Barbara R. Lewis, LICSW

About Me

A strong and collaborative therapeutic alliance is at the heart of successful treatment. Clients describe me as warm, direct, and nonjudgmental. I am primarily a psychodynamic therapist who also integrates attachment theory, mindfulness, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Therapy (AEDP), family systems frameworks, cognitive-behavioral, and narrative therapy. I coordinate with medication prescribers and other medical providers, resources or services as needed.

I earned my Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Simmons School of Social Work in 2012. I also received an MFA in Fiction Writing from Emerson College and a BA in English Literature from Wesleyan University. Prior to starting my private practice in September 2018, my clinical experience and training included:

• Individual and Couple Therapist in a private group practice and in an outpatient behavioral health department;
• Provider of outpatient and in-home clinical treatment for people impacted by postpartum depression/anxiety, difficult transition to parenthood, and concerns about infant/child bonding;
• Early Intervention social worker for infants and young children with developmental delays, and their families;
• Graduate Intern at a Boston-area college mental health counseling center;
• Graduate Intern at Faulkner/Brigham & Women’s Hospital Dual-Diagnosis Program.

I have experience and enjoy working with clients from diverse backgrounds, including LGBTQIA individuals/couples, BIPOC, and AAPI, as well as recent immigrants and international graduate students. Respect for my clients’ lived experience and innate strengths, and sensitivity to the toxic impact of systemic racism, homophobia/transphobia, and social injustice on mental health, infuses my practice. My background as a fiction writer and prior career as an editor (for media, higher education, technology, and finance) informs my work with people in a variety of professions seeking to manage job stress, nurture their creativity, and/or improve work-life balance.

My dedication to providing clients with optimal care requires a commitment to ongoing learning. Highlights of my post-graduate training include:

• Certificate, Couple Therapy Training Program, Psychodynamic Couple and Family Institute of New England (2018-20)
• Level II, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) (2018-2019), including Immersion intensive with Diana Fosha, PhD, developer of AEDP
• Behavioral Health Fellowship at Harvard Vanguard/Atrius Health, West Concord, MA (2013-14)
• Certificate of Advanced Training in Intensive Family Systems Therapy with Elizabeth Brenner, LICSW/Therapy Training Boston (2016-17)
• Certificate, CBT for Perinatal Emotional Complications (2017)
• Certificate, AEDP for Couples Hybrid Essential Skills Course (2018) with David Mars and Karen Pando Mars

My Approach

I believe that much of our experience is unconscious and outside of awareness. Therapy can bring these experiences to consciousness, creating new pathways for healing, growth, and living with intention. I work best with adults (22 and older) who are open to self-discovery and motivated to make changes that promote emotional and physical well-being. Often, my clients find that by learning to reduce reactive responses to stress, they increase their capacity to make conscious, authentic choices and feel a greater sense of ease and confidence in their ability to cope.

Together, we can explore how early emotional bonds and attachment experiences relate to challenges in your present life; identify and process unresolved feelings that underlie the repetition of unhelpful patterns; and consider habitual ways of coping that may be outdated and no longer helpful. I will support your development of self-awareness and self-compassion. Reducing reactivity and engaging more fully with the present moment — rather than ruminating on the past or worrying about the future — can support the growth of new neural pathways that foster emotional healing and vitality.

I provide treatment for individuals dealing with anxiety; depression; relationship and family issues; trauma; career and/or academic stress; the emotional impact of chronic medical conditions; and difficulty adjusting to major transitions, including grief, loss, and living in a pandemic. Some life changes that are positive can still cause significant stress and trigger symptoms of anxiety or depression. Some examples of “positive stressors” are the challenges of a new relationship; moving in with a partner or getting married; changing jobs or careers; beginning graduate studies, a new business, or a creative project; and the birth of a baby or fostering/adoption of a child.

Additionally, I have particular expertise treating people impacted by perinatal depression, anxiety, and/or OCD; as well as coping with infertility; fetal loss or termination; medical complications; and birth trauma. When a spouse or partner is involved, I often recommend including them in at least one session to build support for the birthing parent’s recovery. I also work with people pursuing adoption, surrogacy, and single parenting by choice. For parents confronted with the diagnosis of a child’s developmental delay or medical condition, or struggling with a child’s behavioral or emotional issues, I offer a combination of psychotherapy (individual or couple therapy) and parenting support.

In my work with couples, the focus is often to improve communication in order to identify underlying conflict and resolve emotional impasses; increase mutual empathy; process grief; discover and transform unhelpful behavioral patterns; explore disparities in libido/desire; and deepen intimacy. Therapy can provide the supportive, neutral space needed for a couple to assess their needs and desires; to explore how a new developmental stage in family life is impacting the relationship; to recover from an affair; and sometimes, to decide whether the relationship is still viable.

Policies

Sessions: Therapy sessions are typically weekly and scheduled for 50 minutes, unless we have arranged otherwise. The initial intake session is scheduled for 60 minutes. Couples sessions are 60 minutes.

COVID-19 Office Policy: As of August 2022, I am offering virtual sessions; in-person sessions are by pre-arrangement and only with clients who can verify they are fully vaccinated, as I am. Masks are required for all participants. This policy is subject to change, depending on guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Cambridge Board of Health.

My office is located in Harvard Square at 12 Arrow Street, Suite 210, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. The office is convenient to the Red Line T and bus lines. There is metered street parking along and near Mass Ave.

Payment:

• My fee is $200 per individual session ($220 for the initial intake session) and $250 per couple session.
• Depending on individual circumstances, I may negotiate a sliding-scale fee. As of August 2022, all of my sliding-scale “slots” are taken by current clients.
• Payment is due by personal or bank check at the end of each month. Please note I do not accept Venmo or similar payment, or credit cards.

Insurance. I am no longer an in-network provider with any insurance. If you have an insurance plan that offers out-of-network benefits,  I provide a monthly invoice for you to submit to your plan for reimbursement (typically, this is only a percentage of my fee).  It is your responsibility to confirm your benefits with your insurance company prior to our first session, and whenever your coverage changes.

Confidentiality. As required by law, ethical standards, and the nature of therapy, I protect the confidentiality of the therapeutic communication. I will not disclose confidential information without your written release, other than in exceptional circumstances involving self-harm or a risk of injury to others.

Cancellation.  If you must cancel your session, please do so at least 48 hours in advance of your appointment, so that this time may be offered to someone else seeking services. If you have missed or canceled an appointment with less than the 48-hour notice, unless it is due to hazardous weather or acute illness, you are responsible for payment of your entire fee. Note that insurance will not cover missed sessions, or sessions that begin more than 15 minutes late.

Getting Started

Before scheduling our initial session, I will arrange with you a time for a brief phone discussion, so that we can assess fit. If in my clinical judgment, I believe you would be better served by another therapist, I will do my best to provide you with referrals.

When we begin working together, the first two or three sessions are a time for me to learn about you, your current concerns as well as your history, and to formulate a treatment plan. Together, we will collaborate on how to prioritize your goals and focus your treatment. We will review this plan periodically, as your treatment progresses and goals may change.

Contact Me