Jeff Waitkus, PsyD – A Change of Mind

I am a clinical psychologist in private practice, providing behavioral health services to individuals, families, and groups in the Greater Boston area.

I have strong interests in media and positive psychology, as well as systems thinking (see below for more information). I consider myself a general practitioner but work most often with adolescents, young adults, and their families, providing treatment that draws from the intersect of cognitive-behavioral therapy, cognitive neuroscience, and system dynamics.

My goal in a collaborative treatment is to work with you to identify areas of need and to utilize your unique strengths to develop, rediscover or refine ways of managing the obstacles that impede your growth. In a warm and caring environment, we will explore and expand your assets and skills to facilitate positive and adaptive change. Together we will cut the path that you choose toward a life that is increasingly meaningful and satisfying.

Jeff Waitkus, Psy.D. (jef wāk-us, sī-dē)
Clinical Psychologist

CREDENTIALS

Services

01. Individual/Family Therapy

We all want to be happy. More specifically, most people want to feel effective and confident, especially when it comes to relationships. We want to feel included, appreciated, and loved. Sometimes these things may seem out of reach, or you may be struggling with other challenges that leave you feeling stuck, discouraged, or helpless. Seeking support from someone with expertise relating to the human experience may be just what you need to feel more empowered and in control of your life.

It is difficult to define psychotherapy in a way that is both comprehensive and concise. It is essentially a conversation between someone who wants to change something about himself and/or the life he is living, and a well-trained clinician who is dedicated to facilitating that change. The nature and effectiveness of these conversations can vary significantly from one clinician to the next and it is sometimes difficult to know which therapist will be a “good fit” for the individual or family seeking support.

You can learn more about me and my practice by exploring the information on this site. You are also welcome to schedule a time to meet with me virtually, at no cost, so that you can decide if I am a good fit for you.

Services

02. Personal Consultations

At times you may find yourself struggling with a specific issue or circumstance that doesn’t warrant engaging in short or long-term therapy. If what you are looking for is guidance or coaching from someone with expertise, who can give you a fresh perspective on a particular issue, then a personal consultation might be just what you need. These practical, “roll-up-our-sleeves” sessions can happen in my office or via telecommunication, which gives you the advantage of connecting with me from anywhere with an internet connection!

Approach Overview

I offer an integrative and collaborative therapeutic style to gain insight and develop (or refine) skills in order to more effectively address the things in your life that are causing you distress. I will always be an active and empathic participant in this collaboration. However, I consider you the expert on your life and commit to providing the clinical expertise and therapeutic support necessary to facilitate productive, adaptive and positive change to empower you and increase the quality of your experiences.

I have been trained in multiple schools of therapeutic thought and borrow from all of them, but practice primarily by referencing the following clinical and theoretical paradigms.

CBT

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a treatment approach that focuses on the relationship between your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. For instance, if what you do (behavior) is influenced by how you feel (emotion), and your feelings are influenced by what you think (cognition), then you can change the way you feel and behave by changing the way you think.

Psychodynamic

A treatment approach that focuses primarily on the way in which your personal history may unconsciously affect and influence the way you experience your life today. By raising your awareness, and developing your understanding, of various aspects of past events within the context of the clinical relationship, the expectation is that you will change the way that your past influences your current experience for the better.

Media Psychology

With regard to my practice this refers to the use of media such as literature, movies, computers, and television to expand and facilitate the therapeutic process.

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of human strengths and those things that make life worth living; along with the clinical interventions that utilize those strengths to explore, develop and enhance a life that is worthwhile.

Humanistic

A psychotherapeutic orientation acknowledging that although the mind may be strongly influenced by external forces (e.g. friends, family, society) as well as internal forces (e.g. the unconscious), human beings still have a conscious capacity to develop personal competence and self-respect by emphasizing subjective meaning and positive growth rather than pathology.

System Dynamics

A system is a group of things – small things like cells in your body; bigger things like people; or much bigger things like planets and stars. In a system, each thing simultaneously affects, and is affected by, the other things over time. This is what makes a system “dynamic.” System Dynamics allows us to better understand, for example, the interrelationships between our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Adaptive

My academic and professional training has shaped my treatment approach, but my style is personal and our work is about decreasing your distress and augmenting your current strengths to develop more effective ways of coping and thriving during your treatment and beyond.

How to Get Started

Call or Email

Getting started is easy! Just call or email to let me know what’s happening and we can talk about what might be most helpful for you.

Meet up

If appropriate, we will schedule a time to meet virtually for a 45-minute consultation. This will allow me to learn more about you and your circumstances. It will also give you a chance to see what it is like to sit with me. There is no cost for this initial consultation.

Schedule sessions

If you decide that you would like to work with me, we will establish a plan for achieving your objectives.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are experiencing an emergency, please DO NOT leave a voice message or send an email. Instead, call 911 or visit your local Emergency Department.

How to Make a Referral

Call or Email

Making a referral is easy! You can call or email with any questions about my services and/or to discuss a potential referral. Or…

Share my contact information

Simply share my contact information with the individual(s) you would like to refer and invite them to contact me directly.

Fees

Individual & Family Therapy

30 minute session:
$120.00

45 minute session:
$180.00

Personal Consultation

30 minute session:
$120.00

45 minute session:
$180.00

I am NOT contracted with any insurance companies. However, your insurance policy may include reimbursement for out-of-network providers.

Feel

confident connected alive

If you could change anything about yourself or the life you’re living, what would it be? The changes you imagine may be more achievable than you think.

Understand

thoughts emotions behaviors

By learning how to manage your thoughts, reference your emotions, choose your responses, and understand others, life will make so much more sense!

Develop

insight solutions relationships

Change is inevitable. Learn to work with it, because life doesn’t get better by chance. It gets better through intentional change.

See how a change of mind can make all the difference.