4 Therapists for Boundary Issues in NYC
Therapy for setting boundaries
If saying no leaves you overwhelmed with guilt, you’re always the person others lean on, or you keep ending up in the same draining relationships, therapy can help. At New York City Psychotherapy Collective, we offer therapy for boundary issues to help you set limits without losing yourself or the people you care about.
Meet your NYC therapists who help setting healthy boundaries
Julia Laplaza
I work with college students and young adults who feel exhausted from trying to keep family, friends, partners, and coworkers happy while wondering whether their own needs matter. Clients often choose me for therapy for boundary issues because I combine the deeper insight of psychodynamic therapy with practical CBT tools, helping you understand where people-pleasing began while also learning what to say and do differently now. As a bilingual Latinx therapist, I offer a warm, culturally attuned space for exploring how family loyalty, identity, and expectations can make setting limits especially complicated.
Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Diagnostic Privilege #013659
Specialty Areas: People-pleasing and boundary-setting, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, young-adult life transitions, navigating family and cultural expectations
Johanna Bellorin
I work with individuals and couples who keep ending up in draining relationship patterns where their needs come last or conflict never seems to get resolved. Clients often choose me for therapy for boundary issues because my style is direct, down-to-earth, and honest. I bring warmth and humor into the room, but I will also help you name the patterns keeping you stuck and practice showing up differently. As a bilingual Latina therapist and immigrant from Venezuela, I offer therapy in English, Spanish, or both, with a culturally responsive understanding of how family loyalty, identity, immigration, and relationship expectations can complicate setting healthy limits.
Credentials: Licensed Master Social Worker #116737
Specialty Areas: Breaking toxic relationship patterns, immigration and cultural stress, relationships, self-esteem, life transitions, grief, accountability-focused growth
Maggie McCarthy
I work with women and LGBTQIA+ adults and couples who feel unheard, disconnected, or unsure of how to protect their needs without jeopardizing important relationships. Clients often choose me for therapy for boundary issues because I combine practical communication tools with mindfulness, CBT, IFS, and narrative therapy, helping you understand the deeper patterns behind self-abandonment while building the confidence to speak up in real life. My approach is collaborative, culturally sensitive, strengths-based, and judgment-free, with room for humor, so you can feel more at home in your identity, your relationships, and the boundaries you create.
Credentials: Licensed Master Social Worker #120158, Motivational Interviewing Certification, Crisis Counselor Certification
Specialty Areas: Boundaries and self-acceptance, women and LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, relationships and dating, mindfulness and somatic work, communication skills
Caroline Goodhines
I work with young adults, expectant parents, and new parents whose boundaries have become harder to hold amid identity shifts, relationship changes, anxiety, and the demands of caring for others. Clients often choose me for therapy for boundary issues because I combine practical CBT strategies with narrative and humanistic therapy, helping you communicate your needs now while also understanding the patterns and expectations that make doing so feel difficult. My approach is collaborative, trauma-informed, and LGBTQIA+ affirming, offering a thoughtful space to explore parenthood, partnership, disability, identity, and life transitions without judgment.
Credentials: Mental Health Counselor – Limited Permit #P140576
Specialty Areas: Boundaries and emotional labor in the perinatal transition, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, birth trauma, pregnancy and infant loss, partnership shifts after baby, parenting-related guilt and self-management
What sets our practice apart from other NYC boundary-issue therapy providers
A therapist who understands your lived experience. Our diverse team represents a range of cultural, racial, religious, linguistic, and generational backgrounds.
Thoughtful therapist matching. We connect you with a clinician whose personality, expertise, and approach fit your needs.
Insight paired with practical change. We help you understand where your boundary patterns began while building skills you can use in everyday relationships.
Personalized, evidence-based treatment. Our therapists draw from approaches such as psychodynamic therapy and CBT without making treatment feel rigid or one-size-fits-all.
Culturally responsive and intersectional care. We recognize how gender, culture, family expectations, identity, and power can shape your relationship with boundaries.
Boutique care that accepts insurance. You receive individualized support with access to in-network options, depending on your therapist and plan.
Appointments that fit your schedule. We offer in-person and online sessions, daytime and evening, seven days a week.
Common reasons why people seek therapy for boundary issues
You agree to plans, favors, or extra work when you want to say no, then feel resentful afterward.
You spend so much energy managing other people’s moods that you rarely check in with your own.
Setting even a small limit brings up guilt, anxiety, or the fear that someone will be angry with you.
You keep ending up in one-sided relationships where you give more time, care, and attention than you receive.
Seeing certain names appear on your phone fills you with dread, but pulling back feels even more stressful.
Family loyalty, cultural expectations, or gender roles make advocating for yourself feel selfish or disrespectful.
You overcommit at work, at home, and in your relationships until you have little time or energy left for yourself.
You want close relationships, but sometimes you become so focused on another person’s needs that you lose sight of your own.
What to expect from the therapy process
FAQs about therapy for boundary issues
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You may struggle with boundaries if you often say yes when you want to say no, feel responsible for other people’s emotions, or become resentful after repeatedly putting your needs last. Feeling drained by certain relationships, dreading someone’s calls, or experiencing guilt whenever you advocate for yourself can also be signs that therapy for boundary issues may help.
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There is no single approach that works for everyone. CBT can help you challenge the beliefs that make saying no feel selfish, while psychodynamic and narrative therapy can help you understand where your patterns began; mindfulness and somatic techniques may also make it easier to manage the discomfort that comes with changing them.
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Boundary difficulties often develop in families or relationships where personal limits were discouraged, ignored, or never modeled. People-pleasing may have once helped you avoid conflict, maintain closeness, or feel safe, but therapy can help you recognize when that pattern is no longer serving you.
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The timeline is different for everyone because understanding a boundary is often easier than holding it when someone reacts negatively. Many people begin feeling more confident within a few months as they practice expressing their needs, work through guilt, and receive support navigating real-life conversations.
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It often can. While “boundary issues” may not be listed as a diagnosis on their own, insurance may cover therapy when these patterns are connected to anxiety, depression, stress, or relationship concerns. Our clinicians accept Aetna and other major plans, depending on the therapist, and we’re happy to help you understand your benefits during your free consultation.