Therapists in Leesburg, VA

I enjoy working with teenagers, adults, couples, and families. I have experience working with a variety of mental health needs from anxiety and depression to anger and behavioral issues to trauma. Some of the needs of my clients include marital issues, life adjustments, desire to achieve greater insight into mental health, development of coping skills, and assisting in healthy communication.

Voted Best of Fairfax in Counseling for 2021. I believe in a holistic approach that focuses on a patient's strengths. I work with my clients to develop a treatment plan that will address the whole person and their specific needs. I specialize in EMDR, Brainspotting, trauma, and the psychological symptoms related to Lyme and autoimmune disease. Other areas of expertise include depression, anxiety, life adjustments, bipolar disorder, substance abuse and chronic illness.

We are not meant to do this thing called life alone. I believe in the need for the culture of therapy to include genuine, empathetic, helpful, and compassionate humans. I have a passion for providing others with support as they navigate through the ups and downs of life. I believe there is great importance in a safe, non-judgement, and supportive therapeutic environment and relationship.

I believe we all want to live a good and meaningful live. Sometimes, difficult life experiences, relationship issues, stressful jobs, traumatic situations, etc can make us feel unhappy, overwhelmed, and overall dissatisfied with our lives. This can affect our ability to think clearly and make choices that helps us to move towards what is important to us in life and being the kind of person we want to be. Therapy can help us in increasing acceptance and learn new strategies to better manage stressors and make choices that can help us move towards the life we want.

Sometimes lately it feels like the world is on fire and nothing you are doing can change that. And your life is in chaos, and you can't find your way out to restore order. That's where I come in - I work with clients who are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, substance use and gender or sexual identity issues to modify thoughts and behaviors and increase life satisfaction. We can work through your concerns together and put you on a path to implement changes, giving you the ability to be the best version of yourself and regain control of your life.

The work I do relates to the years spent on my own personal journey of healing. As someone said: “You cannot take people to a place you have never been yourself.” I believe that healing happens in context and connection. The encounter with another, studying their face, eyes, and expressions, knowing something of their true inner nature, shows the deep magic within and between us. I invite you to walk your healing journey with me. My focus is to provide the space for you to feel attached and safe with another human being, share deeply from your heart, begin to piece together your life-story, and find new meaning and resilience.

Experience matters! I've been helping people turn their insights into action for addictions, anxiety, depression, and life transitions for over thirty years. We may use individual, family, or group therapy, relapse prevention, education, medication, or MAT/MOUD. Our Dual Diagnosis Recovery Program is for people struggling with both a mental health and drug/alcohol issue. We know that recovery does not always mean abstinence. Take the Alcohol Moderation Assessment to help you determine your relationship with alcohol and learn how to get your life back in balance.

Get the support you need to move through this difficult life chapter with skilled navigation. With over 15 years in practice, I've developed an integrative approach to treatment that meets you where you are and helps you refine the direction you want to go. You'll not only find a safe and supportive space to work through your concerns, but you will also discover real tools and actionable steps to begin to feel more like your true self. "There is an unseen life that dreams us. We can trust ourselves more than we realize and have no fear of change." John O'Donohue

You are not broken. To heal the patterns that keep us in a cycle of unhappiness, we first need to strengthen our relationship with ourselves. This is where we will begin the healing work together. I work collaboratively with those who are seeking personal healing and growth in their lives. I am skilled in cultivating a safe, nurturing, and non-judgmental space to support you in moving from pain and suffering, to healing and freedom. You deserve support through life's challenges. I am here to empower and guide you to build a secure loving relationship with yourself and end the cycle of self-abandonment.

Whether I am seeing an individual, couple, or family, I firmly believe each and every client is worthy of the time and effort dedicated to their personal growth in therapy. I wanted to become a therapist to help people see their worth and to understand each other better. Growth occurs when clients are willing to learn more about how they relate to themselves, others, and the world around them. Sometimes growth comes with a lot of healing, and many times healing is followed by identification of more areas for growth. I am present as a support for you in this journey, which is unique to each individual.

I am passionate about advocating for clients through a trauma-informed lens by being a Certified Trauma Professional and a trained EMDR practitioner. My approach to therapy is primarily rooted in Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral, and other trauma-orientated approaches, however I enjoy adapting to each clients’ needs. I believe cognitions or beliefs derived from early experiences influence behavior and how one might view themselves, others, and the world. This pattern can be brought to awareness in counseling and through use of techniques as well as compassion, can be transformed to be more desirable and adaptive to your goals.

Working with me, therapy can bring you out of feeling alone, and improve your self-esteem/worth, relationship issues and conflict resolution. Learn how to let go of your inner critic that strips you of your joy and strength.

I work with clients to go deep into the origins of who they are and how life and relationships have shaped them. When you look deeper into your story you can make sense of how you have learned to navigate connection, emotions, conflict, boundaries, and relational needs. We can explore the stuck points, protectors, adaptations, and threat mitigation strategies you have needed up until now. We can also make space for any parts or wounds that need healing or going back for. Along the way, I can help you access your inner resources, wisdom, and resilience. My role is to help you explore the other possibilities available to you.

As a married mother to three adult children, I have experienced significant life events and transitions over the years. I understand how challenging times can leave us feeling overwhelmed and immobilized. Meeting our thoughts, emotions, and behavior with curiosity and compassion is the foundation for unraveling the complex web that can prevent us from realizing our full potential.

Ideally, our early experiences of connection were secure, safe, accessible, and responsive and we developed an internal sense of ourselves as loveable, worthy, and deserving of getting our needs met. But what happens when this has not been our experience? Many of us have had to find ways to adapt and survive moments of disconnect, invalidation, or criticism. This can often mean we hold beliefs about ourselves that are limiting, worry that we have to hide or minimize parts of who we are, deny certain emotions, hustle for our worth, and/or build up layers of protection. I can support you to heal, connect, and create lasting change.

I consider it a privilege to do the work I do—in fact, helping others heal, grow, and thrive every day brings great meaning to my life. I know from personal experience how life can sometimes feel unbearable. I also know from personal experience what it is like to work closely with a gifted psychologist to create a new perspective and a new life that are even better than before. I am passionate about providing the highest-quality mental health services to each of my clients and would love the opportunity to support you through this time.

In moments of challenge, many facets of our lives converge: our attachments, nervous systems, neurology, environment, and relationships. We all strive to equip ourselves with a diverse toolkit to confront these moments. Therapy offers a pathway for self-exploration and a chance to reshape our approach to life, fostering a more regulated state to manifest our best selves, anchored in self-regulation, attunement, and connection. Behavior serves as a form of communication, and understanding an individual's neurology can be pivotal in meeting their needs effectively.

Do you wish you could move beyond merely surviving and to thrive in all aspects of your life? Do you want to transform your inner world, replacing self-doubt and fear with confidence and self-compassion? Do you dream of uncovering your true potential and living authentically? Do you want to reclaim your narrative, to rewrite your story from one of struggle to one of resilience and empowerment? Ultimately, do you want a therapist who can walk alongside you on this journey, providing guidance, validation, and unwavering support?

Do you feel lonely, overwhelmed, or a lack of motivation? Are you experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, or relationship difficulties? Working together, you will learn how brave you can be, to build virtue, and that you are valuable. Trabajando juntos, aprenderán lo valiente que pueden ser para construir la virtud y lo valioso que son. Mis clientes son jóvenes, adultos y padres. My clients are youth, adults, and parents who receive trauma-informed support, learning to take each day into your own hands, create meaningful change, and build up your strengths. I am a Resident in Counseling with Ted Hoch LPC. English and Spanish open.