About
My Approach
Hello and welcome! If you are navigating multiple stressors or a challenging life event, feeling stuck or burned out, or struggling with negative judgments about yourself, I hope you’ll reach out. I often work with clients who feel that joy, meaning, self-esteem, or balance in their lives are lacking—even if their education, career, or family life is progressing.
While I likely have experience working with clients in similar situations to yours, I also don’t think that there is a one-size-fits-all “recipe” for any concern. I see therapy as an individualized and collaborative experience.
Working together, we can draw on your values, knowledge, skills, and hopes in discussing how to navigate challenges in your life. My warmth, respect, curiosity, and patience help create a supportive environment for these conversations. I deeply believe that your perspectives and experiences matter, and I see therapy as an opportunity to collaboratively explore what is important to you.
My approach is grounded in narrative therapy. Depending on client needs, I also integrate motivational interviewing, mindfulness, person-centered, solution-focused, and cognitive-behavioral approaches.
I have a strong belief in the importance of social justice and equality, and strive to make therapy a comfortable and inclusive place for all clients.
I’m excited to support you in leading the life you want for yourself!
About Narrative Therapy
In working with clients, I practice primarily from a narrative perspective. Narrative therapy is a collaborative, non-blaming, approach that was developed in the 1980s. It is grounded in the idea that people have relationships with the challenges that they are facing, rather than being defined by these challenges. In other words, as narrative therapy co-creator Michael White wrote, “The person is not the problem; the problem is the problem.”
One of the goals of narrative therapy is helping people lead lives that align with their preferred ways of being, interacting, and feeling in the world. Conversations in therapy frequently include exploring what these preferences and hopes are.
A narrative approach to therapy pays particular attention to the ways that we make meaning out of events in our lives, and the stories that emerge. Stories that lead people to seek therapy often have themes of self-blame, incompetence, feeling stuck, or failure. In narrative therapy, these stories are not seen as stagnant, nor as “truths” or “reality,” but as dynamic and able to be explored and “re-authored” as new or alternative meanings develop.
Additionally, narrative therapy is a social justice-informed approach that intentionally makes space for examining the ways that societal ideas, messages, structures, history, and oppression can impact and contribute to the challenges people face.
I have completed many advanced trainings in narrative therapy through the Narrative Therapy Initiative (Massachusetts), the Narrative Therapy Centre (Toronto), Re-Authoring Teaching (Vermont), and the Vancouver School of Narrative Therapy.
About Me
Hi, I’m Eric! My pronouns are he/him/his. I have a Masters in Social Work (MSW) from the Boston College School of Social Work, and a Bachelors in Public Policy from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
Before opening Centered Perspectives, I was a social worker at a public high school for several years. Prior to that, I was a therapist at a community mental health clinic for four years, where I enjoyed working with people of all ages seeking therapy for a wide variety of concerns.
In my graduate school field placements, I worked with elementary school students and their families, and with clients at Fenway Health in Boston, a large community health center that is focused on providing care for LGBTQ+ people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) community. My volunteer experience has included working with nursing home residents, survivors of domestic violence, and youth in foster care.
In addition to in-depth narrative therapy training, I have participated in trainings over the years on a variety of topics, including privilege and oppression, mindfulness, trauma, supporting LGBTQ+ clients, anxiety, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and working with young adults. Continued clinical growth is very important to me, and I enjoy ongoing learning through reading, participating in trainings and conferences, and having conversations with colleagues in the field.
When not in the office, I enjoy hiking, cooking, playing music, and spending time with friends and family.
Reach out
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or to schedule your free 15-minute video consultation.