A Word From Maya

I love being a psychotherapist. From a very young age, I knew my life’s work would revolve around helping others. That early intuition has translated into a practice of helping people live a life of authenticity and ease. It’s the heart of my work. We all need a safe and supportive place to feel heard, move through challenges, and develop insights that can lead to life changing transformation. I truly believe we are all on this journey together. It’s like Ram Das said, We are all just walking each other home and while we have unique experiences and pains, there is also something universal inside each of us that can support and facilitate our own healing. I know from my own experience – and from the experiences of so many – that compassion, patience and sacred witness is the key to our healing path. My commitment as a therapist is to assist you on feeling that compassion from within yourself as well as within your relationships.

I received my master's degree in social work from Simmons College School of Social Work in 2000 and spent my time being trained in many different settings. These included partial hospitalization programs, community mental health centers, and college mental health departments. It was an amazing time of learning for me. In each setting, I discovered something new about people's struggles and the impact of trauma.  After receiving my master's, I embraced my work as therapist in a community mental health center. Through this work, I was made keenly aware of the interconnection and impact of community and worked with individuals who were navigating current and past trauma, discrimination, and limited resources. 

My next transition immersed me in college mental health at MIT where I worked as a psychotherapist for almost 12 years. I did therapy with students and faculty, individually and in groups, and provided grief/trauma recovery work for the community.  In addition, I was actively involved in the LGBTQ+ community, offering therapy for individuals and groups, and providing consultation and advocacy.  It was an exciting atmosphere with a lot happening all at once. Since I had done extensive training on mindfulness oriented therapies, including MBCT and DBT, I offered groups and workshops on mindfulness at MIT as well as in my private practice.  I received invaluable consultation from psychologist Chris Germer, PhD of the Institute of Meditation and Psychotherapy, and presented at their annual conference on Mindfulness and Psychotherapy.

Through much of this time, I was also working in my private practice with individuals and couples and began to realize I had a strong yearning for something that could support a deeper level of healing. I began hearing about Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) and followed the path to become a Certified IFS Therapist.  I took the IFS level 1 training in 2011 and have since completed all modules - levels 1, 2, and 3 as well as ancillary workshops such as IFS, Trauma, and Legacy Burdens, IFS and Buddhism, IFS and Shamanism, and IFS and Nature. 

My other love and passion is working with people in their relationships. When I work with couples, I draw mostly from a model I am trained in called Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO), developed by Toni Herbine-Blank, MS, RN, Cs-P.  Based on the IFS model, it has been crafted to be used for work with couples. Learning and working with IFIO has been thrilling for me, as I find it to be one of the most effective models for helping couples find success in their relationships.

After all of these years, I find my approach to be eclectic and integrative. I draw on these many modalities and experiences but have a primary focus on IFS and IFIO. I truly believe that when we come into our center and begin to live from a place of calm, clarity and compassion, we are able to witness our truth and heal.

It would be my honor to support you on your path.