Meet Our Team

Gavin Fraser, MSW (they/he)

Associate Clinical Social Worker
Accepting new clients

Groups Served: Young adults and adults
Services: Individual therapy
Availability: In-person and telehealth sessions
Insurance: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield/Anthem, Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan, Mass General Brigham Health Plan (commercial plans only), Optum, Tufts Health Plan (commercial plans only), United Healthcare
Top Specialties: Gender identity, perinatal/ pregnancy/ postpartum issues, fertility & infertility issues, anxiety & social anxiety, self-esteem & self-worth, and ADHD
Other Issues: Grief/loss, stress management, young adult issues

I am a therapist who works with young adults and adults, including those within the LGBTQIA+ community, with a wide range of difficulties, from anxiety and depression, to concerns around self-esteem and identity, to prenatal postpartum challenges.

I am particularly passionate about providing an affirming and culturally sensitive space for transgender and gender diverse people to navigate whatever challenges they may be facing. My goal is to help you stop feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, and start feeling like yourself again.

My Approach to Therapy

I bring warmth, understanding, and non-judgmental acceptance to sessions. As a therapist, I can:

  • Accept people for who they are and in their current life circumstances

  • Help people identify what they are feeling

  • Inspire hope for getting better

  • Be flexible on the path of discovering what’s going on

I enjoy helping people become healthier and more empowered and witnessing them achieve more fulfilling lives over time. The most rewarding thing about being a therapist is seeing a person walk away lighter, freer, and excited about their life.

Sessions with me will provide you with the space to be understood and heard, so that you’ll be able to explore your thoughts, feelings, and goals, and focus on yourself without feeling selfish. It’s important to me to create safety within our sessions and ensure that the process is collaborative.

At Essential Insights Counseling Center, there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to therapy.

My approach to therapy is grounded in values that honor your lived experiences, including how you feel in your body. My work supports sex-positive and pleasure-positive values, including affirming identities and relationship dynamics outside of traditional, monogamous, heterosexual, and cisgender norms. I aim to practice in a way that reduces harm, avoids labeling or judgment, and recognizes the larger systems -- like racism and oppression -- that can impact mental health. I draw from several therapy models, including liberation health, narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

In my work with in/fertility, perinatal and postpartum mental health, I draw extensively from both professional education and lived experiences. I am a nonbinary transgender man, and my reproductive story encompasses a wide spectrum of fertility and infertility, pregnancy, and birth experiences. I firmly believe families are made in many different ways, and every reproductive story is unique. I am passionate about the LGBTQIA+ community, especially celebrating and uplifting the many ways LGBTQIA+ people experience parenthood.

“There are all sorts of people telling us what to do when really what we need is space to work out who to be.”

― Elliot Page

As a Therapist, I Embrace the Following Philosophies:

  • I believe that you deserve to feel better.

  • I believe that, sometimes, small steps in the right direction end up being the biggest steps in the end.

  • I believe that emotions heal when they are witnessed and validated.

  • I believe that you are strong enough to be present with what you may be going through.

  • I believe that you are worthy of love and care.

My Professional Background

I received my Master of Social Work from Boston University and my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Hampshire. During my graduate program, I worked in a workforce development program supporting young adults with executive functioning challenges and stress management. My advanced practicum was spent working with transgender and gender diverse children and their families, young adults and adults at the Transgender Health Program. I have also given presentations and guest lectures on transgender and gender diverse birthing people, their experiences, and how to support them. Outside of my professional life, I am involved with advocacy work for the trans community and for gender diverse birthing people.

Start rising above what you are going through. Reach out and let us know that I could be your best fit therapist.

Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with our intake coordinator in our online scheduler. During your initial call, you can share what’s going on for you and ask us any questions you may have. Through understanding your needs, we will help you choose the best therapist for you, answer any questions you might have, and schedule your first session.