Anxiety and depression therapists and psychiatrists in Westport, CT

Hi, I'm Jessica and I love supporting youth and their families to bring out confidence and build healthy relationship patterns to support them as they grow in today's world. I have background in Expressive Arts Therapy and bring creative approaches including art, play, and drama therapy techniques as entry points into cognitive behavioral interventions and strategies to assist with behavior, emotion regulation, and understanding of one's self. My philosophical goal as a therapist is to help people I work with curate more joy into their lives and for children to be seen in their unique strengths and supported to grow through challenges. I believe that curiosity is the antidote to depression. Let's get curious together!

Life moves fast, and it is so easy to wake up and realize you are running on everyone else's schedule instead of your own. Do you ever feel completely scattered, wondering what happened to the vibrant person you used to be? I get it. Navigating the beautiful, messy chaos of a growing family and the relentless pressure to "juggle it all" is no joke. That exact season of life is what drove me to dive headfirst into specialized training in women's mental health. As a licensed counselor since 2017 holding a diagnostic license, I am fiercely passionate about being the anchor—and the support system—I wish I’d had. Whether you're navigating motherhood, identity shifts, or a major life transition, we’ll work together to help you step back into your power and find your footing again.

I’m a psychotherapist and coach with nearly two decades of experience working with teens, young adults, and families. Much of my work focuses on strengthening communication, rebuilding trust, and helping people navigate major life transitions, including adolescence, college, relationships, and career development.

Over the past several years, I’ve focused deeply on generational, religious, and family dynamics—especially the ways past experiences shape how we relate to ourselves and to the people closest to us. My goal is simple: to help people like each other as much as they love each other.

My approach is practical, direct, and collaborative. I integrate evidence-based therapies such as CBT, DBT, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems, while also helping clients develop clear communication skills, emotional awareness, and confidence in who they are and how they want to live.

Clients who work with me can expect thoughtful conversations, honest feedback, and a focus on meaningful growth—not just symptom relief.

I believe that meaningful therapy begins with feeling safe, heard, and supported. My goal is to create a compassionate, non-judgmental space where individuals and families can explore challenges, build on their strengths, and move toward positive change.

I hold both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Social Work and have over five years of experience working directly with children and families. My professional background includes supporting children and caregivers through emotional, behavioral, and relational concerns, while collaborating with families to strengthen communication, coping skills, and overall well-being.

In addition to my work with children and families, I also have several years of experience supporting older adults, including assisting individuals and families with long-term care planning. This work has given me a deep appreciation for the emotional, practical, and relational challenges that can arise during later life transitions, caregiving roles, and decision-making processes.

I am passionate about supporting clients across the lifespan and helping individuals and families navigate change with greater clarity, resilience, and connection.

I believe therapy is most effective when you feel heard, understood, and respected. My person-centered approach is tailored to your experiences, strengths, goals, and needs. Informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I offer practical tools to manage distress, challenge unhelpful thoughts, regulate emotions, build coping skills, and improve relationships. I strive to create a warm, supportive, nonjudgmental space where we can work collaboratively. Whether you’re facing anxiety, life transitions, emotional challenges, or feeling stuck, we can build on your strengths and create meaningful change.

I specialize in anxiety, depression, trauma, and LGBTQIA+ affirming care, specializing in mindfulness-based approaches rooted in DBT and CBT. Therapy can help you process difficult experiences, manage emotions, challenge unhelpful thoughts, build coping skills, and create meaningful change in a supportive, nonjudgmental space.

Starting therapy can feel like a big step, but you don’t have to have everything figured out. Whether you’re overwhelmed, anxious, navigating change, or feeling stuck, therapy offers space to feel heard and understood. I’ll meet you without judgment and work at your pace. If my approach feels like a good fit, I invite you to reach out.

If you're navigating depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, or any of the many things that can weigh on you, you deserve a clinician who takes your history seriously and works with you — not around you. That's what I aim to be. I'm a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with more than 25 years of experience treating adolescents (12+) and adults, and I earned my Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Whether medication is part of the picture or not, my goal is to help you understand what's going on and find a path forward that fits your life.