About Mountain View Therapy
A community of Narrative Therapists committed to doing therapy differently.
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Mountain View Therapy was founded in 2021 by two therapists, longtime friends, and Narrative Therapy enthusiasts, Christina Peterson and Bailey Schendell.
We created MVT because we believe that the way therapists are supported matters just as much as the way therapy is practiced. Our vision was to build a community where clinicians could learn, collaborate, and grow together while providing thoughtful, respectful, and non-blaming therapy.
Today, Mountain View Therapy is a fully virtual practice serving individuals, couples, and families throughout Massachusetts.
How It All Began
Our story started in 2008, on the very first day of our Master of Social Work program at Simmons College.
We met when we were placed together at a middle school in Roxbury, Boston. We quickly discovered that our different personalities, skills, and experiences complemented one another. What began as a graduate school placement grew into a close friendship and a professional partnership that would eventually become Mountain View Therapy.
After graduating, we both began our careers in community mental health. Bailey worked at South Bay Mental Health, where she gained extensive experience working with people from diverse backgrounds, often providing therapy in their homes. Christina worked at The Home for Little Wanderers, where she was introduced to Narrative Therapy. Christina quickly recognized that Narrative Therapy offered something different: a respectful, collaborative way of working with people that challenged many of the assumptions traditionally found in mental health care. She shared these ideas with Bailey, and together we began a lifelong commitment to learning, practicing, and sharing Narrative Therapy.
Why We Created Mountain View Therapy
Throughout our careers, we saw how difficult it could be for therapists to do meaningful work without the support, connection, and opportunities for learning they deserved. We also saw how the pressures of working in mental health systems could pull clinicians away from the values that brought them into the profession. We wanted to create something different.
In 2021, we founded Mountain View Therapy with the belief that when therapists are supported, connected, and encouraged to grow, they are better able to support the people they work with. We imagined a practice where clinicians could develop their skills as Narrative Therapists, learn from one another, ask questions, and feel part of a professional community. And we wanted the people coming to therapy to experience the difference that kind of community could make.
What Guides Our Work
People are not problems
At the heart of Narrative Therapy is the belief that the person is not the problem; the problem is the problem. We believe people have knowledge, skills, values, relationships, and experiences that can help them respond to the difficulties in their lives. Therapy is an opportunity to explore these resources and make room for stories that may have been overlooked.
Our lives are shaped by the world around us
We recognize that the stories people tell about themselves don't develop in isolation. Our identities, relationships, cultures, communities, and social systems all influence how we understand ourselves and what we believe is possible. We are committed to approaching these influences with curiosity and to questioning the expectations that can limit people's lives.
Connection makes us better therapists
We believe therapists do their best work when they are connected to other therapists. At MVT, collaboration, supervision, ongoing learning, and shared curiosity are central to our practice. We want our clinicians to have space to develop their ideas, challenge assumptions, and grow in their work. The way we run our practice reflects our values.
We believe that respect, transparency, fairness, and collaboration should shape not only our therapeutic relationships but also the way we operate as an organization. We're committed to creating a workplace where clinicians are valued, supported, and fairly compensated for their work.
Meet the People Behind MVT
Mountain View Therapy has grown beyond the two friends who started it. Today, our team includes clinicians with different experiences, perspectives, and areas of interest, all connected by a shared commitment to Narrative Therapy. We invite you to get to know our therapists and find someone whose approach feels right for you.
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