wilderness. I offer a kind, curious, nonjudgmental attention, with the intent of helping my clients to sort through thoughts, judgements, reactions, behaviors, and felt experience, so they can learn to care more skillfully for the parts of their experience that are outside of their control and to take decisive action in the areas of their life where they have agency. Over time, this relational practice builds solidity. It loosens the tight grip on “everything is doomed” or “everything will be ok,” and opens up “it will keep changing, and eventually end, and I trust in my capacity to feel and care for my experience, no matter what comes.”
Welcome! As a therapist, I strive to provide a safe space for clients to feel empowered, valued and respected while they engage in therapeutic exploration and reflection. I approach therapy with a person-centered and strengths-based lens, meaning regardless of age, I meet you where you are at in your therapy journey with compassion, authenticity and humor. I am dedicated to supporting you in your most vulnerable and challenging times while celebrating your inherent resiliency as well.
Accepting new clients! At the center of my work is the belief that healing happens through connection—therapy begins with a space that feels safe, compassionate, and authentically supportive. I work with adults and young adults who are navigating life changes, anxiety, depression, identity questions, relationship challenges, and the ongoing work of self-discovery. I am affirming of LGBTQ+ identities, supportive of neurodiverse experiences, and committed to practicing in ways that are inclusive, culturally attuned, and trauma-informed. My style is person-centered and strengths-focused, rooted in humanistic values. I support clients in making sense of their experiences, discovering meaning, and reconnecting with what matters most to them. In addition to my general practice, I also support caregivers, siblings, and parents of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering space for emotional processing and deeper understanding. I see therapy as a collaborative journey, an opportunity to explore meaning, reclaim personal narratives, and cultivate resilience. Each person brings their own wisdom, and I’m honored to walk alongside you as you move toward greater clarity. Please reach out with any questions you may have about the therapeutic process or working with me!