Adoption Therapists in Manassas, VA

Are you searching for a psychotherapist who can provide the guidance and support you need to overcome difficult issues? I am here to help you navigate through the challenges that have left you feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, and defeated. I believe in taking a holistic approach, addressing not just your thoughts and emotions, but also the connection between your mind and body. Together, we will explore your feelings, delve into your subconscious, and discover coping mechanisms that will empower you to take control of your life. Let's embark on this therapeutic journey together and unlock your true potential!

Are you pregnant and experiencing some anxiety related to being a Mom? Do you find yourself crying, feeling overwhelmed or wanting to be alone? Are you in a stage of life transition? Being a licensed mental health professional for 21 years, I specialize in helping women manage life transitions, postpartum depression, trauma, anxiety and grief. I also have extensive experience and training working with foster care and adoption issues. As a certified Prepare Enrich facilitator, I also assist premarital and married couples with assessing their strengths, opportunities for growth, and learning skills to strengthen their relationship.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you feeling stressed? Are you struggling with thoughts you cannot control? Are you having difficulty communicating with your child or teenager? are you experiencing suicidal thoughts? Are you in need of hope? I can help!

I am an empathetic and compassionate counselor with emphasis on holistic well-being. I have had over two decades of extensive experience working with all age groups, children, adolescents and adults. I help treat anxiety, depression, mood disorders, post -traumatic stress disorder, self-esteem issues, low academic achievement, parent-child relationship issues and other family conflict issues. My approach is mind-body-brain based.

Are you looking to feel more empowered in your life? Do things feel out of balance in your personal or work life? Are you looking to understand pattens in your life that you want to change, but aren't sure how? I have helped others feel empowered to make meaningful change in their lives and I would love to help you too. I have 10+ years of working with a wide variety of clients including adoptees and their families, active duty military and veterans and those in the LGBTQ+ community.

I am privileged to be a participant in the journey. I am an honest, genuine, compassionate advocate for my clients of all ages, races, ethinicities, backgrounds, orientations, and walks of life. I tell people all the time that if I had wanted to judge people, I would go to law school and get paid much more money! That's a joke! Survivors: let’s come together and agree that you’re never, ever going to back down! My interactive approach can yield results because I seek to learn constantly! I am also passionate about accessibility of mental health services- I supervise newer therapists and keep my rates affordable. That’s me!

We are wired for love and meaning. When we lose the people/things we care about, it is deeply felt in our body, mind, and spirit. Loss can disorient, disorganize, and disrupt our identity, place in the world, and sense of security. Grieving a loss (passing of a loved one, a relationship ending, or change in life circumstances such as career, health, orlocation) is a sacred process of honoring the very important role, needs, and purpose the person or important thing offered you. Grief represents a fundamental dilemma, how to love and live with an open heart and survive the inevitable endings, transitions, and losses that life brings.

In an ideal world, our relationship experiences are secure, safe, accessible, and responsive and we learn we can trust and are loveable, worthy, and deserving of our needs being met. When this is not our experience, we find ways to adapt and survive moments of disconnection, invalidation, hurt, or overwhelm. This plays out as self-limiting beliefs, hiding parts of who we are, denying or being flooded with emotions, shutting down, people pleasing, perfectionism, hustling for our worth, and/or building up our protections. I work with adults, children (2-18), parents, and families to connect, heal, and be each other's greatest resource

Being a child is a special time full of curiosity, exploration, and learning. It is also a time when your body is growing, language is developing, social skills are evolving, and your capacity to cope is a work in progress. It doesn’t take much to feel unsure, overwhelmed, stressed, or unseen. Struggles are expressed through emotional and behavioral distress - tantrums, defiance, dysregulation, difficulty with focus, transitions, separation, or withdrawal from others/school/activities. It can also show up as jealousy, attention-seeking, aggression, anxiety, depression, or hyperactivity. PCIT is specifically designed for this stage.

I work with adult individuals, children (2-18), and parents. I help clients creatively turn pain into coping skills, missed connections into secure relationships, and problematic behaviors into strengths and resiliency. I focus on practical, real-world strategies that build security and connection through a balance of nurture, engagement, structure, and challenge. These strategies are a resource that can then be utilized through different life experiences, stages, and stressors. I support adults, children, and parents alike to understand their emotional and relational needs and find more satisfying, connective ways of meeting them.

Perhaps you’ve been struggling with a history of family trauma, or you are currently dealing with difficult and stressful relationship issues with a partner, family members or your children. Maybe you are going through a tough life transition and are trying to discover not only who you are, but why you feel so different or are filled with sadness or anxiety. Maybe you have a secret or are haunted by something from your past and you need a safe place/relationship where you can be your authentic self.

I specialize in the relationships we have with ourselves, partners, children, and families. Whether a child or adult, our behaviors can always be made sense of when seen as a bid for connection, security, co-regulation, or validation. Where responses feel disruptive, defiant, shut down, withdrawn, critical, or overwhelming, they are a protest against disconnection or change, indications of a missed need, or a signal that whatever is happening is outside of a capacity to cope at that moment. I make space for everyone’s resourceful, brilliant, and sometimes limiting patterns, emotions, needs, protectors, and adaptations.

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist providing out-patient mental health services in Northern Virginia since 2007. I diagnose and treat a wide range of disorders in adolescents and adults. During therapy, I create an environment where people feel safe and comfortable while managing difficult situations. I assist them with developing ways to learn and recognize beneficial patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. therapy from the following perspectives to help individuals use their inherent strengths to improve their quality of life: CBT, Eye Movement Desensitization and Repossessing (EMDR). I am a EMDRIA Approved Consultant.

My orientation to psychotherapy is integrative; I recognize the value of psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and family approaches. I have come to believe that no one approach is necessarily the best. Each individual is unique, so the therapeutic approach that is used should reflect the needs of the client. By tailoring therapy to fit the needs of each individual, an atmosphere is created in which the client feels secure to explore his or her feelings. I have worked in many different treatment settings, and with diverse population of adults and adolescents. I have experience treating individuals, couples, and families.

The philosophy of the practice is to empower individuals to cope with, and solve, their problems, accentuating their strengths and unique capabilities. Systems, cognitive-behavioral, relapse prevention and solution focused techniques are used to help people move on with their lives as quickly as possible. CFS treats all types of problems including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, major mental health disorders, issues related to development, including divorce, empty nest syndrome, family reunification, aging, and young families with children and adolescents.

Navigating the world right now can be extremely challenging especially if you are a woman. Are you the "dependable" friend or family member that is "always there"? Do you have difficulty saying no due to feelings of guilt or fear of acceptance? Have you worked your entire life to do everything just right and now you’re finding difficulty achieving happiness and fulfillment due to excessive worrying and preoccupation with perfectionism? Would you describe yourself as someone who goes after their goals and beats the odds despite life's curved balls? If any of this sounds familiar, then you’ve stumbled on the right profile.

As a therapist, I have much to offer. My many varied years of professional experience as a clinical social worker, my excellent education, combined with my personal life experience serves me well. Together, we collaborate on a new trusted relationship built on safety that has the potential to aid your growth with whatever issue you choose to work on. I work especially well with children and adolescents and have a good foundation in play therapy, yet adults are often surprised that I can work equally well with their concerns. We can design an approach that works for you.

Finding our way back to our whole self can be a difficult journey, one that asks us to connect with feelings not yet owned, wounds not yet processed, and longings not yet voiced. When our needs for comfort, validation, protection, and predictability are not met in our relationships, we can be vulnerable to feeling unworthy, unsafe, and that our needs are unimportant. The strategies we have for dealing with our unmet needs often show up in similar patterns for managing stress, distress, and disconnection. Some move towards others, hoping that if we fight loud, long, or hard enough, our pain and anger will eventually be acknowledged.

Facing life's challenges can be overwhelming! I am the therapist that will provide a confidential environment where sessions are a collaborative process. My goal is to help my clients gain the necessary tools to aid in wellness and a positive mindset. Mental health and physical health work together with both being extremely important. Let's help free your mind of repetitive/negative thoughts. I'll teach you how to spot negative patterns and give you tools and skills to create a new path forward with yourself and love ones. Improvement may not happen overnight, but you should see changes, even if it’s just a better understanding.