I have experience with adult, child and adolescent populations. I have worked as an individual and family therapist at community mental health clinics in Springfield and Cape Cod. I worked as a behavioral specialist for several years at The Center for School Crisis intervention, an alternative school, in the Springfield/Holyoke area. In addition to private practice, I currently am a crisis clinician on the Psychiatric Assessment Team (P.A.T.) at Cape Cod Hospital. When working with adults I specialize in depression and anxiety disorders. My work with children and adolescents involves behavior modification, coping skills, verbal skills and involvement of the parents(s) as part of the treatment team.

Dr. Colleen practices from a positive psychology approach- meaning that instead of requiring you to undergo 20 years of therapy talking about what went wrong, sessions are short-term, solution-focused, and focused on what's going right. Dr. Long believes that while insight is important in treatment, some times the solution lies in what the individual can implement in their present life, to better influence their future. Dr. Colleen's initial intake focuses on the areas of the individual's life that need fine-tuning, and then helping the client understand what unique strengths they have to tackle those areas. Through her unique model, she utilizes the principles from her research, to help YOU achieve your optimal level of contentment and bliss. Dr. Colleen is a very action-oriented therapist, meaning that most sessions end by giving the client an assignment for next week. She believes that genuine progress lies in the work of the client and not the therapist. However, happiness and the happiness of her clients is her true passion, and as such- she maintains a weekly blog titled The Happiness Rx.

While I do provide general psychotherapy for adults, my specialty is addictions counseling. Having worked for many years with individuals and family members who have suffered because of the disease of addictions, I can attest to the reality that the quality of life and relationships become significantly better with treatment. I offer individual and couples counseling and work with people in all phases of the disease. Becoming sober is the beginning of recovery. With the help of an addictions expert , as well as 12step programs, life does get better for all.

Conflicts in a marriage are rarely about the issues, but instead how couples talk about the issues. In our couples counseling sessions, partners communicate face-to-face, openly and honestly about their issues. Throughout the conversation we will identify and prevent flashpoints that create conflict escalation. We will give feedback and provide direction toward the most effective way of communicating in a given situation. Our feedback encourages respectful and mutually compassionate interactions, and helps dispel miscommunications that cause marital tensions. Small steps soon become major strides as couples progress from confrontation and impasse toward an understanding of their differences. The underlying goal of our sessions is to: • Increase the pleasure of spending time with your partner • Heighten or reestablish emotional intimacy • Help rediscover happiness in your relationship Over the years, Relationship Resources has helped hundreds of married and unmarried couples undo rigid and negative patterns of behavior and transform their relationships to newfound levels of happiness and enjoyment.