Frances Higgins, LICSW
Massachusetts · 30 years in practice
Frances Higgins is a licensed independent clinical social worker with three decades of practice in Massachusetts.
License and registration
- LICSW, Massachusetts
- 1018324 · expires February 2027
- NPI
- 1831381466 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 30
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Frances
Frances Higgins is a licensed independent clinical social worker with three decades of practice in Massachusetts. She focuses on listening first and building a plan with each person. Her style is straightforward and practical, aimed at helping people handle stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship and parenting challenges.
Frances uses a blend of well-known approaches and adapts them to the person in front of her. She draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy to look at emotional patterns in close relationships.
Background and approach
She also uses attachment‑based ideas to name how early bonds shape reactions, and she brings cognitive behavioral techniques to address unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Sessions usually begin with clear goals and short-term steps that fit daily life. Frances pays attention to safety and to the effects of past abuse when relevant, combining trauma-informed ideas with practical coping skills.
She also supports people dealing with grief, addiction concerns, eating issues, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. Over 30 years Frances has worked with many different concerns and life stages, so she aims to match the approach to the person rather than follow a single method. She welcomes conversations about adoption and foster care, blended family issues, first responder stress, and attachment struggles.
Her work is collaborative and focused on small, manageable change. People looking for regular check-ins, coaching-style work, or help during difficult transitions will find concrete tools and steady support. Frances speaks English and accepts international clients for online work.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Frances lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Addictions
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Young adult issues
Approaches Frances names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Therapeutic approaches that translate to online care
Frances commonly uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help people notice and change patterns in close relationships by naming feelings and reshaping interactions. That approach can be useful for intimacy issues, communication problems, and attachment concerns.She also uses Attachment-Based Therapy to explore how early bonds influence current reactions and relationships. This work often helps people understand why they react strongly to certain situations and how to create steadier responses. Frances pairs these relational approaches with Client-Centered Therapy, which keeps the focus on listening, collaboration, and the client’s goals.
Finding the right method is part of the work. Frances will talk with each client about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then try approaches together and adjust as needed. The process is collaborative and paced to the person’s needs.
Online therapy offers flexibility across several formats: video calls for face-to-face interaction, phone sessions when connecting by voice is easier, and live chat or text-based messaging for shorter check-ins or when typing feels more practical. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, manage lower bandwidth or camera-free sessions, and keep continuity during life transitions.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does she help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and family problems, addictions, grief, and intimacy-related issues among other concerns.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She starts by listening and then decides together with the client which approaches to use, combining client-centered work with practical skills from cognitive behavioral and other therapies.
What is her background and experience?
She has about 30 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of concerns and life stages, including work with survivors of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
What credentials and region are listed?
She is listed as MA LICSW and practices from Massachusetts.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling sessions according to therapist availability.
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