Therapists for college students near Harvard University

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Hello! My name is Heidi and I am a licensed psychologist. I have extensive experience helping young adults navigate a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem issues, life transitions, identity development, relationship concerns, and family conflict. I am especially passionate about working with young women with ADHD. My therapeutic style is defined by supportive challenge — helping you step outside of your own perspective while ensuring you feel deeply cared for. I strive to create a warm, collaborative, and non-judgmental environment that fosters trust. Through a blend of humor, validation, and compassionate regard, I will help you make sense of difficult experiences and create a roadmap for meaningful change.

Many people come to therapy wondering if they'll always feel this way. Anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, and complex PTSD can lead to automatic ways of thinking and responding that keep us feeling stuck. My approach focuses on helping you recognize these patterns without judgment, understand how they're affecting your life, and develop new ways of responding that create meaningful, lasting change. My treatment approach combines medication management with evidence-based psychotherapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and other evidence-based approaches, all tailored to your individual needs. I specialize in treating anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, PTSD, complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and dissociative disorders. I also work with clients experiencing academic stress, workplace stress, burnout, life transitions, relationship challenges, panic attacks, emotional regulation difficulties, and recovery from trauma. I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) providing psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapy for college students, graduate students, university faculty, university staff, adolescents, and adults. I currently work in outpatient psychiatry, provide emergency psychiatric services at South Shore Hospital, and see clients in my private practice in Brookline. Whether you are looking for therapy, medication management, or both, I strive to provide compassionate, collaborative care that helps you move beyond symptom relief and create lasting change. I also enjoy collaborating with therapists and other healthcare professionals to provide coordinated care. I offer in-person appointments in Brookline and telehealth throughout Massachusetts. I work with clients from all backgrounds and strive to create a warm, supportive, and judgment-free space where you can be yourself. Together, we'll work to better understand what's been getting in the way, build practical tools to help you feel better, and create meaningful, lasting change. My goal is to help you feel more like yourself again—not just get through each day, but truly thrive.

Therapy provides a space for you to process difficult feelings and situations. As a therapist, I help patients explore new ways of engaging with the world and with themselves. My goal is for patients to translate insights and skills into noticeable changes in their lives. My style balances pragmatism, humor, compassion, and curiosity. I treat a range of concerns, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, alcohol/substance use, relationship concerns, and life transitions. I draw on a range of theoretical approaches, emphasizing rootedness in the present moment and interpersonal connection.

Hello. If you are are struggling with depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, negative self-image, perfectionism, relationship difficulty, family conflict, or the question of how to stay steady, focused, and peaceful during this turbulent time, I will listen and work with you from a variety of therapeutic approaches so you may gain stability and self-acceptance and feel fully and meaningfully engaged in your life. I look forward to hearing from you.

Welcome! I work with students who are looking for support in navigating life transitions and the unique stressors of being a student. If you are experiencing existential anxiety, stress, motivation issues or creative blocks, challenging relationships with family, friends, or partners, and issues balancing workload and social life, you are so not alone. Together we will process experiences that may be impacting you, learn how to create and maintain boundaries, and figure out what it means to thrive during this time of your life. Searching for a therapist is a big step to take and finding a good fit can be challenging. I offer free consultation calls to see if it feels like a good fit. No matter where you are in your process, let's talk!

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.

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.

My name is Jeff Kerner and I practice outpatient psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, where I serve on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. I recently opened a private outpatient practice to expand my availability outside the MGH system. I believe strongly in a patient-centered approach to developing a comprehensive and individualized mental health treatment plan that often includes medication management, therapy, and lifestyle modifications. Please reach out if you have concerns about your mental health.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

My therapeutic approach is warm, gentle, collaborative, and compassionate. I use psychodynamic and person-centered approaches, along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), motivational interviewing and mindfulness. I work from a systems and relational lens, recognizing that our lives are shaped by developmental experiences, relationships, culture, lived experiences and the broader contexts in which we live and learn. I work collaboratively with clients to explore how these influences shape their sense of self and relationships. I work with adults of all ages, backgrounds, and identities. I support clients with mood disorders, anxiety, stress, trauma, grief, identity exploration, and relationship challenges. I especially enjoy working with young adults, immigrants/international clients, and people navigating family conflict, acculturation, and career or academic pressure. Growing up in a community-oriented culture in India, I learned the value of mutual support and interdependence, which continues to shape my therapeutic style. Together, we would explore both your inner self and the systems around you, identifying sources of strength and support within yourself, as well as within your relationships and communities.

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.

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.

I am passionate about reducing stigma around mental health and creating a supportive space for all clients. I strongly believe in meeting clients where they are and collaborating with them to create an environment that is most conducive to meeting their therapeutic goals. Additionally, I value the importance of trust in the therapeutic relationship, and I strive to understand my clients’ identities and experiences while exploring their strengths. My passion is working with young adults experiencing anxiety, general stress, interpersonal relationship and family challenges, as well as work or school challenges. I like to work collaboratively with clients, and I welcome open feedback around the therapeutic relationship and process. I am committed to self-reflection and growing in this field to better serve my clients and community. If you think I may be a good fit for you, please reach out. I understand starting therapy can be challenging, and I am here to help with the process. Additionally, many clinicians in our small practice are accepting new clients, and I am happy to provide a referral if you feel I am not be the best match for you.

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.

Depth. Strategy. Lasting Change. I provide therapy and coaching for deep thinkers navigating executive function, overwhelm, or relational patterns that no longer serve them.

I have loved working with students since 1987. The process of discovering one’s authentic self can be exhilarating and the rewards are exponential. My approach focuses on strengths, augmenting the health that is already present. Learning how to see one’s self (and the world) in this way is a courageous and creative process. By recognizing patterns in relating — to one’s self and others— there’s a clearer sense of what’s precious to you, what gets in the way, and how you can realistically be your best self. While I have experience with the whole range of human problems, I work well with folks who enjoy being playful and creative. I think laughing together in therapy is essential, for many reasons. My formal training is in intensive individual and family therapy specializing in trauma and adolescence. From 1994-2000 I ran the trauma service and psychology training on the adolescent unit at McLean Hospital, teaching and training Harvard residents and post-docs. I am psychoanalytically trained (PhD from University of Michigan, and I’m a graduate of Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute), but I have a deep appreciation for mind-body holistic health, I have also been a professional dancer and artist— which is probably why I favor creativity as the best coping strategy. You should probably know my dog is my co-pilot. Lucky, my goldendoodle, works with me and really loves his job, but if you'd rather we work alone that's ok too.

People seek psychotherapy for different reasons. You may want to address symptoms of depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem, feelings of distress, vulnerability, or isolation. You may be searching for greater meaning, connection, authenticity, and empowerment in your daily interactions. Therapy can help reveal and change patterns that inhibit or undermine living the life you desire. In a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship, we can create conditions for growth, challenge ways of seeing, process painful experiences, and increase your awareness and acceptance of different parts of yourself. I take a relational therapeutic approach and integrate methods that promote insight, emotional awareness, and motivation for behavioral change. Through my training and education at Harvard and Boston Universities, I developed expertise in treating anxiety disorders, trauma and loss, and in helping people identify and strengthen their sources of resilience. It can be an uncomfortable endeavor to start therapy for the first time or again. Building comfort and trust in relationship is one of the first things you and I would work on together. I welcome your questions and input from the start and throughout the process. Please feel free to get in touch.

Are you looking to find relief from your daily struggles? A nurturing therapeutic relationship can help you uncover the self-love, acceptance, and resilience needed to grow and change. With deep respect for your uniqueness and wisdom, this relationship can inspire and act as the catalyst for progress. My work with clients focuses on cultivating emotional intelligence and fostering a deeper understanding of underlying experiences and core beliefs. I work with young adults and adults who are navigating the complexities of ADHD, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and the unique nuances of women’s health. As a holistic therapist, I draw from expressive arts therapy, somatic experiencing, parts work, and guided meditation. This integrative style allows us to move beyond talk therapy, tapping into your subconscious and creativity as powerful tools for transformation. I offer concrete and easily applicable methods for healing and connection. I am passionate about self-discovery and helping you to be the most authentic and aligned version of yourself. My practice is LGBTQ+ affirming and inclusive of all backgrounds. Together, we’ll create a path forward that honors who you are and where you want to go. I invite you to connect and take the first steps towards a more joyful experience of life.

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!