Individual Counseling
Counseling can help those who need to stop and turn within.
Whether related to mental health, relationships, or trauma recovery, our defenses to pain and discomfort can run our lives, keeping us stuck in reactionary responses to suffering rather than empowered in our choices for life and growth. Boston counseling encourages you to consider yourself, what you want, what you need, and what choices you have.
Rather than contributing to existing cycles of pain and defense, therapists offer a non-reactive ear, one geared toward finding the truth and offering a compassionate, informed, and honest perspective. Many have never experienced the power of a relationship that is professional in its boundaries, philosophical in its outlook, kind in its approach, humble in its assessments, honest in its vulnerability, and firm in its push toward healing and growth.
We believe in the power of relationship, and we strive to embody the kind and safe mirror many need to search within themselves for answers. We strive to listen with compassion and to speak the truth without favor or fear.
Therapists aren’t magicians; we cannot simply make things better for you. But we can enter into a relationship with you that can provide bountiful insight, information, tools, and feedback. We can work together with you in Boston to help you find profound experiences of insight, healing, and transformation.
Schedule a free, 15-minute, phone consultation to see if we’re the right fit for you.
Individual counseling is a relationship between you and a licensed therapist.
We use the term “relationship” to describe individual counseling, because we believe that much of the help of therapy comes from the mutual trust, respect, care, and insight of a unique connection. The Boston therapist is a professional licensed by the state of Massachusetts whose sole purpose is to connect with and understand you - specifically you. Not some case study or diagnosis or set of symptoms. You, the unique and complex individual that you are.
The counseling relationship is different from every other relationship you might have in your life, and it comes with its own unique set of boundaries and challenges. We often spend time helping our clients understand the relationship, how it functions, and how to get the most out of it.
Why do people seek help from a Boston therapist?
People seek help when they are in pain. Pain takes myriad forms and can sometimes be hidden. We are programmed to push through the pain in the interest of survival, so it’s not uncommon for people to go years without the help and support they need. People seek help when they are tired of pushing through and are ready to search within for healing and change.
They often come to address specific issues like:
Depression & hopelessness - major and minor, covert and overt
Anxiety
Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder
Chronic stress
ADHD and other attention issues
Personality issues like borderline or narcissistic personality
Complex mood disorders like bipolar disorder
Sexual dysfunction
Young adult and college student issues
Divorce
Religious trauma and/or de-construction
As we begin to address these issues, people often find immediate relief simply by having a place to share their thoughts and feelings. Individual therapy is a unique and purposeful relationship wherein people can explore their issues and find some sense of direction for how to help themselves.
How does a therapeutic relationship help?
The help of a Boston therapist is varied and dependent on your needs, but you can expect to find insight, clarity of choice, and personal empowerment.
1. Relationship leads to insight
It is hard to see yourself clearly without a mirror. But even mirrors can be deceiving. It can be easier to see yourself clearly when someone you trust gives you their perspective, honest feedback on the things that matter to you. This relationship is the heart of psychotherapy; it provides you with someone who can offer you something that is impossible to find without another pair of caring eyes. Oftentimes, the perspective of a trained psychotherapist who cares, brings objectivity to uncaring and subjective interpretations.
2. Insight leads to choice
When you gain insight and perspective, your choices become clearer. Therapists are not meant to tell you what to do, how to live, or what to believe. We are helpers with a unique role; we offer insight so you can choose with more clarity and less fear. When your choices are clear, you can feel empowered to change in the ways you choose, to walk the path you choose, to be the person you choose to be.
3. Choice leads to power
As you learn to make choices out of a special insight, life often feels less scary. We cannot control what happens to us. We cannot choose our emotions or our circumstances, but we can choose our reactions and our next steps. In person therapy in Boston, in particular, is empowering, as we help you find the power to act within the choices you have been given.
4. Power leads to change
Although your choices may be limited, choosing is an act of revolution. We strive to empower our clients to better understand their inherent power to change, and in so doing, change everything around them.
What can you expect from us?
Understanding how the therapy relationship works is vital to its success. We strive to provide the highest quality care possible through the implementation of relational and other evidence-based tools. And the highest quality care comes with certain expectations.
1. We are kind and compassionate as well as knowledgeable
We operate from a stance we call “therapeutic warmth.” Others call it “unconditional positive regard.” They both mean that we want to see the best in you, and we strive to operate from a perspective that, above all, upholds your dignity and humanity. We are experts in our field, highly trained and educated, but we do not sacrifice compassion for expertise.
2. We are philosophers first and scientists second
We are humanists, and we strive to embody the principles of humanism - compassion, dignity, autonomy, authenticity, and reason with evidence. We believe that evidence-based practice is important, so we will provide information and tools based on evidence. But we also believe that the relationship between counselor and client is more important than the tools we offer and that the philosophies that lead people to have good lives are deeply rooted in myriad wisdoms as well as science. We educate ourselves on science and philosophy.
3. We are active participants in therapy
We don’t believe in “head-nodding” therapy - smiling and nodding and only asking how something makes you feel. We think and feel out loud with you. We support and challenge you. We offer perspectives based in science and philosophy without forcing it upon you. We participate, and we expect you to participate as well. In addition, we are active consumers of therapy ourselves, constantly trying to learn and grow.
4. We provide honest and humble assessments of your situation and a plan for action
You can expect to receive information about your situation. If we think you meet the criteria for a specific mental health diagnosis, we will share that opinion with you and provide you with all of the information you need to agree or disagree with that opinion. We believe that diagnosis is a collaborative process that requires intimate knowledge and long-term observation of a client to be accurate. Once we agree on the best way to understand your situation, diagnosis or not, we will collaboratively develop a plan for action.
5. We will plan your treatment and refer when needed
The modern psychotherapist office is often the headquarters of client healthcare. We are not medical doctors, so we cannot prescribe medications or diagnose medical conditions, but we can work with other providers who can. We do diagnose mental health conditions and work with local Boston psychiatrists who help manage medications. We also offer a detailed treatment plan to help you coordinate your care with the many professionals in your life.
6. We make ourselves available within healthy boundaries
Although we are not crisis counselors in Boston and cannot be available 24 hours a day, we do respond to your messages. We want to hear what you are thinking and feeling in an effort to understand how your life works. Sometimes we will only respond with a short message acknowledging that we got what you sent. Other times, we will write you letters full of our thoughts and hopes for you. We strive to be as available to you as you need, within the healthy boundaries necessary for us to be available to all of our clients and our own loved ones.
7. We are professionals who keep your information confidential
We are professionals who are licensed by the state and are thus compelled to follow all health care laws and ethical standards related to our practice. We also adhere to our own high standards of practice, and we work hard to ensure you feel safe sharing your story with us. For more information about our privacy practices, please click here.
8. We collaborate with you and want your feedback
Therapy is only as helpful as you deem it to be helpful. If you are not feeling helped, we want to know. If you think we should do something differently, we want to hear about your thoughts. Successful counseling is a collaboration between you and us, and we build your treatment plan together with you rather than deliver one to you.
What do we expect from you?
1. Tell us everything
Psychotherapy is the “talking cure.” We encourage you to simply start talking. You may come prepared with detailed thoughts or notes about what you want to discuss. You may be unsure of what to discuss. In both instances, we will talk with you about whatever is on your mind and use where we begin to help you find the insight you need. Do not worry about where to start. We will strive to get somewhere helpful.
2. Share your feelings (especially ones about us)
A big part of the success of therapy hinges on moments wherein you express your feelings. Many clients find that our office space in Boston is the only place they can emote some of their more difficult emotions. Although not necessarily the entire point of therapy, having a safe place to feel can be hugely beneficial. In addition, because we work from a relational perspective, we believe it is important for you to be open about how you feel about us. We encourage you to discuss your feelings about us with us, so we can better tailor the therapy to your unique needs.
3. Show up
Therapy cannot help you if you do not attend. The days where you feel like you have nothing to talk about are often some of the most productive therapy sessions, because it gives us an opportunity to gain insight into who you are, not just what is happening in your life currently.
4. Engage
We only work with clients who want psychotherapy. Although showing up is important, we also expect that our clients want to work on themselves. You may struggle to engage, and we will work with you in the struggle. But we will encourage clients to seek different services if they are unable to engage therapy as intended. Engagement often means just show up and start talking. But we might also decide together that you should read what we suggest, complete homework, and/or attempt other meaningful activities inside and outside of our offices in Boston.
5. Ask questions
Many clients feel like they cannot ask questions about their therapist. Although we may choose not to share personal details with you, we never scoff at questions. We want you to feel safe and comfortable with us, and we will reveal as much as needed to accomplish this safety and trust.
Is Kinsey & Associates the right fit for me?
We connect with many people from many different places and walks of life. We have worked with people from all over the world with different ethnicities, creeds, and religions. And we are committed to knowing you and your challenges.
We encourage you to browse the profiles of our therapists to learn more about them, to see which of us might be a good fit for you. We are also happy to offer a free, 15-minute, phone consultation to help you decide.
Contact us to help you determine if we are the right fit for you, or schedule a consultation online.