The Northampton Center For Couples Therapy in Northampton

NCCT SAVED my relationship with my fiancée and helped us stay on track to get married. He and I had been together for about four years (this was back in 1998) and we'd reached a critical juncture in our relationship at that point, because SO MUCH of our connection had been long-distance in the time that we'd already been together, and we had each invested SO MUCH time, energy and yes love and emotionally intense feelings into the relationship ALREADY. We'd met through a mutual friend back in the Fall of 1994 when I was in my second year at Hampshire College in nearby Amherst and he was in his first year at NYU/Stern down in NYC (which is actually my hometown -- born in Manhattan, raised in Brooklyn) and then after we'd gotten together it was long-distance between the Pioneer Valley & NYC throughout that first year (which was 💯% manageable because it's not too far away, just a 3.5 hour drive) of our relationship. He's originally from the suburbs of Chicago -- Winnetka, Illinois. HOWEVER, I then went on Academic Leave from Hampshire for a year (1995-96) and moved out to Portland, Oregon (to pursue specific artistic projects that I'd been developing long-term before we'd even met); while he was back East in NYC at NYU/Stern for his second year & THEN we were "cross-country" long distance from one another, not just regional long distance. He and I went back and forth during that second year of our relationship between NYC & Portland (it was complicated, but we SOMEHOW made it work, that's what planes were made for, right?) & then I left Oregon and came back East to NYC temporarily ONLY to then immediately leave again for London on Field Study (which had also been under arrangement prior to when we first met) for YET another four months being long-distance; this time internationally with me across the pond in London, and him in NYC. Challenging, right? I came back from my Field Study Abroad (he'd come to London after my program ended and we'd spent some time traveling together in Europe which was romantic) and I moved back to Amherst to finish up the remainder of my third year at Hampshire on-campus & he was down in NYC finishing up his third year at NYU/Stern, so we were AT LEAST back to: "regional long-distance status" like we'd been during our first year together. 🤣 We were a textbook example of a "Living Apart Together" couple. We became engaged in the Summer of 1998 (the Summer after he graduated from NYU/Stern and I graduated from Hampshire) on a trip to the UK, France, Belgium and The Netherlands. He proposed to me on a bridge overlooking the Herengracht in Amsterdam. It was all VERY romantic. NCCT (on my end at least since he found another couples therapist for us on his end in NYC) and couples therapy in general entered our lives in 1998-99. He was frustrated and angry that even though we were now engaged -- we STILL weren't living together since I was now living in downtown Northampton, and he was living in the East Village of NYC, and I knew he wasn't happy AT ALL with this present situation continuing. Primarily it was because I was completing my first Master's: A Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) through a year-long co-ed Grad Program at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, & so I HAD to stay in the Valley in order to obtain that. I was also teaching at Berkshire Community College (BCC) out in Pittsfield and at Greenfield Community College (GCC) up in Greenfield at the same time, (which was valuable experience), and I was lucky to even get that opportunity to teach at the post-secondary level while still pursuing my Master's. Usually, you can't even teach until AFTER the M.A.T. is conferred, but MHC got me that opportunity. We were engaged for four years (1998-2002) and EVENTUALLY got married in NYC in June of 2002 and were FINALLY living together!

A recommendation from dear friends brought NCCT to our attention. It was by good fortune that Lucy Sunday was assigned as our counselor. From the first interaction she was in our corner. Lucy created a safe, supportive space & much encouragement & guidance as we worked to strengthen our relationship. Her humor, compassion, and patience augmented her talents at reframing statements, distilling our rambles to concise sentences, and kindly pointing out the hard truths. We feel so very lucky to have Lucy as our therapist on this journey; she's excellent.

I can't speak highly enough about Lucy Sunday. Her authentic warmth and curiosity invite such a safe space for inquiry and vulnerability and she is masterful at bringing clarity to the often messy and confusing experience of relational work. She is compassionate, unafraid of nuance, and respectful of differing perspectives and perceptions. Her wisdom and insight have been indispensable to me at critical times and I'm so grateful to have her support and guidance.

I had a terrible experience with Lucy Sunday as a therapist. Despite having my own therapist for two years, we sought Lucy for couple’s therapy. She repeatedly shut me down, creating a hostile environment that left me deeply hurt and insecure, even causing nightmares. She twisted my words, made everything worse, and struggled with emotional regulation, nearly crying in a session. I'm extremely disappointed after doing thorough research. Although she continued to see my partner alone (I was informed), the unethical part was her sharing private assessment results without my consent.

Lucy Sunday is an incredibly gifted counselor who deftly guided and enabled us to not only save our marriage, but help it grow strong. She is easy to talk to, compassionate, nonjudgmental, fair, insightful, cares, and we are forever in her debt. We love her.

If we could give 100 stars we would. We recently went through the 3-day intensive therapy program with Beth Agostino-Evans. It was one of the best decisions we have made in our lives. We knew the moment we met Beth that we were in the right place for help. She guided us through difficult issues, was incredibly patient and kind, and showed her extensive professional abilities. Our experience at Northampton Center was the exact opposite of any of our other efforts to get help. For any couples that need someone to truly care about them and their relationship and help them find their way back, this is the place for you. Kerry Lusignan and Beth Agostino Evans, thank you cannot cover it sufficiently. We feel so fortunate to have found you and your practice.

NCCT is really unique in the services they offer. The structured assessment process, the breadth of books and handouts they use to supplement sessions, and the various specializations of their therapists make the cost and time totally worthwhile. We got off the waitlist quickly and found the platform used for forms and scheduling very straightforward. The intake and billing person was easy to work with, and our therapist was kind, flexible, empathetic, and insightful. We also know a couple who participated in a full weekend retreat, which they found very informative for their relationship, and a faster way to get some of the clarity they were looking for. Thank you NCCT for all the work you’re doing, and for filling a desperately needed niche in the mental health world. We appreciate you!

I was really impressed with my experience at NCCT. The intake process was easy and the therapist seemed well-versed in the Gottman method, which I was looking for. I appreciated the length of sessions and the various resources we were offered to utilize outside our sessions. I also appreciated the flexibility of being able to have both in person and virtual sessions, which we needed for our schedules. Overall, a positive experience and worthwhile.