Dr. Shelby Ortega

“The difficulties which I meet with in order to realize my existence are precisely what awaken and mobilize my activities, my capacities” – Jose Ortega y Gasset

Dr. Ortega is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and educator with nearly two decades of experience in her field.  She has extensive training and expertise in multicultural mental health, identity development, adult attachment relationships, emotional skillfulness, and intimacy.  Presently, Dr. Ortega serves as a Teaching Associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and as a Clinical Psychologist in her Metro-Boston and North Shore Private Practices.

Dr. Ortega earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Clark University and her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Boston College.  She is a former Harvard Medical School Fellow where she completed two postgraduate fellowships focused on the integration of psychoanalytic theory, research and practice, with community public health principles and settings.  Subsequently, Dr. Ortega was nationally recognized by the American Psychoanalytic Association as a Fellow for her clinical scholarship and commitment to community mental health research and practice.

As a scholar, Dr. Ortega founded and served as the Inaugural Program Director for the Counseling Psychology Graduate Program at Regis College.  This uniquely focused Program is dedicated to a philosophy of multicultural psychology and its practice considerations in the training of masters level mental health clinicians.  Dr. Ortega currently serves on the Advisory Boards for  Regis College’s Undergraduate and Graduate Programs within the Psychology Department where her commitment to social justice and policy continues to inform their philosophies and instruction.

As a practitioner, Dr. Ortega has provided clinical services and supervision to diverse and underserved populations in a variety of medical, educational, and training sites including Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston University Medical Center, and Cambridge Health Alliance.  Dr. Ortega’s approach is distinguished by her dedication to a therapeutic and educational frame that is inclusive of social and cultural context, and therefore, promotes discussions of issues related to oppression, privilege, and of course, intersectionality of complex identity statuses.   Her work is tailored to meet the unique needs of those she serves in a sensitive and responsive manner.  Dr. Ortega enjoys working with people from all walks of life and makes every effort to help those she works with feel welcomed, engaged, supported, and respected.