- Practical tools
- Present-focused
- Goal oriented
About Richard
Richard Goggin is a licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of experience helping people face stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and codependency. He speaks plainly and focuses on practical steps so people can move forward. He believes living in the present makes daily life more manageable and aims to help people find that footing.
He draws on a mix of clinical practice and lived roles. Before becoming a therapist he worked as a hospital chaplain and a high school athletic coach. Those experiences shape his style - steady, encouraging, and direct. Sessions tend to focus on real problems with clear goals rather than abstract theory.
Richard uses several well-known approaches including client-centered work, cognitive behavioral tools, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. He helps people notice thought patterns, try new behaviors, and build small habits that reduce distress. He also brings existential framing when people are questioning purpose or meaning.
In conversations he aims to create space for honest reflection and practical change. People can expect candid feedback, thought exercises, and skills they can practice between sessions. He also helps with issues related to family of origin, communication problems, parenting stress, and intimacy-related concerns.
Richard practices in Massachusetts and works with adults on a range of life and emotional struggles. He uses his years of experience to tailor the pace and focus to each person's needs, helping them make steady, usable progress toward clearer goals.
Approaches that guide online work
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and responding to each person's experience. It emphasizes respect, empathy, and helping people find their own solutions to problems such as relationship trouble, low self-esteem, or life transitions.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors affect emotions. It gives simple exercises to change unhelpful thinking and try new actions, which can help with anxiety, depression, and stress-related issues.
Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist works collaboratively to match methods to a person's goals, needs, and preferences. That process may include trying different techniques and adjusting as progress is made.
If you are considering online therapy, check the current session options before booking since formats are not specified in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. It can also let a person use mindfulness and CBT exercises between sessions more readily. Talk with the therapist about your schedule and preferences so you can plan sessions that fit everyday life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Credentials
Massachusetts
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns can I bring to therapy?
He works with a broad set of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, codependency, relationship and intimacy-related problems, parenting strain, and career or life-purpose questions.
How would you describe his therapeutic style?
Sessions are practical and direct with a compassionate tone. He blends listening with clear feedback and concrete exercises to try between sessions.
What experience does he bring to sessions?
He has 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist and draws on prior roles as a hospital chaplain and a high school athletic coach to inform his approach.
What are his credentials and where does he practice?
He holds an MA and is a LICSW, and he practices in Massachusetts.
Are sessions offered in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. He is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; confirm current session options before booking to know whether in-person, phone, or video are available.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with him?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.