Common Ground Collaborative

Common Ground Collaborative provides compassionate, collaborative therapy for individuals, couples, children, and families navigating relationship challenges, parenting stress, life transitions, separation, divorce, and conflict. Located in Newburyport, we support clients throughout the North Shore and Massachusetts through both in-person and telehealth therapy services. OUR CLINICIANS SPECIALIZE IN Couples Therapy Marriage Counseling Family Therapy Child & Adolescent Therapy Co-Parenting Support Divorce and Separation Support Discernment Counseling High-Conflict Family Dynamics Reunification and Parent-Child Reconnection Collaborative Divorce Coaching We understand that relationships and family systems can become overwhelming during periods of conflict, transition, or uncertainty. Our goal is to create a supportive, nonjudgmental space where clients can strengthen communication, rebuild connection, improve coping skills, and move toward healthier relationships and more sustainable family dynamics. THERAPY SERVICES WE OFFER Couples & Marriage Counseling We help couples improve communication, navigate conflict, rebuild trust, strengthen emotional connection, and better understand relationship patterns. Whether you are feeling disconnected, considering separation, or working through a difficult transition, therapy can help create clarity and healthier communication. Family Therapy Family therapy can help families improve communication, reduce conflict, strengthen relationships, and navigate challenges related to parenting, adolescence, divorce, blended families, grief, or major life transitions. Child & Teen Therapy We support children and adolescents experiencing anxiety, emotional regulation challenges, school stress, peer difficulties, family transitions, and behavioral concerns while helping parents feel more supported and connected in the process. Divorce Support We specialize in helping parents navigate separation, divorce, and family transitions with a focus on reducing conflict, strengthening communication, and prioritizing the wellbeing of children. Our services include co-parenting support, parent coordination, parent-child reconnection, parenting plan development, and guidance in restructuring family systems to create healthier, more sustainable paths forward. Collaborative Law Divorce Coaching We offer specialized, goal-oriented Divorce Coaching by licensed mental health professionals to help couples navigate divorce without High-Conflict and court litigation.  We work on Collaborative teams, alongside attorneys and financial neutral specialists to help manage emotional volatility, improve communication, and facilitate effective negotiations to reach a mutually acceptable settlement.  We help clients manage stress, reduce hostility, and keep the process productive and respectful, by identifying strengths/weaknesses in communication, assisting in crafting parenting plans, and helping parents define their needs during negotiations for better outcomes for families. AREAS WE SERVE Newburyport area Amesbury Ipswich Andover Boxford Georgetown Hamilton Beverly The North Shore of Massachusetts Massachusetts telehealth clients FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Do you offer virtual therapy in Massachusetts? Yes. We offer telehealth therapy for clients throughout Massachusetts in addition to in-person sessions in Newburyport. What is discernment counseling? Discernment counseling helps couples gain clarity about the future of their relationship when one or both partners feel uncertain about staying together. Do you work with high-conflict co-parenting situations? Yes. We specialize in helping parents improve communication, reduce conflict, and create healthier co-parenting structures that support children’s wellbeing. What ages do you work with? We work with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. OUR TEAM Kimberly T. Hutchins MS, LMHC-MA, LCMHC-NH, Certified Collaborative Law Divorce Coach Kim is a Child and Family Psychotherapist and the Founder and Clinical Director of Common Ground Collaborative, with over 25 years of experience supporting individuals, couples, and families through complex transitions, including separation and divorce. Specializing in high-conflict family systems, she provides services such as co-parenting therapy, collaborative divorce coaching, parent coordination, and reunification work, often partnering with attorneys and multidisciplinary professionals to create child-centered, sustainable agreements outside of court. Grounded in a trauma-informed, family systems approach, Kim helps clients move from reactive, conflict-driven patterns toward clearer communication, thoughtful decision-making, and practical, workable plans tailored to each family’s needs. Jessica Runnals M.S., Marriage & Family Therapist Jessica provides a supportive, collaborative space for individuals, couples, and families to explore how relationships, life transitions, and how past experiences shape present challenges, helping clients move from feeling stuck or disconnected toward meaningful change and growth. She specializes in working with couples to strengthen connection and navigate transitions such as parenthood, separation and divorce, co-parenting, aging, and evolving family roles, while also supporting the impact of parenting on the relationship. In addition, Jessica works with individuals ages 13 and older experiencing ADHD, anxiety, and depression, offering guidance, clarity, and support—and when needs fall outside her scope, she helps connect clients with trusted providers.