Therapists for college students near 02139

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.

Dr. Shelby Ortega is a clinical psychologist serving the North Shore and Metro Boston areas via Cambridge and Salem office locations. My approach is one characterized by warmth, humor, and the welcoming of diverse experiences, identities, and perspectives. I believe in tailoring the treatment to the unique needs of my clients and providing a safe space that is equally supportive and challenging. I offer individual psychotherapy for adolescents and adults, as well as couples therapy, clinical supervision, and consultation services. I enjoy working with people from all walks of life, and make every effort to help those I work with feel welcomed, engaged, supported, and respected. I work to provide a safe therapeutic frame that is inclusive of social and cultural context, and therefore, welcome discussions of issues related to oppression, privilege, and of course, intersectionality of complex identity statuses. My private practice work is enriched by my academic scholarship and teaching experiences. I believe this work is an asset to my role as a practitioner and I work to extend this benefit to the patients I serve. My specific interests and areas of expertise include the following: Anxiety, Depression and Mood Disorders Relationship and Intimacy Difficulties Identity Exploration Recovery from Trauma and Loss I have extensive training in multicultural mental health, identity development, adult attachment relationships and intimacy, and have also completed two fellowships in psychodynamic psychotherapy at Harvard Medical School. Presently, I serve as a Teaching Associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Psychological and Educational Consultant with Jernigan & Associates, LLC, and as an Advisory Board Member for the Psychology Department at Regis College.

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.

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.

I am a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW). My passion and focus is working with late adolescents and adults to navigate a wide range of issues including, work and school transitions, body image and food related matters, family conflict, depression, anxiety and general life stressors. My patients describe me as warm, direct and engaged. Finding a provider you're comfortable with can be an overwhelming process. I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation and typically recommend spending a few sessions to see if we work well together.

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My work is relationally based, and I additionally integrate the approaches of Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Internal Family Systems (IFS), which are both mind/body modalities. These approaches have been transformational for myself and many clients I have witnessed because they offer an orientation of radical openness and compassionate inquiry about all parts of your experience.

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.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) providing psychotherapy to individual adults, couples and groups. As a clinician, I prioritize collaboration, curiosity and inclusion. My treatment approach emphasizes a strong therapeutic relationship centered on your experiences and goals. I incorporate evidenced-based approaches into treatment that aligns with your needs -- including cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), psychodynamic, relational and solutions-focused methods. In addition to my private practice, I am a staff member in the Department of Psychiatry at a Boston hospital.

At the current time I am not *personally* accepting new clients because of having to only meet via telehealth. Our practice, however, is still accepting new clients. I've been working individually with college students since 2003. I specialize in the treatment of eating disorders/disordered eating, body image issues, and perfectionism, but also treat clients with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma histories/PTSD, relationship issues, family issues, life adjustment/transition issues.

I work with college students who are adjusting to the transition and stressors of academic life. I enjoy working with college students who need support around balancing academic and athletics. I also work with students who are dealing with family and relationship (friendship or romantic) conflict.

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!

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.”

Susan Lincoln is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who has focused her practice on facilitating wellness and healing, enhancing positive and productive relationships, and developing solutions to manage a variety of life stressors. As a therapist, Susan’s approach is to support ongoing personal growth and embrace life-long learning for individuals and families. Prior to joining Crooked Tree Counseling, Susan spent many years working with at-risk adolescents and worked for several years working in an outpatient clinic within a local teaching hospital. Susan has expertise and a strong focus in women’s health, victimization and recovery, survivorship, identity issues, life transitions, and self-care.

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.

Colin Cox is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who has recently joined the Crooked Tree Counseling team after many years working with children, adolescents, and families in acute psychiatric, community, and school settings. He has worked with populations from young adults to geriatric as a Crisis Clinician with South Shore Mental Health and as a postdoc fellow at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute. In his practice, Colin uses an ecological framework to understand each individual's experience and works to develop treatment goals collaboratively that are strength based and aligned with the client's values. Colin has experience using varied approaches from dialectical behavior therapy to acceptance and commitment therapy and looks forward to joining clients on their journey to find comfort and meaning in their lives. He earned a Ph.D in School Psychology from Northeastern University and has completed clinical training in both Massachusetts and Utah.

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!

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.

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.

Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or family conflict? You don’t have to face it alone. I specialize in helping adults work through overwhelming emotions, painful family dynamics, and the lasting effects of difficult or abusive relationships. Together, we process complex trauma, build healthier boundaries, and foster resilience, healing, and growth. I’m a licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts with over 10 years of experience. As a bilingual therapist (English & Spanish), I value the role that culture, identity, and lived experience play in shaping your mental health journey. My care is warm, collaborative, and culturally responsive, always tailored to your unique needs and goals. My approach is integrative, drawing from psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-informed care, mindfulness-based practices, solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, and attachment-based therapy. This flexibility allows us to use the approaches and strategies that best fit your circumstances. I am in-network with BCBS, Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, Tufts, and Optum. Let’s connect. I offer a free 15-minute consultation so you can share your needs, ask questions, and see if we’re a good fit.