Therapy for Young Adults and Adults on the North Shore, MA
Specializing in Young Adults, Young Professionals, College/Graduate Students and Caregivers
Online and In-Person Therapy
Immigration Evaluations for Adolescents & Adults in MA, CT and VT
A trusted therapist on the North Shore, MA
Things don’t feel right
You feel like this phase of your life should be filled with excitement and relief but instead you find yourself feeling worried, lonely, sad and filled with self-doubt. Your mind seems to switch between feeling chaotic and feeling empty. Sometimes, you fantasize about hiding from the world or somehow running away from your life entirely. You are trying harder than ever to feel grateful for what you have, yet gratitude alone is not enough to make you feel whole. You are left with soul-crushing guilt and shame.
You desperately want to pour your heart out and have someone truly know how you feel, yet you shut down whenever you have a chance to share this rawness with someone else. It is embarrassing to be struggling and you worry that if anyone knew how you felt inside, they would think less of you. You wish that someone could reach out and rescue you from your thoughts and yet asking for help feels unimaginably awkward. Instead, you find yourself numb and tuned out, scrolling through your life and feeling like the world is spinning around you while you are stuck.
You are ready for a real change
You have started to worry that you are losing control, that this is not just a hard phase, that you might not get better on your own and that there may be something fundamentally wrong with you. You are worried you might not be able to fix anything at all. You wonder how much longer you can go on like this. You fear you will miss out on what should be the best years of your life. You are ready for a change.
My name is Michelle, I am a therapist on the North Shore, MA and I can help
Michelle Butman Collins, LICSW - Specializing in Young Adults & College/Graduate Students on the North Shore of MA
I help young adults and adults who feel lost and numb rediscover meaning, purpose and connection, even during very challenging times in life. And especially during times in life that you thought would feel different/better. Together, we will get clear on how you want your life to look and feel and we will create a plan to ensure the important parts of that vision become a reality. We will learn how to outsmart the thoughts and feelings that sabotage you. After therapy, you will feel better about your life, you will find it easier to make decisions and you will feel more settled in relationships. You will also understand how you made these important changes so that you have confidence that you can get through future challenges.
I have been helping people make the changes needed to navigate transitions in their lives for nearly twenty years with compassion and thoughtfulness. If you worry that therapy will not be enough to help you, you can trust that I am both creative and determined. I will help you find your steadiness by understanding how to work with your fears instead of scrambling to hide them from others and even from yourself. We will work together to find the pace of therapy that works best for you and we will check in often to ensure our time together is meeting your needs both in and between sessions.
I meet with individuals online or in-person on the North Shore, I work with people of all genders and cultures and I am strongly aware of the impact that trauma can have throughout life. I make sure that we have room for laughter, because laughter always heals and connects.
Contact me for a free consultation for therapy on the North Shore of MA
If you are ready to start living the life you desire, contact me for a free 15-minute consultation. We will talk on the phone and I can let you know if I can be of help and what to expect. No need to worry about knowing what to say, I will guide us through the brief steps to connect . If I am not the right person for you, I will do my best to get you to the right person.
Click below for your free 15-minute phone consultation for therapy on the north shore, MA. My specialties include young adults/young professionals, college/graduate students, adults and caregivers. I have extensive experience working with anxiety, depression, insomnia, grief, trauma and life transitions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy on the North Shore, MA
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I am what is considered an out of network provider, meaning I do not contract directly with any insurance companies at this time. You will be responsible for the full session fee (typically $180). Many insurance companies have out of network coverage and can reimburse you for a portion of this. I work with a company that helps you navigate the reimbursement process if desired.
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Absolutely! I admit that when the pandemic hit and therapy had to move online, I was skeptical. Yet personal experience and then co-authoring a research paper on the topic showed me and many others that online therapy can be as effective, if not more effective for some individuals. If you prefer face-to-face for any reason, it is always really nice to have that connection. Yet if your schedule, the commute or simply your preference is to meet online, you can trust you will get the same great outcomes.
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Research has shown again and again that the quality of the relationship with a therapist is actually a better predictor of success in therapy than other features like degree, therapeutic approach and more. There are certainly instances when those details matter and the specifics count, but most of the time, finding someone who resonates with you is going to get you what you need.
You can read more about my specific background and approach on my About Me page. We start with a (free) phone consultation so I can get a general sense of what help you are looking for and if that is something I feel prepared to provide. If not, I will refer you to a colleague who may be able to help better than me.
If we appear to be a fit, we will try it out for the first few sessions! You will likely know within a couple sessions whether or not I feel like a good fit to you.
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Yes! There are no issues like prior authorization needed for therapy with me. You do not need a recommendation from your doctor or anyone else. Wanting to feel different emotionally is enough to get started directly!
In-person and online options for therapy on the North Shore, MA
My office is conveniently located north of Boston. Can’t make it into the office? No worries – I can see you for online therapy/telehealth anywhere in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Vermont.