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Why Choose Merrimack Valley Psychological Associates?
- Compassionate Care: Supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families through life’s challenges.
- Convenient Location: Supporting individuals in Andover, Lawrence, North Andover, and beyond.
- Skilled Therapists: Youthful, professional, and empathetic counselors dedicated to making you feel welcome and comfortable while helping you achieve your unique goals.
Flexible Therapy Options
- Teletherapy: Comfortable sessions from your home.
- In-Person Counseling: A welcoming environment in our Andover office.
Give Us a Call at (978) 482–7351
Group and Individual Counseling in Andover
At our practice, we can help you navigate whatever challenges you may encounter. From helping individuals discover ways to manage difficult or new changes to helping couples navigate the ups and downs of life, our Andover therapists are here for you.
Our practice focuses on the needs of:
- Teenagers: During adolescence, teenagers face an abundance of emotional, behavioral and environmental changes. Our youthful team specializes in relating to teens so they can open up and talk through their problems.
- Individuals: From children to adults, sometimes it takes a compassionate listener with professional knowledge for help with life’s difficulties.
- Families: Our Andover therapists work with families to develop vital communication skills and cope with complex family conflicts.
- Couples: Learn how to rebuild the foundations of a healthy relationship and speak with sincerity and respect.
Counseling Services for Mental Health Challenges in Andover
Every individual is unique, which is why we offer a variety of counseling services to help patients from the age of 12 through later adulthood. Whether you visit our counseling center or schedule a teleconferencing service from the comfort of your home, you’ll have access to compassionate, licensed clinicians. Here are just a few of the services we provide to patients in need of therapy in Andover and the surrounding communities:
Anxiety Counseling
Too often, pervasive feelings of fear and worry go unchecked and undiagnosed. Allow our compassionate team to work with you, examine your anxiety and help you develop healthy coping skills to keep these often overwhelming feelings in check.
Depression Counseling
Depression is a serious mental health concern that affects millions of Americans. If you or your child have felt sad for a long time and it’s interfering with everyday life, our team is here to help you find the path to hope and healing.
Stress Management
Stress is a normal biological reaction. Yet, sometimes, it reaches the point where enough is enough. If stress impacts your emotional, mental and physical health, our team can provide coping mechanisms to minimize problematic stress.
Addiction Resources
Addiction is a serious disease with cravings that are often unbearable. If you struggle with drug, alcohol or technology addiction, our highly skilled therapists are here for you.
Learning Disabilities
There are many successful people with learning disabilities. Counseling addresses the frustrations and stress associated with learning disabilities so you or your child can find a healthy path into a brighter future.
Managing Anger
Whether directed outward toward others or inward in acts of self-harm, anger is a powerful emotional response. We can help you discover the source and learn healthy ways to manage anger.
Grief and Loss
The loss of a loved one is a traumatic experience few people are prepared to face. If you’re experiencing grief or loss, share your struggles with our team so we can help you find renewed hope and solace.
Therapeutic Approaches
The counselors in our Andover practice specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), person-centered therapy and a variety of other proven techniques, allowing us to find an individualized treatment method for your unique needs. Learn more about some of the approaches we use:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is a form of talk therapy that helps individuals identify negative thinking patterns and replace them with healthier ways of thinking. CBT also helps clients set goals to cope with life’s difficulties in productive ways.
With CBT, your therapist will guide you as you recognize harmful thoughts and help you understand how these thoughts may contribute to anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns. Your counselor will also teach you different coping skills to empower you to handle challenges with a new perspective and greater confidence.
CBT is shown to be effective for treating anxiety disorders, depression, substance use disorders, eating disorders and many other mental health conditions. Depending on your needs, your therapist may combine CBT with other therapeutic methods. Either way, your counselor will work with you to develop a treatment strategy that will help you most.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, is designed to help individuals understand their emotions in a nonjudgmental way. It encourages patients to be in the present instead of thinking about the past or worrying about the future.
One of the unique benefits of DBT is learning mindfulness skills. Mindfulness skills allow you to slow down and focus on the present so you can recognize what you’re feeling, thinking and sensing before taking action. These skills can help you stay calm and feel less overwhelmed when issues in life or relationships arise. Mindfulness can also help you avoid impulsive behaviors and negative thinking.
DBT is often used to help individuals with borderline personality disorder, eating disorders and substance use disorders. But it can be tailored to help anyone who struggles with regulating emotions. Being able to regulate your emotions means you can cope with intense feelings like sadness or anger in a positive or productive way.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing is a counseling technique that aims to help a person feel motivated to change negative behaviors. With motivational interviewing, the counselor will listen to you with empathy and strive to understand what’s important to you. They will help you discover your reasons to change harmful behaviors and help you explore your concerns, hopes and dreams. When you’re ready, your therapist will collaborate with you to set meaningful goals and design a treatment plan that works for you.
Traditionally, motivational interviewing was used to help individuals with substance use disorders explore obstacles holding them back from recovery. Today, motivational interviewing is used to help any person who wants assistance finding reasons to develop and reach healthy goals.
Person-Centered Therapy
Person-centered therapy is a type of talk therapy. With this approach, therapists focus on creating a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where clients can feel safe sharing their thoughts and feelings. It’s the counselor’s goal to make the client feel accepted, no matter what they’re going through. By offering an empathetic ear, therapists can help clients gain a better understanding of themselves.
Person-centered therapy may be used alone or with other therapeutic approaches. It can help anyone who wants to develop a strong sense of identity and greater confidence.
When Is It Time to Seek Help for Mental Health?
If you’re not feeling quite like yourself but don’t know whether you need therapy, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you feel unable to control sadness or anger?
- Are you using substances to cope with painful emotions and feel unable to stop these behaviors?
- Have you experienced something traumatic?
- Have you lost someone or something you care about?
- Do you feel unable to do the things you once enjoyed?
- Do you feel overwhelmed by stress, life events or problems?
If you’ve answered yes to some or all of these questions, now is the right time to seek help from a caring and highly skilled psychologist. No matter what kinds of challenges or difficult emotions you’re facing, our professionals are here to support your mental health. We are committed to connecting with our patients and creating counseling plans based on your specific needs.
Discover Individualized Therapy in Andover
Whether you feel overwhelmed by stress, rely on substances to cope with painful emotions or experience the pain of losing someone you love, our caring psychologists can teach you coping skills and provide the professional support you need to better manage your mental health.