1040 Great Plain Avenue
3rd Floor, Suite A
Needham, MA 02492
781-449-4215
Psychotherapy and Coaching Services
For over twenty-five years, I have maintained a traditional psychotherapy practice. In recent years, it has become clear to me that many teens and adults need guidance to manage the stress of normal life transitions. Whether it is the complex college process, the experience of the empty nest, or post-college adjustment to the working world, transitions can be overwhelming. So now, in addition to traditional psychotherapy, I am offering short term coaching programs to address the challenges parents, teens and young adults face.
Changing Course- How to Meet Transitions with Resilience
I created the Changing Course program after witnessing the difficulties parents and young people were having in coping with key transitional moments. These services were designed to provide parents, teens, college students and young adults with the tools needed to successfully manage critical life transitions. Each program is taught one on one, and includes a total of 4-6 sessions. All programs were developed around SECRETS; the seven core elements of meeting transitions with resilience. (Self-exploration, Environmental influences, Communication skills, Resilience, Emotional awareness, Thought patterns and Stress reduction skills.) Some programs may include family sessions, and all include self-analysis tools, stress reduction activities, strategic exploration of strengths and areas for growth. These programs are not covered by health insurance.
I. The College Selection Challenge
- Do you wonder how your child will manage the college admissions process?
- Have you found that despite your conscious efforts to remain calm, you have been drawn into the college application frenzy?
- Are you unsure of what your role, as parent should be in the college process?
- Have the pressures of the college admissions process interfered with your parenting or marriage?
Learn more about the “Changing Course” programs for Parents with Teens facing the college selection process
Learn more about the “Changing Course” programs for Teens facing the College Selection process
II. Empty Nest/Marriage Challenge
- Does the notion of having an empty house worry or frighten you?
- Have you forgotten who you are after parenting for many years?
- Are you wondering how to let go and still stay connected?
Empty Nest/Marriage Challenge coaching can help you cope with this transition by helping you:
- Reflect on who you are after parenting for so many years, and who you want to be now that your role has changed.
- Stay connected to your child while allowing them the space to develop as an independent adult.
- Cultivate your relationship with your spouse.
- Reach out to find supports and interests outside the family.
Learn more about the “Changing Course” program for Empty Nesters
III. Post College Graduation Challenge
- Are you in your 20’s and feeling “adrift” or “lost” with no direction?
- Are you having difficulty finding a job and anxious about your future?
- Is your first job a big disappointment?
Post College Graduation Challenge coaching can help you to:
- Learn about yourself and what type of work/life will bring you fulfillment.
- Learn skills for coping with your stresses and emotions.
- Learn how to assess jobs that are the right fit for you and how to use current jobs to reach your ideal career situation.
Learn more about the “Changing Course” program for young adults post college
About Dr. Masterman:
I am licensed psychologist who sees clients from middle school age to adulthood in psychotherapy as well as coaching. My specialties include child and adolescent psychology. I evaluate and treat middle school children and adolescents with a wide range of difficulties. These include learning and attention issues, sibling and peer adjustment issues as well as more severe problems such as ADHD, mood and anxiety disorders. Many acting-out teens (substance abuse, eating disorders, or self-mutilating behavior) benefit from my expertise and therapeutic style. I have been able to make an alliance with many difficult teens that have consistently rejected help in the past.
In addition, I see many college students and adults who are working through periods of difficulty in their lives (depression, divorce, chronic illness, trauma survivors, strained marriages, parenting issues and mid-life challenges). More recently, I have developed an expertise in treating adults who have been estranged from family members, those adjusting to life post-divorce and parents struggling to come to terms with their children’s life choices.
My approach to therapy is greatly influenced by my background in developmental psychology. I approach each new client as a work in progress. I am always helping them to see the myriad of influences that affect their situation. Sometimes, I am their teacher. I educate them about the normal expectations for someone at their level of development; the characteristics of certain disorders and the probable course of treatment. Other times, I am their confidant. I listen carefully and empathetically to their interpretation of events, their mood states, and personal struggles. Finally, I am often their advisor. Following a period of more intense treatment, I frequently work intermittently with clients over longer periods of time. I find my work very rewarding, participating in a process where my clients gain the courage to look at themselves and make positive changes in their lives.
I received my B.S. in Human Development at Cornell University in 1977 and my M.S. and Ph.D. at the Ohio State University in 1983. I completed my psychology internship at The McLean Hospital. Prior to working in private practice, I was a Staff Psychologist at The Children’s Hospital in Boston, a Post-Doctoral Fellow at New England Memorial Hospital, and Chief Child Psychologist at Pembroke Hospital. I was a Fellow at Harvard Medical School and am currently on the medical staff at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham and on the Board of Directors of the Research Institute for Learning and Development.