Anxiety and depression therapists and psychiatrists in Rhode Island

I’m Alison (Ali) Pugh, a Clinical Social Worker, USAF veteran, and mom of two. I help adults who are juggling work, family, caregiving, or major life changes that feel heavier than they look on the surface. If you’re feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next step, you’re in the right place. My style is calm, collaborative, and steady. There’s no pressure to have the perfect words.

My name is Benjamin. With over 25 years of experience, I help individuals and couples build stronger, more fulfilling relationships and improve emotional well-being. I work with adults, couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other life challenges.

My approach is personalized, collaborative, and focused on meaningful, lasting growth. I help clients better understand their emotions, strengthen connections, and develop practical tools for everyday life.

Therapy with me is real, down-to-earth, and engaging—I bring honesty, humor, and compassion to create a space where you can grow, heal, and be yourself. Book with me here or at https://evolvetothrive9.com.

Salem Black, who holds a Master’s degree in both Biomedical Anthropology and Social Work, has an extensive background in working with children and families. His academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, followed by a Master’s degree in Biomedical Anthropology from Binghamton University. This interdisciplinary approach provided him with a unique perspective on the intersection of behavioral patterns and public health.

My name is Nicole and I am a nurse practitioner with dual board certifications, one is in mental health and the other in family practice. I have worked in health care since 2017 and have worked in multiple specialties over the years from the Neuro/STROKE unit to the Pediatric Emergency Department. However, my passion landed with midlife woman. The menopause transition is a time a chaos leading to new anxiety and depression, changes mood, insomnia, cognitive changes and struggles with relationships (friends, family and intimate partners). My goal is to help you feel more like yourself during this transition and beyond.

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.

My name is Emily Scott and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker working in the Denver Area. I have my Bachelors in Social Work from the University of Vermont, and my Masters in Social Work from New York University.

Hi, I’m Jessica, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing virtual therapy in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Florida. My personal experiences have deeply shaped the way I approach therapy and the kind of space I strive to create for clients. I know firsthand that healing and growth are rarely linear, and that support looks different for everyone. Because of that, I don’t believe therapy should feel rigid or “one size fits all.”

My approach is warm, compassionate, and grounded in genuine human connection. I want therapy to feel like a space where you can exhale a little, show up authentically, and talk openly about both the heavy things and the everyday moments that still matter. Yes, I absolutely want to hear about your stressful week, your latest life spiral, and how your pets are doing too. Alongside the deeper work, I believe there is real value in feeling comfortable enough to be fully yourself in session.

I strive to create an environment where you feel heard, supported, and never judged. Together, we’ll explore the patterns, stressors, and experiences that may be keeping you stuck while building practical tools, emotional insight, and confidence that feel sustainable outside of therapy. My hope is that you leave sessions feeling more grounded, more connected to yourself, and more capable of navigating life with clarity, self-trust, and compassion.

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

I graduated from University of Southern California with my MSW in Social Work in 2014. I have been a school social worker in San Diego County and then in Rhode Island since 2014. I love helping adolescents navigate the pressures of being a teen. I am also a mom of three young kids. This has led me to be passionate about helping women as they navigate becoming a mother, being in the trenches of motherhood, and juggling it all.

I have extensive experience in community mental health and private practice settings working with teens and adults. I received my Masters of Science in Psychology from Johnson & Wales University. I am licensed to practice in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.