Therapy with Caroline

Life isn't neatly packaged.

I'm here to help you sort through it, to organize and keep track of what matters, let go of what doesn't, and protect what needs safe-keeping. Whether you're coping with overthinking, sadness, people-pleasing, loneliness, irritability, or burnout, the common thread is that something needs to shift.

You'll be describing something from years ago, telling the same story, the same way you've told it to yourself a hundred times. Suddenly, partway through, it sounds different out loud than it did in your head. Nothing about the story changed. What changes is the experience of saying it to someone who's actually listening.

At the core of my approach is establishing a trustworthy, unbiased space. I specialize in trauma, particularly childhood trauma and women's issues. Many people come to me because of anxiety, depression, or fatigue. Often there is something much deeper underneath it. If you've been treating your own exhaustion as a personal failure rather than information, reach out. That's usually where the work starts.

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Caroline Motley, LCSW
"Some things don't resolve just because you understand them."
  • Women and nonbinary clients, with a particular specialty in women's issues
  • High-achieving professionals, lawyers, professors, therapists, artists, academics, mothers
  • People dealing with anxiety, depression, or burnout that often turns out to be rooted in something they didn't expect to find
  • People who want to be actively engaged in the work, not just talk about the same thing every week

In-person sessions in Lower Manhattan; everything else is virtual. Licensed to work with you by telehealth in six states.

Sessions

In-person in Lower Manhattan, weekly to start, then every other week, once a month, or as needed — all dependent on the client, or virtual: 60, 90, or 120-minute sessions.

Who I work with

Women and nonbinary clients, with a specialty in women's issues.

Licensed in

Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Maine (including Portland), Utah, and Hawaii.

Why we start with a consultation: it's not a sales call. This work is built almost entirely on the relationship between us, so it matters as much to me that I'm the right fit for you as it does that you're looking for what I offer. If it's not a fit on either side, I'll say so, and I'm glad to point you toward someone who might be.
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Probably a good fit if
  • You're ready to actively work, not just talk about things
  • You have real insight into your patterns but want more than analysis
  • You want to be engaged between sessions, not just show up weekly
  • You want care directed by you and your therapist, not an insurance company
  • You're open to building trust before diving into harder material
Might not be the right fit if
  • You need a therapist who accepts insurance
  • You're looking for brief or crisis-only work
  • You're not ready to look beneath the surface yet (genuinely okay, just not this practice)
15-minute phone consultationFree
55 to 60 minute session$175 to $250
90 minute session$310
Two hour session$345–$400

Superbills provided on request. Why I work outside of insurance →

If you have out-of-network benefits, your plan may reimburse a meaningful portion of each session. Check yours in about a minute — no phone calls.

Insurance pays for symptoms. It doesn't pay for the work underneath them.

Billing insurance requires a diagnosis that goes into a permanent claims record, and means a reviewer who's never met you can audit our sessions and decide whether your care still counts as necessary. That's not how I want your care directed.

It also means session length isn't capped at 45 to 53 minutes the way insurance requires. I offer 60, 90, and two-hour sessions, for when things are just starting to open up.

Why I work outside of insurance →

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