Cynthia Christian LMHC

One of the most important components of the therapeutic relationship is the development of trust. A client needs to feel heard and understood and a therapist needs to validate their feelings and be non-judgmental. This fosters a space where a client can share what is on their mind and heart without fear of repercussions and provides the opportunity to process and work through what brought them to therapy.

I believe in being kind and seeing the goodness in others, in having compassion and empathy. Our humanity connects us through common experiences - we all have to navigate our teen years, leave home, perhaps get married and have children, take care of our aging parents, deal with grief and loss. My treatment philosophy focuses on identifying a client’s strengths, their support systems and resources, their interests and abilities. These strengths provide the foundation upon which strategies and skills can be built to improve a person’s sense of self and confidence to deal with whatever is going on in their life.

In the initial stages of therapy, a client will develop treatment goals on what they would like to change in their lives. The client will also envision what that will look like once it is achieved. Over time, we will reflect back together on those goals and talk about progress or shifts in feelings and perspectives and whether or not they feel they have met their goal.

• Massachusetts, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 9263

I have worked in Community Mental Health with children, adolescents and adults. During my time there, I became interested in infant mental health and shifted my focus to preventative interventions. I transitioned into Early Intervention to work with the birth to 3 population, which involves strengthening the parent/child relationship through strategies designed to support attachment, attunement, communication, parenting and overall development. I also counseled parents going through a variety of challenges - from anxiety, depression, stress, postpartum depression, marital stress, health concerns, divorce, grief and loss.