About the Program
Driven by the Brandeis Counseling Center’s mission and inspired by Brandeis’ value of community transformation, BCC Community Therapists provide free, confidential, and accessible mental health care to Brandeis’ undergraduate and graduate students. Brief, informal one-on-one meetings and engaging group workshops are the cornerstones of Community Therapy.
Community Therapists can offer strategies to strengthen mental resilience, insight and problem solving skills, as well as help determine whether additional service would be useful and, if appropriate, assist in getting connected to resources.
Gosman Community Therapy Information
Hours: One-on-one sessions are offered on Tuesdays (with Julia), Wednesdays (with Aidan), and Thursdays (with Deyja)
Location: Gosman Multipurpose Room #258
How to Schedule: To schedule a time for a confidential individual session, scan the QR code on the community therapy flyer or click the links below.
Additional Sessions: Group sessions and athlete-specific support groups will be offered from time to time. If you are a student athlete, please check this page or monitor your email for more information about these sessions.
Common Student-Athlete Topics
Whether it’s stress, sleep, sadness, performance, or relationship dilemmas, sharing concerns with another person can make an impactful difference. While no topic is off limits, student-athletes often seek Community Therapy to talk through the following experiences:
- Balancing expectations of athletic and academic life
- Change in motivation and/or concentration
- Relationship with body, food, and substances
- Sleep habit formation
- Worry or overthinking
- Change in mood
- Supporting peers in distress
- Communication strategies and boundary development
- Social and family relationships
- Transitioning into or out of sport
- Injury recovery
- Performance anxiety
- Mental resilience skill training
- Team dynamics
Team workshops are also available on the following themes and can always be customized to meet the team’s unique needs:
- Mission & value development
- Goal setting
- Team building
- Resolving performance barriers
- Mental skills
- Communication & conflict resolution
- Leadership dynamics & skills
- Resilience
- Growth mindset
- Redefining total wellness
- Sleep & time management
- Mindfulness
Meet the Therapists
Julia Horvitz, LICSW, Staff Therapist & Community Therapist to the Athletics Department
Pronouns: she, her
Julia Horvitz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who received her Master’s degree in social work from Boston University and her undergraduate degree from American University. Julia has over 15 years of experience in direct clinical work, non-profit management and managed health care. Julia's professional interests and experiences include: anxiety, depression, substance use, eating disorders, relationship issues, bereavement as well as infertility and grief counseling. Julia's clinical work is focused on helping others navigate through life transitions, both big and small.
Deyja Enriquez
Pronouns: she, her
Deyja Enriquez is a doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sport & Performance Psychology at Boston University. Here she provides mental performance services to BU teams and student-athletes competing at the Division-I level. Prior to BU, Deyja earned her Master’s degree in Sport & Performance Psychology with a specialization in Latinx Psychology from the University of Denver. She completed her undergraduate career in her hometown of Boulder, CO, at the University of Colorado. Deyja has 4+ years of experience working as a mental performance consultant from the youth to the professional level for a variety of sports, including basketball, track & field, soccer, swim & dive, and hockey. She also has experience with coaching track and field, working with eating disorders, and working in social justice advocacy.
Aidan Kraus
Pronouns: they, them
Aidan D. Kraus is a Ph.D. student at Boston University (BU), earning a degree in Counseling Psychology with a Specialization in Sport & Performance Psychology. Before pursuing a doctorate, Aidan earned a Master of Education in Counseling with a Specialization in Sport & Performance Psychology at BU and completed a B.A. in American Studies with a Specialization in the Psychology of Sport at Smith College. They currently serve NCAA Division-I student-athletes as a mental performance consultant at BU and have experience working with athletes at various ages and levels within sport. In addition to providing performance enhancement skills to athletes at individual and group levels, Aidan is passionate about identity development, mental wellness, and social justice and advocacy within sports. To date, Aidan has worked with five different NCAA Athletic Departments in the Boston area.
The Community Therapy Team
Students are also encouraged to check out and connect with other members of the Community Therapy team. Community Therapy is a great fit for students who:
- Are not sure about counseling and wonder what it’s like to talk with a therapist.
- Are not interested in ongoing counseling but would like the perspective of a therapist.
- Have a specific problem and would like someone with whom to talk it through.
- Have a concern about a friend and want some ideas about what to do.
- Are interested in increasing interpersonal connection or sense of belonging.
- Would like to receive support in an environment that feels safe and comfortable.
Additional Workshop Resources
Emergency Support & Urgent Care
Community Therapy is not intended for emergency or urgent situations. If you are seeking urgent support please call the BCC at 781-736-3730, which can also be used outside of typical business hours including nights and weekends. The BCC offers urgent care sessions daily at 11am and 3pm. If you are in a life-threatening situation please contact campus police at 781-736-3333 or 911 if located off campus.