About Open Therapy
The Therapeutic Relationship
Therapy is a compass that directs you to answers you already hold. At Open Therapy, we believe…
Therapy is a clinical relationship where the therapist provides care and support for the client’s welfare.
Therapy is a two-way street. It needs to be a fit for both people.
Therapy is effective when both the therapist and the client show up with openness and vulnerability.
Therapy should be safe and judgment-free, but challenge you to grow and explore.
Open Therapy's Values
Despite what social media, culture, family, and your upbringing may have taught you, at Open Therapy, we believe…
You are enough.
Your answers are already inside of you.
You deserve full healing.
Authenticity liberates you.
You should be challenged in order to grow in new and exciting ways.
Meet Steven
Founder & Therapist
Hi, I’m Steven Doobin, LCSW, therapist, professor, husband, and dog dad. I created Open Therapy because when I needed it most in my life, there were individuals who held open space for me to be my authentic self. Some of the most transformative moments in my life can be traced back to a therapist.
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I’ve always been fascinated with the emotions and well-being of others, being deeply empathetic my entire life. I believe learning to understand and love yourself, just the way you are, is the path to transformation and flourishing.
On our journey to actualizing our full selves, all of us face challenges thrown at us by society, family, and culture. For me, growing up as part of the LGBTQIA community with a high level of sensitivity made me feel like an “other” in my blue-collar surroundings. I clung to my evangelical Christian faith throughout my adolescence—but kept my gay identity locked up. I started my career as an elementary school teacher, only to realize I wanted to spend my days as a therapist.
It wasn’t until I moved to New York City in 2013 that I really began to live in my own truth. Moving with nothing but a few boxes and an acceptance letter to graduate school, my heart was full. My graduate education allowed me space to dive into clinical interventions and the latest methods for psychiatric treatment. Post-graduation, I worked within nonprofit social work agencies as a clinician for several years.
Helping people find their journey to recovery and wellness has been the focus of my career. Working and learning within New York City has given me unparalleled career opportunities that have included co-creating a mental health program to help people transition out of inpatient psychiatric treatment, working with families and individuals at their lowest moments to find the vitality needed to return to their community. This program is now embedded in the mental health system. Most recently I’ve been on faculty at one of the best psychiatric hospitals in the world where I teach family interventions, oversee care planning, and supervise professional psychiatric trainees.
I recently relocated to the Boston area, where I have the privilege of holding space for individuals and families at Open Therapy, both in person at my Boston office and online throughout New England.
I work with each client to co-create a safe space for authenticity and vulnerability, where they can move towards greater healing.
I also teach graduate students at Simmons University School of Social Work clinical interventions with families and social work policy.