Therapy for Divorce in Boston, Massachusetts

 How is individual therapy for divorce different from just "plain old" individual therapy?

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Divorce isn’t just paperwork and moving furniture — it’s an identity rupture. The life you thought you were building disappears, and with it goes a version of yourself you’d lived inside of for years. This stage of therapy isn’t about coping or “moving on.” It's equal parts identity work, attachment healing, grief, and recalibration all at once. The nervous system softens out of survival mode. We root out any old attachment patterns and pain. You get to feel all your anger without feeling like "too much".  And you have a caring other help you travel the winding road of grief. Understanding what happened between you and another person, yes, but also what’s happening now inside you.

My background in couples therapy matters here: I know the anatomy of connection, the subtle emotional mechanics that hold relationships together and pull them apart. So we don’t rush to “feel better.” We rebuild inner structure. We trace patterns, name losses, reclaim boundaries, and help you grow into the woman you’re becoming — not the one you had to be to survive. 

As an Emotionally Focused Individual Therapist (EFIT), I will help you access the emotions you graze over for the sake of your own sanity.  I slow it all down - so you can really feel what you feel without feeling you might spiral out of control.  We trace how the grief and pain shows up in your body, the tightness that's unrelenting - then we process through it to keep you from getting stuck.  Then piece by piece we help you choose the life that fits who you are now - a woman who's been through the fire and is ready to see what's next.

Being an older woman with a full, complex life gives me the ability to understand the nuances.  You don’t have to justify the ache of starting over, the fatigue of always holding it together, or the quiet panic of wondering, “Who am I now?” I’ve seen enough endings—both brutal and clarifying—to know how to navigate the space between loss and possibility.

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I don’t feel sad — I feel rage. Or numb. Or totally fine until I’m crying in the bathroom. One day I’m unstoppable; the next I’m a child. Will therapy even help?

Absofuckinglutely.

Our work together won’t be about “fixing” how you feel. Feeling our feelings allows us to lay them down, change them, or release them. I won’t tell you you’re “too much,” because I trust the biology of emotion. We’ll ride the waves together. When they crest uncomfortably—when you want to abandon yourself—I’ll hold you to riding them to the end. Then you’ll feel the lightness. I will hold the knowledge for you. Using EFIT, we’ll help you come home to your inner world, the one you’ve left neglected for too long. So that when you have to make a decision, you’re using your best knowledge bank to choose the path that takes you to places you love.

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How long does therapy usually last?​

Every person’s process looks different (helpful, right?). Some want a short-term, focused container for a specific issue. Others stay longer to do deeper identity work. We’ll figure out what fits your needs and check in regularly to keep therapy aligned with your goals.

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What if I’m afraid of being judged—for staying too long, leaving, or how I handled things?

No one goes through a divorce on their best behavior. That’s okay—you’ll never hear me judge the shoulda-coulda-woulda thoughts that come your way. If you’re not questioning, you’re not really living. We’ll have these conversations and uncover the emotions driving them. You get to feel sad, wish you’d made a different choice, and sit with it. Acknowledging what’s already there doesn’t make it bigger — it makes the regrets and shame smaller.

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What if I don’t know what I want yet—just that something needs to change?
So let's figure that out!  Some days standing upright is the change you need to see.  Other days, it might mean traveling to a place you've always wanted to visit. I'll be cheering you on each and every step of the way.

 

Do you assign homework?
I might ask you to try a new café or, when things are bad, take a short walk, but you’ll never see me asking you to do a thought exercise or a worksheet. I don’t think those things are really helpful when you’re in pain.

 

How do I now you're the right therapist for me?

The whole outcome of therapy relies on you feeling held (metaphorically) and felt by me, session by session. I take our alliance very seriously, and you’ll find me checking in about how you’re experiencing it from time to time. I’m a seasoned clinician, with life experience to match. I’m not shy about asking you to hover in the sad places because I know that’s what will bring relief.

Research backs up everything I do — from attachment theory to Emotionally Focused Therapy. I’ll help you rebuild an identity that exists beyond your marriage, job, or kids.

I’ve been lovingly called a heat-seeking missile because I don’t let my clients settle for anything less than the full experience of healing.

I want that for you, and I’m committed to it.

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Will we talk about legal, financial, or parenting issues?

We won’t be crunching numbers or parsing court papers. We will sit in the chest-tightening, gut-wrenching reality of it all: the nights you lie awake replaying every interaction, the sting of sending your ex money, the sharp, awkward dance of co-parenting when you can’t even stand the sight of each other. That’s part of therapy.