Rashida Golden Jolly

I'm a Black LICSW and Boston-area native who has spent 15 years working alongside women — mostly women of color, single mothers, and people navigating systems that weren't always built with them in mind. I've worked in housing, fair housing law, and case management, and I've sat across from women dealing with evictions, custody stress, job losses, and everything in between. That background shaped the way I practice: I bring both clinical training and real-world knowledge of the pressures my clients are actually facing.I'm also a single mom who went through my own divorce and did the hard work of rebuilding — including working with a divorce coach who changed how I saw difficult change. That experience made me a better clinician and a more honest one. I don't believe in pretending this stuff is easy. But I do believe in helping you find what's already working and building from there.

My approach is collaborative, solution-focused, and rooted in the belief that you already have more strength than the current moment is letting you see. I draw primarily from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Interviewing — tools that are designed to help you clarify what you want, remove what's blocking you, and take real steps forward.I don't believe therapy has to be long to be meaningful. Some of the most important work I've done with clients has happened in focused, short-term work. My style is warm and direct — I'll ask honest questions, I'll push back gently when I think it helps, and I'll always keep us focused on where you're trying to go. I work especially well with women of color who feel like they've been strong for everyone else and are finally ready to do something for themselves.

Our first session is a real conversation — not a lengthy intake questionnaire read back to you. I'll ask you to tell me what's going on in your life right now and what you're hoping will be different. I want to understand not just the challenge, but what you've already tried and what actually matters to you.By the end of the first session, you'll have a clear sense of what we'll be working on together and what the path forward looks like. I don't leave people in ambiguity. You'll leave knowing what the next step is — because that's the whole point.