Marriage & Family Therapy

 Tom is a licensed marriage and family therapist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and has been since the license was first issued in 1993.                                 

He is a member of the American Academy of Marriage and Family Therapists.  Tom has been practicing for more than twenty years, working with families in crisis.  Although occasionally Tom does couples counseling, he primarily works with families with children, particularly parent-child problems or crisis involving families, including but not limited to; families experiencing crisis as the result of parental substance abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence.

Being of Irish decent, Tom has a longstanding interest in Irish families, and also in cross-cultural issues.  Tom has been sought out as an expert working with a number of diverse cultures.  Tom is also interested in learning about new cultures and adapting work towards the strengths of particular cultures, as well as religions.

The modality that Tom uses can be best described as “eclectic”.  Although he sees himself primarily as a developmentalist, he attempts to use a variety of tools to address the concerns that bring families to his attention.  Although Tom is not a behaviorist by nature or training, he does use some aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy to deal with problems with children and their families, especially those dealing with the problem of anxiety, and complex issues such as selective mutism.

Tom also has extensive experience working with children with behavioral issues.  While he does not do play therapy per se, Tom’s office is set up to make children feel comfortable as they deal with the issues that bring them there.

Tom accepts a number of insurance providers and is willing to do the work necessary to fulfill the requirements of other insurance providers, however, Tom will not take on a case until he is satisfied that the coverage will not impact on the continuity of care he can provide to an individual or family. That is, Tom will not take on a case unless he feels that he can see it through, both time wise and financially.  While Tom’s rate for therapy is $125 per hour, he will adapt towards an individual’s income and will do some work on a sliding fee scale.