Individual, couples AND family therapy - Boston, MA

Exploring what stands in our way and what honors us

Reach Out

Supporting the healing journey of my clients

In therapy, we can find a home for many longings: the nagging sense that something is missing, the yearning to experience happiness, or the desire to escape the seemingly inescapable patterns that keep us stuck. 
 

We cover up these longings with worries, distractions or addictions. Ironically, even when we crave to satisfy our needs, we also fear (and even sabotage) getting what we want: whether it’s success, love, intimacy, sobriety, or purpose. 

Therapy is a place to explore these longings, to eliminate what stands in our way, and to honor what supports us.

Therapy is also a space to reconnect with our sense of self and to break destructive cycles in relationships. Our childhood experiences greatly affect how we end up functioning in the world. So we often grow up burying our true sense of self in feeling “never good enough,” perfectionism, self-doubt, shame, or needing accomplishments to prove our worth. Sometimes, our sense of self gets shattered by trauma, loss, or life transitions, and we struggle, alone and in pain. Making ourselves feel whole in a different way seems like an overwhelming undertaking if there is no one there to support us through the process. 
 
In addition, unlike many other therapists steeped in this culture’s taboos about sex, I am comfortable with and welcome intimate conversations about sexuality, sex, pleasure, desire (or struggles with it), and other explorations related to this very private and vital area of our lives.
 

"Communication problems" are anything but...

I also work with couples who are looking to improve their relationship, enhance mutual understanding and compassion for each other, create a closer connection, heal after an infidelity, handle recurrent arguments and money conflicts, address sexuality (including divergent desires), or decide if they should stay together or part ways.
 
In my experience, most couples come to therapy with “communication problems.” They then discover that unhelpful dynamics and unrecognized needs stand in the way of responding to each other with more kindness. Without such exploration in therapy, communication difficulties remain stuck and are treated as merely “communication” problems. Therapy gives couples a chance to overcome those entrenched patterns that keep each partner responding in the same predictable, unkind ways that chip away at love and goodwill.
 
I also provide family therapy to adults who are looking to improve the relationship with their parents or adult siblings. I offer a variety of options, from discrete sessions focused on difficult conversations, to multiple sessions working through the hurts and resentments of the past, to periodic sessions with the family members returning to therapy to manage a crisis,  to discuss a tough decision, or for a “tune-up” when communication breaks down at home, and everything in between.
Dasha's photo
Dasha Tcherniakovskaia
JD, LMHC

Are we a good match?

As a licensed mental health counselor, I welcome Individual clients to explore what stands in the way of a more fulfilling life. I help couples enhance communication, address sexuality, heal after an infidelity, handle conflicts and money arguments, or decide whether to stay together or part ways.

As a former attorney, I also work with professionals looking for balance, meaning, a shift in priorities, or a new direction altogether. 

Reach Out