Anxiety and depression therapists and psychiatrists in Beverly, MA

I am passionate about supporting my clients to feel congruent internally, so they can further understand and communicate their needs externally. While talking is the most obvious way for communication, I also love to incorporate our somatic experiences during sessions (with your agreement, of course). As an immigrant from Taiwan, it's also my mission to provide my expertise for people struggling with "fit in", while transitioning to any new environments.

I graduated from the BIDMC/Harvard Psychiatry Residency Training Program in 2025.

You need insight into your problems, not more advice. I'm Matt, a licensed professional specializing in helping teens and emerging adults (13–30) keep their footing in the whirlwind of adolescence and becoming an adult.

I could list all my accomplishments from the past 30 years, but that wouldn't give you a true sense of my style or beliefs. I strive to empathize, be respectful, and remain non judgemental. We all face worries, stresses, and challenges daily, and we all need someone who listens and understands. While family and friends can provide wonderful support, talking to someone with professional expertise and an outside perspective can be incredibly beneficial.

I support women who are ready to reconnect with themselves and step into greater wholeness after years of over giving. Many of my clients come to me during times of stress, transition, or disconnection from their bodies, relationships or sense of purpose. My approach combines counseling and coaching with somatic techniques such as Reiki, creating a holistic path that supports body, mind and spirit. I offer a compassionate and space for healing, growth and transformation. Together, we release old patterns, awaken inner wisdom and open the way to a more authentic and empowered life.

A bit about my educational journey: Upon Graduating from High School in Oregon, I headed East. I earned my Bachelors Degree in Communication Studies from Emerson College in Boston where I minored in Psychology. My Masters in Clinical Mental Health came years later from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.

I am a licensed independent clinical social worker and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) specializing in trauma-informed care for adolescents and adults. I help individuals navigate anxiety, PTSD, complex trauma including sexual trauma, medical trauma and emotional regulation challenges.

I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who runs a private practice called Next Play Therapy. I work with adolescents, young adults, adults, and athletes. My background includes both school-based counseling and outpatient therapy, where I’ve helped clients manage anxiety, stress, depression, self-esteem challenges, and life transitions. I also have experience coaching high school athletics, which has shaped my passion for helping athletes build confidence and mental resilience. My goal is to create a supportive space where clients feel comfortable, understood, and empowered to move forward.

As your therapist I will work alongside you to help you learn to identify your emotions, learn healthy ways to express yourself, and healthy and effective ways of communicating with others. Together we will also identify your strengths as well as possible unhealthy thinking or behavioral patterns and how they relate to your everyday experiences and emotions.

Healing Across the Lifespan: A Partnership in Mental Wellness

Choosing a mental health provider is a deeply personal decision. You aren’t just looking for a prescriber; you are looking for a witness to your story, an expert in the biological complexities of the brain, and a partner in your recovery.

My name is Jessica Stanley, and I am a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC). My journey to this practice has been defined by a unique duality: the macro view of a healthcare executive and the micro focus of a dedicated clinician. Before opening the doors to this practice, I served as the Clinical Director for a large-scale healthcare organization. In that role, I was responsible for the oversight of complex systems, the mentorship of large clinical teams, and the implementation of evidence-based protocols across diverse populations.

While my time in leadership allowed me to impact mental health at a systemic level, my true passion has always remained in the quiet, transformative moments of the exam room. I have returned to full-time clinical practice to bring that high-level expertise back to where it matters most: the individual human experience.

Mental health does not exist in a vacuum, nor does it look the same at age seven as it does at seventy. I specialize in treating patients across the entire lifespan. Whether I am working with a child struggling to navigate their first years of school, an adolescent facing the pressures of identity formation, or an adult managing the heavy mantle of career and family, my approach remains the same: comprehensive, compassionate, and evidence based.

Areas of Specialization

I am trained to treat a broad spectrum of psychiatric conditions including:

ADHD & Neurodivergence

Anxiety Disorders

Depression

PTSD & Trauma Recovery

Rooted in my graduate training at the University of Rhode Island, I developed expertise in both general clinical and health psychology. I developed a programmatic line of research in health promotion (adoption and maintenance of multiple health behaviors including exercise, smoking cessation and nutritious eating) with a particular focus on exercise motivation as a gateway to adopting other health behaviors.

During my internship and postdoctoral training at VA Connecticut and VA Boston, respectively, my research evolved towards integrating health behavior change (e.g., exercise adoption and maintenance) with veterans suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain and PTSD. As I learned more about the biopsychosocial model of these medically and psychiatrically complex disorders, my ultimate goal became to help veterans better manage their pain and PTSD symptoms, utilizing health behavior change as a complementary component of their overall treatment program. With this approach, the ultimate goal was to help them improve their overall quality of life and well-being, long-term.

My patient oriented research experience, over the past thirteen years, directly informed my approach to my clinical work with individual patients. In fact, I worked for Newton-Wellesley Eating Disorders and Behavioral Medicine for the past fifteen years. As part of this work, I focused on helping individuals suffering from the full continuum of eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder) to sustain their recovery long-term and achieve "recovery maintenance" through establishment and achievement of additional life goals and to move beyond their "eating disorder" identity to a "whole person" identity to create a more meaningful life post-recovery. Additionally, as part of this practice, I treated patients suffering from anxiety, PTSD, chronic musculoskeletal pain and depression as well as veterans from the community.