Single mother of two working as a therapist - where to move? (Boston: insurance, home)

[V&L]

Hello,

I am a single mother of two working as a psychologist/counselor, charging between 125 and 200 dollars. We are planning to move to either MA or CT from Princeton, NJ (I looked at Vermont and KY as well, but ruled those out at the end). I was wondering what area would be the best for us, based on these requirements:

- people can afford a therapist
- people have an interest in therapy
- good public education, especially lower and middle school
- beautiful natural setting
- cute downtown with some amenities (can be small, but with some restaurants and a theater not too far)
- intelligent, open-minded, kind people.

On paper and pictures, I liked Dover and Lexington, however they might be out of my price range (along with Weston and Wellesley). Please let me know if you had any suggestions, and a comparison of these four towns would be nice as well!

[alidmc]

Do you want to focus on West of the city, or are you willing to consider North and South as well? It doesn't sound like commute will be a concern so, if you are willing to check out areas North of Boston, I would look at Hamilton/Wenham, Manchester, and Essex. All of these towns have what you are looking for and are close to beaches. Hamilton/Wenham and Manchester have commuter rail service into Boston as well.
Down South you could look at Hingham and Cohasset. These towns also meet your requirements with the added bonus of being near the water and offering transportation to Boston.

[G-fused]

Do you mean to have an office or to reside or both? As an office, many of the people in all the towns you mentioned have plenty of money and value mental health. There is fine enough demand depending on your credentials and the population you treat and treatments you specialize in. If you accept insurance, you’ll be in better shape to get started. If not, you’ll need to establish pretty good relationships with providers and have a good rep for effective treatment. You probably know all that is involved with starting a practice.

All the towns you mention have good schools. Main question is what is your price range for a residence – the towns you mention are pretty expensive. For a cute downtown and some of the other things mentioned, I’d say Lexington beats out the others.

Best of luck

[V&L]

Originally Posted by alidmc

Do you want to focus on West of the city, or are you willing to consider North and South as well? It doesn't sound like commute will be a concern so, if you are willing to check out areas North of Boston, I would look at Hamilton/Wenham, Manchester, and Essex. All of these towns have what you are looking for and are close to beaches. Hamilton/Wenham and Manchester have commuter rail service into Boston as well.
Down South you could look at Hingham and Cohasset. These towns also meet your requirements with the added bonus of being near the water and offering transportation to Boston.

Thank you for the reply! I have not even thought of moving to a different part of MA until now . What is the difference between these three areas, in terms of public education, natural beauty, wealth and overall feel of location/people?

[V&L]

Originally Posted by G-fused

Do you mean to have an office or to reside or both? As an office, many of the people in all the towns you mentioned have plenty of money and value mental health. There is fine enough demand depending on your credentials and the population you treat and treatments you specialize in. If you accept insurance, you’ll be in better shape to get started. If not, you’ll need to establish pretty good relationships with providers and have a good rep for effective treatment. You probably know all that is involved with starting a practice.

All the towns you mention have good schools. Main question is what is your price range for a residence – the towns you mention are pretty expensive. For a cute downtown and some of the other things mentioned, I’d say Lexington beats out the others.

Best of luck

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. My price range is $600,000 cash, but I am fine with a 2bedroom house.

Why do you think Lexington would work better than the rest? Also, someone suggested the area of Manchester-by-the-sea and Wenham, or Hingham and Cohasset, how would these areas differ from the Lexington/Dover/Wellesley area? Thanks!

[chicagoliz]

I'm curious what is driving the move from Princeton -- I'm familiar with Princeton, and it's a very nice area, with much of what you describe. So I'm wondering what you don't like and what you're looking for in New England? Or do you need to move to New England for some other reason and want something like Princeton? (Although I see you looked at KY, as well, which really makes me curious about the reason for the move.)

[V&L]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I'm curious what is driving the move from Princeton -- I'm familiar with Princeton, and it's a very nice area, with much of what you describe. So I'm wondering what you don't like and what you're looking for in New England? Or do you need to move to New England for some other reason and want something like Princeton? (Although I see you looked at KY, as well, which really makes me curious about the reason for the move.)

I understand your question: I love Princeton and it is a beautiful area. However, I am getting through a divorce right now and my husband, who is a very socially active and well-established person here, decided to drop any interest in the kids and I thought it would be too painful for the girls to accidentally bump into him at Church, the theatre, Whole Foods or anywhere else. I am looking for something just as safe, pretty, intellectual and friendly as Princeton, a bit more rural I would not mind as long as the community is such that it could support my work as a therapist and public education is good. KY came up because I propagate antique roses and the weather would be amazing there for them !

[kingeorge]

OP this is very competitive area. Can you withstand needing to build your business from ground up, and what is your contingency plan? Do you have enough savings to survive very high COL, not just home purchase?

To me this area seems over-saturated with healthcare options. People are sophisticated, and can afford to be choosy. What would make you stand out, and attract enough patients/refferals?

You might be smart to look toward Amherst/Northampton area to see if there would be more demand in West MA. Everybody and their mother is lately moving to Eastern MA, and might be beneficial to look at some areas outside the box.

Good luck.

[G-fused]

My impression is that Lexington is a more dynamic and interesting place. It has the best downtown over Weston, Dover (I don’t think Dover has a “downtown”), and Wellesley. And although it’s very far from a poor town, my sense is that it’s not as hoity toidy as the other towns mentioned. The others I think are more sleepy. AS a single woman with kids, I’d think you’d want more vibrancy.

I don’t have a good idea about what it’s like to live in Manchester-by-the-sea, Wenham, Hingham, or Cohasset. Nor am I familiar with the psych scene there. But I would guess that you’d be in better shape professionally by sticking to towns closer to the greater Boston area because the population is larger and the main hospitals are closer. Even if your referrals don’t come directly from there (which they likely won’t), that is a source of trickle down referrals from all the general practitioners that are affiliated with them. I think the mental health scene is pretty robust here and I am pretty darn familiar with it. Again, as long as one’s credentials and treatment methods are sound. In my experience, mental health is very valued here and very used. There is little stigma. I would guess that this is one of the better areas in the country to practice – it’s not all sunshine and roses though. It’s expensive here and the weather stinks.

Best of luck

[V&L]

Originally Posted by G-fused

My impression is that Lexington is a more dynamic and interesting place. It has the best downtown over Weston, Dover (I don’t think Dover has a “downtown”), and Wellesley. And although it’s very far from a poor town, my sense is that it’s not as hoity toidy as the other towns mentioned. The others I think are more sleepy. AS a single woman with kids, I’d think you’d want more vibrancy.

I don’t have a good idea about what it’s like to live in Manchester-by-the-sea, Wenham, Hingham, or Cohasset. Nor am I familiar with the psych scene there. But I would guess that you’d be in better shape professionally by sticking to towns closer to the greater Boston area because the population is larger and the main hospitals are closer. Even if your referrals don’t come directly from there (which they likely won’t), that is a source of trickle down referrals from all the general practitioners that are affiliated with them. I think the mental health scene is pretty robust here and I am pretty darn familiar with it. Again, as long as one’s credentials and treatment methods are sound. In my experience, mental health is very valued here and very used. There is little stigma. I would guess that this is one of the better areas in the country to practice – it’s not all sunshine and roses though. It’s expensive here and the weather stinks.

Best of luck

Thank you for all your input. I was just about to be scared away because someone mentioned that the Lexington/Weston/Wellesley/Dover area is over-saturated with healthcare professionals. I got my License in NJ which is a tough State to get your License in, but of course I will have to do it again for MA. As a single Mom with two kids going through a difficult divorce, I am of course scared about establishing a new practice but it has to be done. I am going to visit in 2 weeks, is there any other town you think I should check out perhaps?