In Person Therapists in Spring Valley, Washington, DC

Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) is an approach to therapy that demands full and active collaboration between the patient and therapist. The patient is expected to bring a will to live as fulfilled and happy a life as possible. In using ISTDP I approach the patient's time as invaluable, and believe the wisest approach is to be up front with the patient immediately and continuously, to bring relief from suffering in the fastest and safest way possible. Therapy is typically conducted on a weekly basis following the initial evaluation until goals are achieved.

In psychotherapy, the therapist and client commit to work together to facilitate change. My goal is to provide a safe and nonjudgmental space as we focus on issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, adjustment, sexual identity/LGBTQ concerns, and traditional/non-traditional relationships. My approach to therapy is both holistic and mindful. I view the client as a whole, focusing on the need to bring the mind, body, and spirit into harmony while each element plays a role in healing and the creation of change.

I help individuals work on life issues tied to anxiety and depression, relationship difficulties, stress symptoms tied to childhood trauma, and families struggling with behavioral challenges. I teach communication skills that help with difficult relationships. These skills include helping my clients improve their power, voice, and contact with significant others. I employ many approaches in psychotherapy, including psychodynamic, gestalt, somatic experiencing (SE), accelerated experiential dynamic (AEDP), cognitive behavioral (CBT) and emotionally focused couples therapy (EFT).

Therapy is a journey through which we find our authentic selves and become the best we can be. I have expertise in working with alcoholism, addictions, and recovery issues; and with relationship, couple and family issues. I have worked in the field for over twenty years. I work with adults and adolescents, in individual, couple and family modalities. My approach is to meet you where you are, and to help you to move towards your goals, overcome obstacles, and achieve maximum growth. I use several therapeutic approaches, including cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and strengths-based techniques. Website: practicaltherapy.net.

In addition to my work with creative and ambitious adults, I work with young children and adolescents to increase harmony, pleasure and satisfaction in life. I treat people who are underachieving in work or school despite clear talent; overachieving in work or school yet at a high price; people who are highly anxious; people who feel hopeless about change; people who are trying to achieve greatness in sports or career; and people who know they deserve so much more but for whom it feels elusive. Let's strengthen your capacity to hear yourself better so your relationships and creativity can continue to flourish.

I am both an art therapist and licensed professional counselor in private practice in Washington, DC. I teach courses to graduate students in art therapy and counseling. Although I specialize in helping both children and adults with issues of trauma, family, and relationship, people bring a wide range of concerns from personal growth to serious mental illness. Before entering private practice, I directed an activities therapy department in an army medical center where military members and their families were hospitalized for personality and mental disorders. At this facility, I also worked with children and adolescents on a medical ward.

Are you feeling anxious? Stuck? Having trouble with your spouse, children, parents, friends, colleagues? Things are just not right? Why do it on your own? You need somebody objective and non-judgmental to bounce things off of. Making the decision to call a therapist is tough but it can really make a difference in how you feel and operate in this world. I have been a therapist for over 40 years and I know it really works. My style is warm, interactive and caring and I'm ready to help you tackle your problems.

You are suffering and looking for resolution. This may manifest in myriad ways ---finding, communicating, separating from, or being more intimate in relationships; depression/anxiety sucking the energy/pleasure/novelty from life... Let's be curious together and understand the causes of your suffering. Let's see if there can be a change in perspective, in some ways a psychic paradigm shift, that lifts you out of the matrix of your current reality and relieves suffering. Let's learn from this therapeutic process an ongoing path for being with and exploring life so that it may be fuller and happier.

I team with adults, children, and parents to create solutions and awaken aspects of themselves they would like to grow. We work together to heal past pain, strengthen, and to build a fresh start. Our sessions will allow you to take time for yourself to step away from the expectations and pressures of the outside world so that you can feel, see, and build a stronger self. Taking a break from work, school, and life for one or two sessions a week allows for clarity of mind, strengthening of self, and a generation of a new mindset. I will work as your guide in providing you the tools you need to live your life more fully.

I provide a supportive therapeutic environment helping individuals and families attain a greater understanding into their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Through this understanding, clients will make choices and decisions that will put them on a path to what they really want out of their lives, their families, and their relationships.

Welcome to my practice. I am a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist and I work with adolescents and adults in a warm, collaborative, and relational style. I am a generalist, with special interests in the treatment of depression, eating disorders, body image issues, as well as self-harming behavior and trauma. My practice focuses on helping individuals work through transitions in life, such as teen and young adult struggles, relationship issues, and parenting issues. I have launched a Menopause Info & Discussion Group to empower women with education and support during this life stage.

I place great importance on creating a non-judgmental atmosphere where the person that I am seeing can talk comfortably about their difficulties without fear of stigma or criticism. My approach is one of discovering the links between past and present relationship patterns, and using these insights to foster change and growth. After over thirty years in the field, I believe that I have developed the ability to understand a situation quickly, and to communicate recommendations in an empathic and sensitive manner. I am able to work in brief psychotherapy, and wish to provide genuine help as quickly as possible.

I work with adults, adolescents, and couples, often in transition or crisis. If we work together, you will become more fully self-aware and present as you improve and deepen your relationships with others. I am a warm and engaged participant in the psychotherapy and problem-solving process and as such, I am continually awed by each person's story and the unique reservoirs found to deal with life's difficulties.

Life is a journey, and often we get lost along the way. Psychotherapy is a transformative process that helps you to locate your internal compass, so that you can live a more fulfilling and productive life; navigate difficult periods and transitions; and ultimately feel more comfortable in your own skin. As a clinical psychologist, I have years of experience and training working with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, career obstacles, self-esteem, family discord, grief and loss, defeating patterns of behavior, and the process of coming to terms with difficult and traumatic life situations.

We all experience challenging times when we don’t feel like ourselves. We may feel stuck, lost, or experience the same unsatisfying relationships. Engaging in therapy, with the right therapist, can help. Within a supportive and collaborative relationship, I actively work with my clients to better understand themselves and their relationships; to acquire healthy coping strategies; and to achieve an enhanced sense of well-being. I am flexible, tailoring the therapy according to the needs of each client. I bring an integrative approach to psychotherapy that includes insight-oriented work, practical interventions, and cognitive/behavioral techniques, all within a nurturing relationship.

MINDFULNESS-BASED SOMATIC PSYCHOTHERAPY & INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS: "What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." [Ralph Waldo Emerson]. All that you seek already lies within you. It is my great pleasure to assist you in opening up to your wholeness. Whether you are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship issues, chronic illness, pain, feeling stuck, existential/spiritual issues or simply seeking what you have been missing or what calls you, I am here to help you find the freedom, peace, love and joy you desire. I DO NOT PRESCRIBE NOR MANAGE MEDICATIONS.

For over 35 years, I have helped clients understand and work through a wide variety of life challenges. I provide a safe place and an experienced ear to explore such issues as anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, health problems, self-esteem challenges and career struggles. I also work with many clients on relationship issues, be they couples, marital, family, work or social in nature. My style is warm, sensitive, active, and insightful. I help my clients understand and find solutions to their struggles, while helping them create more healthy, balanced and satisfying lives.

My practice focuses on empowering adolescents and adults. One of my clinical specialties is helping adolescents successfully navigate through times of adjustment by empowering them with skills to improve self esteem, coping abilities, and communication. Additionally, I specialize in supporting young adults struggling with the developmental stage of Emerging Adulthood. I help with adulting by working with clients to discover and clarify goals, address barriers to taking care of themselves, and make day to day life more pleasurable.

Maybe you've noticed that it's difficult to get up in the morning or that you are less interested in getting together with family and friends. Perhaps you've noticed destructive patterns in your relationships or that you keep "shooting yourself in the foot" at work. Conversations in therapy deepen understanding of distress and unproductive patterns of behavior. This new understanding and the tools you and I develop together can decrease distress and increase satisfaction with life.