Mental Health Therapist Near Dover, MA
Have you ever noticed that you feel like a completely different person depending on who’s in the room? Confident in one meeting, small in the next. Calm with your friends, and then one look from your partner and you’re 12 years old again.
Most people who reach out to me aren’t in crisis. From the outside, things look good. Inside, there’s a quiet sense that you have to keep proving something, or that if you get it wrong, people will pull away.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken. Your nervous system learned a way to keep you safe, and it’s still doing its job. Now it might be time to look at it together.
I’m Vickey Easa, a Massachusetts Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with nearly 20 years of experience as a mental health therapist. I see adults and couples from Dover at my office in Norwood, and I also offer online therapy throughout Massachusetts and New York.
Individual Therapy in Dover, MA
A lot of the adults I work with are measuring themselves all day long without realizing it. How did I do today? Did I get enough done? What do they think of me? Do I look like I have it together?
I call those outside sources of esteem, and I break them down with something I call E.A.S.A.: Esteem (how I feel about myself today), Achievements, Society (what other people think), and Attributes & Assets (how I look, what I have). When your value is tied to any of those, it goes up and down with them. That’s exhausting.
In individual therapy, we work on something steadier: self-worth, not self-esteem. Self-worth is the sense that you matter simply because you exist. You don’t have to earn it. You already have it. Most of us just lost track of it somewhere along the way.
I use Parts Work in everything I do. So I might ask, “Is there a part of you that feels like you have to prove yourself here?” Then we get curious about that part, what it’s afraid of, and what it’s been trying to protect.
What patients often come to me for:
- Feeling “less than” (or “better than”) depending on who you’re with
- People-pleasing, over-explaining, and guilt when you say no
- Anxiety and a mind that keeps replaying conversations
- Fear of disappointing people or being pushed out
- Relationships that keep landing in the same painful place
- Midlife changes: an emptier house, a career shift, a marriage that feels different now
Therapy for Men and Women Who Are Tired of the Same Patterns
Many men I work with learned early that feelings were something to fix or push through. So when things get hard, they go quiet, get defensive, or say “fine” just to end the conversation. Therapy with me isn’t about forcing anything. It’s about understanding what’s happening underneath the anger, the shutdown, or the exhaustion.
Many women I work with are holding everything together for everyone else. They’re tracking the schedule, the moods in the house, and what everybody needs, except themselves. They often know exactly what they’d tell a friend. They just can’t seem to offer that same compassion to themselves.
For both, the goal is the same. I want you to be able to walk into any room and know, “I am not better than anyone. I am not less than anyone.” When your self-worth changes around others, that’s a signal, not a flaw. It tells us where to look.
Therapy for Men & Women Who Are Tired of The Same Patterns
Many men I work with learned early that feelings were something to fix or push through. So when things get hard, they go quiet, get defensive, or say “fine” just to end the conversation. Therapy with me isn’t about forcing anything. It’s about understanding what’s happening underneath the anger, the shutdown, or the exhaustion.
Many women I work with are holding everything together for everyone else. They’re tracking the schedule, the moods in the house, and what everybody needs, except themselves. They often know exactly what they’d tell a friend. They just can’t seem to offer that same compassion to themselves.
For both, the goal is the same. I want you to be able to walk into any room and know, “I am not better than anyone. I am not less than anyone.” When your self-worth changes around others, that’s a signal, not a flaw. It tells us where to look.
Trauma Therapy and Parts Work Near Dover MA
Big T traumas get most of the attention: abuse, a serious accident, a major loss. Little t traumas are the other stuff. Being told to stop crying. Being the kid who kept everyone calm. Feeling like love depended on being good.
On their own, those moments can seem small. But little t traumas really stack up. Basically, both matter, and both deserve attention and care.
The way I think about trauma is overwhelm plus alone. A hard feeling that’s bigger than what you can handle, with no one there to help you hold it. Change either part of that, and the experience changes. That’s a big part of what therapy is for.
These early experiences often show up later as a deeper fear. Some people fear abandonment, that someone will leave and not come back. Others carry what I call a fear of exile: the fear of being pushed out or shunned for who you are or something you did. That one tends to look like shame, or panic after you think you’ve disappointed someone.
With Parts Work, based on Internal Family Systems (IFS), we get to know the younger parts of you that learned those rules. We don’t push them away or argue with them. We offer them the compassion they didn’t get back then, and help them see that you’re an adult now, and things are different.
Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling in Dover, MA
Maybe one of you pulls away when things get tense, and the other one pushes harder to be heard. Maybe you’re having the same argument about money, the kids, or the in-laws that you had five years ago. Or maybe nothing is “wrong,” but you feel more like roommates than partners.
What I see over and over is that the fight on the surface is rarely the whole story. Underneath, someone is usually afraid of being left, or afraid of being pushed out for not getting it right. When you can name that, the whole conversation starts to shift.
That’s what couples therapy with me is about. We figure out the loop you keep getting caught in and build new ways of reaching for each other that hold up at home.
Relational Life Therapy for Couples
I’m a certified Relational Life Therapist. Relational Life Therapy (RLT) is more direct than a lot of couples counseling. I won’t just sit back and nod. I’ll tell you both what I’m seeing, and I’ll help each of you own your part, without putting anyone on trial.
I’ll also be honest when I’m guessing. Sometimes I’ll say, “I’m making this up, so tell me if it doesn’t fit.” If it doesn’t, that tells us something too.
Using Parts Work in Couples Counseling
In the heat of the moment, it’s rarely your calm, wise self doing the talking. It’s a part that feels dismissed, or a part bracing to be blamed again. When you can say, “A part of me is really scared right now,” instead of attacking or shutting down, your partner gets a chance to actually hear you.
We’ll also practice concrete tools you can use at home, like reflecting back what you heard before you respond. I want the change to show up on a regular weeknight, not just in my office.
In-Person Therapy Near Dover & Online Therapy in Massachusetts
My office is in Norwood, a short drive from Dover. I see adults and couples in person from Dover and nearby towns like Needham, Sherborn, Medfield, and Westwood.
If your week is already packed, I offer private virtual therapy sessions to make it easier for your schedule. Some clients go back and forth between the two, and that’s completely fine.
We can start with a free consultation about what’s been going on and what you’re hoping to change. If it feels like a good fit, we’ll find a time that works for you.
Who do you work with?
I work with adults 30 and older, individually or as couples who are looking to create lasting change.
What happens in a first therapy session?
We start with what’s going on right now and what made you reach out. You don’t need to have everything figured out before we meet. You can ask me questions too.
What is IFS, and will it feel strange?
Internal Family Systems (IFS), or Parts Work, helps you understand the different sides of you, like the part that wants change and the part that’s afraid of it. It’s usually more conversational than people expect
Where is your therapy office located, and how far is it from Dover, MA?
Norwood is only about 7 miles from Dover, so most people get to my office about 15 minutes.
How much does therapy cost in Dover, MA?
My individual therapy rates are $200 for a 45-minute session or $400 for a 90-minute session. Couples therapy is $425 for a 100-minute session. For more information and questions about insurance, click here.
How often will we meet?
Most people start weekly or every other week, since that’s where I see the most progress, but we can meet however frequently you’d like.