Rising Up

02/25/2026

Grief can feel disorienting. Like the ground shifted under you… and everyone else kept going.

And grief isn’t only about the loss of a loved one. It can be the loss of a relationship, a role, your health, or a version of life you thought you’d have. However it shows up, it deserves care and support — not pressure to “be okay.”

This new article is a reminder that you don’t have to carry grief in isolation. We share what grief can look like, why it comes in waves, and how healing can happen when you’re met with gentleness, understanding, and community.

📖 Read the full article here:

Grief is a powerful, disorienting experience. It can come in waves—sometimes crashing, sometimes quiet—but always shifting the landscape of your life

02/22/2026

Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories. It can live in the body, in the nervous system, in the way we react, connect, and move through the world.

If you’ve been through something painful — whether it happened recently or years ago — and it still feels like it’s “inside of you,” you’re not making it up. That’s how trauma works. And healing is possible.

This new blog post shares a more compassionate truth: healing isn’t about “getting over it.” It’s about reclaiming your power, rebuilding safety inside yourself, and learning to trust your body and your life again — gently, at your own pace.

📖 Read the full article here:

If you’ve lived through something painful—whether recently or long ago—and you still feel like it’s living inside of you, you’re not imagining things.

02/20/2026

Massachusetts therapists: Has your weekly session quietly turned into stabilization hour?

Many clinicians are noticing that sessions once focused on trauma processing, relational insight, or growth are now dominated by grounding, containment, and reassurance.

You may recognize this pattern:

• The first half of session is spent regulating
• The second half is spent de-escalating
• There is little time left for integration
• The same crisis themes repeat each week

When therapy becomes crisis management, it can feel discouraging and heavy. Not because you are ineffective, but because one hour may not be enough containment for the level of distress your client is carrying.

Rising Up’s intensive outpatient program provides the additional structure many adult clients need. With consistent group therapy, daily check ins, and integrative therapeutic modalities, clients build stability between sessions instead of unraveling after them.

This allows outpatient therapy to return to meaningful processing and long term growth.

If you are looking for collaborative IOP support in Massachusetts, we are here to partner with you.

Accepting New Patients Now
508-388-5833
intake@risingup-iop.com
We accept insurance. Inquire for details.

Serving Massachusetts virtually & in Buzzards Bay

02/19/2026

Anxiety can be exhausting. Not just the worry, but the way it lives in your body… racing thoughts, tight chest, sleepless nights, that constant feeling that something is about to go wrong.

If this has been your experience lately, we want you to know two things:
1. You’re not alone.
2. Anxiety is treatable — and you don’t have to “hit rock bottom” to get real support.

In this new article, we talk about why anxiety isn’t a personal failure. It’s often your nervous system trying to protect you, even when the danger isn’t actually present anymore. And with the right care, that response can shift.

📖 Read the full post here:

Anxiety can feel like a constant companion—always whispering worst-case scenarios, making your heart race, or keeping you stuck in your head.

02/19/2026

What most people don’t see in mental health treatment is the advocacy happening behind the scenes.

At Rising Up IOP, case management is not an add-on — it’s a core part of client progress.

Dawn Nardi, our Senior Case Manager, spends her days doing the work that rarely gets highlighted: sitting beside clients, helping them navigate healthcare systems, completing online applications, coordinating benefits, and guiding them step-by-step through processes that can feel overwhelming during a mental health crisis.

For many clients in Massachusetts, healing isn’t just about therapy. It’s about accessing insurance, housing resources, employment supports, medical referrals, and community services. It’s about having someone advocate for you when systems feel confusing or discouraging.

In our intensive outpatient program, integrated case management strengthens continuity of care and improves long-term outcomes. It allows clients to focus on therapeutic growth while we help manage the practical barriers.

This is the unseen advocacy that makes sustainable healing possible.

Now Accepting New Patients
We accept insurance — inquire for details.
Call 508-388-5833
Contact us for a free 15-minute consultation

Serving Massachusetts virtually & in Buzzards Bay

02/18/2026

Massachusetts therapists: Are you seeing clients who seemed stable now struggling again?

You are not imagining it.

Across the state, clinicians are reporting increased regression, trauma reactivation, anxiety spikes, and emotional instability in clients who had been making steady progress. When the world feels unpredictable or threatening, the nervous system responds. And that response often shows up in your therapy room.

Progress is not always linear, especially during periods of collective stress.

You may be noticing:

• Clients who feel more hypervigilant or emotionally flooded
• Old trauma symptoms resurfacing
• Increased distress between sessions
• Insight that no longer translates into meaningful change

This does not mean therapy is failing. It often means the client’s capacity is overwhelmed.

Rising Up’s intensive outpatient program provides a larger therapeutic container for adults who need more structure, more consistency, and more support than weekly outpatient sessions can provide.

We collaborate closely with referring therapists to preserve continuity of care. Clients frequently return to outpatient therapy more regulated, more engaged, and more able to sustain progress.

If you are a therapist in Massachusetts seeking a trusted IOP partner for higher-need clients, we are here to collaborate.

Accepting New Patients Now
508-388-5833
intake@risingup-iop.com
We accept insurance. Inquire for details.

Serving Massachusetts virtually & in Buzzards Bay

02/18/2026

If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like weekly therapy isn’t enough right now, you’re not alone.

Our newest blog breaks down what a Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (Virtual IOP) actually is, who it’s for, and why it can be the “missing layer” of support when you’re carrying anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, or burnout… while still trying to function on the outside.

At Rising Up, we offer virtual IOP support across Massachusetts (and in-person options in Buzzards Bay, MA) with a holistic approach that may include CBT, DBT, EMDR, EFT tapping, mindful movement, and expressive therapy.

📖 Read the full article here:

A virtual IOP offers a higher level of care—but in a way that’s accessible, supportive, and designed around your life. You don’t need to commute or rearrange your entire world to get the help you need.

02/11/2026

https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1069084

Leigh-Ann Larson, Counselor, Buzzards Bay, MA, 02532, (508) 715-6282, Our ideal Rising Up IOP client is an adult who is doing their best to manage daily life while quietly struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, life transitions, or emotional burnout. They may need to briefly step away f...

02/10/2026

Meditation

02/10/2026

I Am Wellbeing: Calm Is Productive

02/06/2026

I am Wellbeing: Gentle Mornings