Maxwell Crystal, LICSW
Couples & Family Therapy

Telehealth Couples Therapy · North Shore, MA

When the same conflict keeps surfacing, something underneath needs attention

Structured couples therapy for partners caught in patterns they can't seem to break on their own. Serving Beverly, Salem, Newburyport, and surrounding communities by telehealth.

Licensed in Massachusetts
Clinical Director, residential behavioral health
5.0 · 17 Google reviews

You might be here because:

You keep having the same argument and nothing shifts

One of you is checked out and the other is carrying everything

Conversations escalate quickly or shut down entirely

You're not sure if the relationship can be repaired — or if you want it to be

You've tried to work through it on your own and it hasn't been enough

HOW THIS WORKS

Couples therapy with me is structured and direct. We don't spend sessions relitigating arguments. We identify the pattern underneath them — what's actually driving the conflict — and build practical changes that hold outside the therapy room.

Most couples I work with have been managing this for a long time before reaching out. The work moves faster than you'd expect when the focus is right.

Professional headshot of a man with brown hair and beard, smiling, wearing a light blue collared shirt, against a plain gray background.

About

I'm Maxwell Crystal, LICSW, a licensed therapist in Massachusetts with a clinical background spanning community mental health, hospice bereavement work, and residential behavioral health leadership.

Alongside my private practice, I serve as clinical director at a residential behavioral health program, where I work every day with people at the edges of what relationships can hold. That perspective shapes how I approach couples work: I know what escalation looks like, what sustains it, and what actually creates change.

My approach is steady and direct. We slow the process down, clarify what's happening, and build forward from there.

  • "Max has always been trustworthy and reliable. Wouldn’t want anyone else in my corner!"

    —Verified Google Review

  • "Max is a very talented therapist and amazing at his work!"

    -Verified Google Review

  • I have worked with Max professionally for a few years. He is one of the most supportive, reliable and kind people I have had the privilege of working with. I would highly recommend his services.

    —Verified Google Review

Getting Started Is Simple

1. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation
We clarify what’s going on and what you need

2. Get a clear direction
You’ll leave with a better understanding of next steps

3. Begin therapy
Structured sessions focused on your specific dynamic — not a generic process.

Investment in Therapy

Individual therapy: $175 per session

Couples therapy: $200 per session


This is a private-pay practice. Most insurance plans don't cover couples therapy — they require a mental health diagnosis for one partner and treat the relationship itself as incidental. Private pay keeps the focus where it belongs: on your relationship, without a diagnosis on anyone's record and without an insurance company limiting your care.

HSA and FSA accepted. Superbills available on request for out-of-network reimbursement.