Profile image of Cassandra  Lorusso
Vetted

Cassandra Lorusso(She/Her/Hers)

(She/Her/Hers)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC
Massachusetts
Trauma-Sports psychology-Adolescent mental health-Borderline personality disorder-Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)-Equine Assisted Therapy-
AboutSpecialtiesLocationsInsurance & Fees

Professional statement

Cassandra Lorusso-Smith is an LMHC who works with clients ages 4 and up. She has worked extensively with issues of PTSD, depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and sports and performance psychology. Throughout her career, Cassandra has run both traditional therapy groups as well as alternative therapeutic groups such as boxing therapy, social skills training, and Equine Assisted therapy. Cassandra's passion is helping clients to identify and use their strengths to improve their life. Coping skills training and finding one's meaning are important aspects to Cassandra's counseling strategy. Additionally, Cassandra is PATH intl. certified as an equine specialist in mental health learning and a certified therapeutic riding instructor.

Prior to creating Walnut Hill Counseling, Cassandra worked at Arbour Counseling Services in Franklin, MA as an outpatient clinician. Her clients ranged from 4 to 60 years of age. She mainly focused on individual and family therapy. For the 3 years prior, Cassandra worked at Tides Family Services in West Warwick, RI as an in-home therapist and a group therapy leader. Cassandra has received training in Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Mental Health and Integrative Medicine, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness. She continues to attend training events in order to better support her clients.

Cassandra is located in Plainville and additionally offers telehealth sessions. The Plainville location offers Equine Assisted Therapy and additional forms of experiential therapy. It is located at 86 Walnut Street.

Outside of the office, Cassandra is an avid hiker, competitive equestrian, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.


Message to clients

Do you grapple with anxiety, depression, or issues stemming from trauma? The ability to heal is inherent in all of us, but often we lack the necessary tools to reach a healthy lifestyle on our own. My mission is to help you discover these tools and implement them for the betterment of your life.

Although I value traditional counseling, it is not always the most transformative model of therapy. I offer a variety of alternative models such as equine assisted and nature assisted therapy. Through exercises focused on forming a relationship with your equine partner, you will improve emotion regulation and communication skills and gain self confidence. Working with horses is also a great way to decrease PTSD symptoms.


Work and Education

Years of Experience: 9 years

Juniko, Jiu jitsu Children's Instructor
Arbour Counseling Services, Therapist
Tides Family Services, In home therapist, therapeutic mentor
Walnut Hill Counseling , Therapist

Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, 2015
Stonehill College, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminology, 2013

Licensure

Massachusetts: 10719

Languages

English

Specialties

Trauma - Coping and healing after threatening or scary events, such as witnessing accidents or experiencing sexual, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse

Sports psychology - Navigating mental roadblocks to physical goals; optimizing personal and team performances

Adolescent mental health - Working with adolescents, teenagers, and parents on social, academic, and/or emotional challenges throughout teenage years; addressing anxiety, family conflicts, peer relationships, school stress, transition to college, social media pressures, self-esteem, hopelessness about the future, emotional disregulation

Borderline personality disorder - Increasing insight into relational patterns and destructive behaviors; development of coping strategies for uncomfortable emotions or situations; skills for emotional identification and regulation.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - Healing painful experiences and memories from the past

Equine Assisted Therapy - Equine assisted mental health counseling, Equine Assisted DBT, equine assisted mindfulness




Clientele

  • Adults (24+)
  • Children (<12)
  • Teenagers (13-18)
  • Young adults (18-24)

Locations & Hours

Currently enrolling clients for Fall 2023 groups

Equine assisted DBT (9-13) Monday from 4-5pm


Insurance

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA HMO

Out-of-pocket fees

  • Individual sessions:$150 (50min)
  • Sliding scale:$60 - $150
  • Initial session:$150 (60min)
  • Group sessions:$75 (90min)
  • Family sessions:$200 (60min)
  • Equine Assisted Therapy $150 (60min)
  • Equine Assisted Coaching$150 (60min)
  • Equine Assisted DBT Group$75 (75min)

Additional session information

Out-of-network billing options

This provider can support you in getting reimbursement from your insurance company if you are seeking out-of-network reimbursement. Here are the out-of-network billing options they provide:

  • Super billing
Payment options
  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card
  • Debit Card
  • PayPal
  • Venmo
  • Zelle
Session frequency

Frequency of sessions this provider offers to see clients once you are an established client.

  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Every other week
  • Multiple times a week
  • As needed