Evidence-based therapy for adults living with anxiety, panic, and the patterns that keep them in place.
Anxiety is the most common reason adults seek therapy, and it is the area this practice is built around. Anxiety rarely arrives on its own. It attaches itself to work, health, relationships, parenting, fertility, grief, and decisions that feel impossible to make. Most people who reach out have been managing it for a long time before they call.
Treatment here is direct and structured. We identify what triggers the anxiety, what you currently do in response, and which of those responses are quietly keeping it going. From there we build a different set of responses and practice them until they hold up outside the session.
Anxiety shows up differently for different people. Several of these have their own page with more detail on how they are treated.
Sudden surges of fear with strong physical symptoms, and the avoidance that builds up around them.
Fear of being judged or scrutinized in work, social and performance situations.
Intrusive, unwanted thoughts and the compulsions or mental rituals used to neutralize them.
An extreme, irrational fear of specific objects or situations, such as heights, flying or animals.
An intense fear of places or situations where escape might be hard, or help unavailable, if panic sets in.
Excessive worry or fear about being apart from the people you share a deep emotional bond with.
Persistent, hard-to-control worry about everyday matters such as health, work, family and finances.
Support for grief that is painful but natural, and for grief that has become stuck and long-lasting.
The chronic strain of managing difficult relationship dynamics and parenting responsibilities at the same time.
Health anxiety and anxiety during fertility treatment are also common presentations in this practice.
An initial diagnostic session of 60 to 75 minutes. We cover your history, what brought you here now, what you have already tried, and what you want to be different. You leave with a working picture of what is happening and a plan for where to start.
We map your specific anxiety cycle: the trigger, the thought, the physical response, and the behavior that follows. Most people find this stage clarifying on its own, because the pattern becomes visible and predictable rather than random.
Sessions of 45 to 50 minutes in which we test new responses, review what happened between sessions, and adjust. Frequency and length of treatment are set by you and your goals, not by an insurance plan.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a core part of treatment here. It has the strongest evidence base for anxiety disorders, and it is practical: you learn to identify the thoughts driving the anxiety, test them against what actually happens, and change the behaviors that keep the cycle running.
Alongside CBT, treatment draws on solution-focused therapy, which builds on what is already working and sets small, specific goals, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), which teaches you to step back from anxious thoughts rather than get caught up in them. Exposure work is used for panic, phobias and OCD. The mix is chosen around you, drawing on more than 30 years of clinical practice.
Sessions are available in person at the Newton office or online anywhere in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Many clients use both, depending on the week.
In-person sessions by appointment at 1942 Washington Street, Suite 116 in the Auburndale section of Newton, convenient to Wellesley, Waltham, Watertown, Weston and Brookline.
Secure video sessions for residents of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including Boston, Providence, New Bedford and the surrounding areas.
Online therapy in Massachusetts ›
Online therapy in Rhode Island ›
It varies with the presentation and your goals. Focused CBT for a single anxiety problem such as panic disorder often runs in the range of 12 to 20 sessions. Longer-standing or more complex anxiety takes longer. Because this is a private-pay practice, the length of treatment is a clinical decision made between us rather than a number set by an insurer.
No. The initial session includes a diagnostic assessment, which is part of understanding what is happening and choosing the right treatment. Because this practice does not bill insurance, no diagnosis is reported to an insurer unless you choose to submit a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement.
For most anxiety presentations the research shows comparable outcomes. Some exposure-based work benefits from being in the room together, and where that is the case it is discussed directly. Many clients combine both formats.
No. This is a private-pay practice. Many clients with out-of-network benefits are reimbursed a portion of the fee by their insurer, and the practice provides the superbill needed to request it. Fees and insurance reimbursement ›
Complete the contact form and Nicole will review it personally to see whether the practice is a good fit, then reach out to book an initial consultation.
