Therapist in Boston area?

April 30, 2009 4:52 PM

Can you recommend a therapist in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville? More details of what I need help with inside.

Usually, I feel pretty good, but there are times when I kind of lose it for no real reason. I've been thinking off and on about therapy for over a year, and I've decided that it's time to actually do it. I just moved to the area, and I don't have a doctor here yet, so I'm not really sure where to start looking.

I was diagnosed with dysthymia several years ago, and I am still taking antidepressants as prescribed by my doctor back in my old town. They work pretty well, for the most part. My lifestyle is fairly healthy - I eat well, exercise hard five times a week, and get plenty of sleep, and that also works pretty well, for the most part. My work and home life are satisfying, and I have some wonderful relationships.

Every now and then, though - maybe a couple times a month, sometimes more - I just break down and feel fat and stupid and ugly and crazy. That's the best I can put it. My self-esteem just falls through the floor. It doesn't appear to be related to hormones. It's not always related to body image, but it often is.

A close family member died a few months ago, too, and although I feel like I'm generally handling that well, that's something that I'd want to talk about in therapy.

Additionally, in the past I've had issues with disordered eating and self-injury, neither of which I've brought up to past doctors/therapists. Neither are a problem now, but I wouldn't call myself 100% cured, and it might help me to have a therapist with experience in those areas.

I live in Somerville and rely on public transportation, so the more convenient the better. I do have insurance, but am not completely sure how much of this it'll cover.

Throwaway email address is [e-mail]. Thanks for your help!

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (4 comments total)

The Danielsen Institute at Boston University always treated me well. My therapist there moved on-- a lot of their staffers are in training-- but everyone always seemed very well-informed and very empathetic.

While there are religious folks on staff (BU has a theology school), their focus isn't specifically religious unless the client wants that, and the closest my therapist and I ever got to anything spiritual was discussing Tori Amos albums relative to my damage.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 5:04 PM on April 30

I'm guessing that you're female. If so, I can highly recommend the Women's Mental Health Collective. They're right on the Cambridge/Somerville border, about a block away from the Porter T station.

Good luck.
posted by keever at 7:09 PM on April 30

This may be a helpful thread. I can personally recommend Eve Goldfarb, she's very warm and perceptive in my opinion. I've also seen Melinda Mancini and like her a lot, she is mentioned in this thread which may also be useful to you. Melinda has also recommended Neil Murray to me, who I haven't seen yet so I can't personally vouch for.

Good luck!
posted by dubitable at 6:27 AM on May 1

I can definitely recommend my therapist, who is in Cambridge, a walkable distance from Porter Square. MeMail me for details if you are interested. I have recommended him to other AskMe questioners previously.
posted by briank at 6:49 AM on May 1