Hello, I am a Harvard trained practitioner and Board Certified Coach with more than 30 years experience helping people to make their dreams come true. Our work together would define where you want to go in your life & how you will get there - with special emphasis on what's in the way. You may work on one or more parts of your life. Since 'You are You' wherever you may go, you may find that gains you make in one part of your life significantly improve other parts too. You will decide which part(s) of your life you want to work on. These may include: Work, Play, Family, Friends, Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Money, Romance...

Your search for inner peace is closer to fulfillment than you may realize. You have just made the first step toward healing, by looking for information that can help you make life changes and live the life you desire. Most of us expect to have a life surrounded by loving, intimate and meaningful relationships. Sometimes our expectations do not meet the reality of our lives. I will help you uncover your true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. I am here to listen and work with you during your journey towards healing and living the life you want.

By the time people get to me they’ve often tried many things. They’ve read self-help books, perused articles, confided in friends about problems that just don’t seem to go away. Those issues span the gamut, from difficulty with family members to on-the-job problems, to outright trauma, to a nagging sense of dissatisfaction with life. “What can I do about this?” people want to know. My answer is usually something along the lines of “Let’s try to understand more.” Things are often not what they seem at first glance. My office is a place to figure things out, to increase empathy for yourself and others, and to make needed changes.

Living the life that you have always dreamed of living can at times feel daunting. Having a trusted professional at your side can help you make progress towards your goals and help the process feel better along the way. That is why I consider it my great privilege to help my clients become more aware of their thoughts and feelings and use that awareness to help them follow their own guidance towards the life that they've always yearned for. I support clients through an individual plan of action that blends traditional skills based clinical therapy and mindfulness based approaches.

Therapy offers a setting in the service of further knowing and understanding one's feelings, so as to be better able to respectfully care for one's self. Generally, the more choices we have in caring for our feelings, the better we usually feel and function. Learning to talk through feelings lessens the risks of those feelings being acted out in self-destructive ways. Constructive self-management contributes to self-esteem. Self-understanding, in combination with more clearly defined personal boundaries, makes for more satisfying relationships with others.

In life, work, and relationships, do you ever find yourself feeling as if something is missing? Sitting with such a feeling is difficult, and, in our work together, I will use a blend of honesty and compassion to explore those feelings with you. My approach is warm, engaging, direct, and depth-oriented. As a therapist, I want to meet you where you are and to know you and how you think about yourself in the world. We will create a space to collaboratively discover how certain beliefs may be misperceptions or adding to the sense of limitation that you feel.

For many people, therapy can give a person a deepened awareness of their life and provide relief from suffering. Therapy can help us gain an active perspective in living a full and meaningful life. Whether one is struggling with depression, anxiety, or interpersonal problems, therapy may be a helpful journey to alleviate the pain. My approach is interpersonal and psychodynamically informed while also exploring concrete solutions. Many people can feel better in just a couple sessions and others are looking for a long term process. Both can be helpful.

Therapy may begin for a number of reasons; extra support and guidance during a difficult time, a desire for better relationships, or to understand why some aspect of life is not working. At times we can all feel lonely, disconnected, or stuck. With empathy, warmth, and humor I work with clients to become the best version of themselves. We as humans have an amazing capacity to heal, change, and grow. I challenge clients to practice self compassion, authenticity, and vulnerability to build a deeper and more meaningful connection to themselves and others.

Are you feeling frustrated, stuck, or unhappy in your work life or relationships? Is there a deep loneliness with no one to talk to or really understand? Psychotherapy can help and heal. With over 20 years experience, I work by creating a safe, nurturing and understanding therapeutic relationship. My approach is to actively listen and work collaboratively on gaining a deeper understanding of the feelings, internal struggles, obstacles, the impact of earlier life experiences, as well as repeating patterns of behavior that may be underlying symptoms and the root cause of difficulties.

Donna Schwartz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She has maintained a private practice in Washington, DC for over 25 years. She has over 30 years of experience helping individuals and couples. Donna specializes in the treatment of anxiety, binge eating disorder, couple's counseling to include pre-marital counseling, infertility, pregnancy, postpartum anxiety and depression. In addition to being a prominent psychotherapist, Ms. Schwartz is an Assistant Clinical Professor at George Washington University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences since 2010.

Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, boundaries in relationships, grief, have experienced trauma, are struggling with your gender identity or sexuality, or just are not quite sure what’s wrong, I’m here to work with you. My approach to therapy is eclectic and based on you and your goals. I will work with you as a teammate to identify the things that could be holding you back from the life you want to be living. Together we will identify which direction you want to go and how to get there.

I view therapy as a process that can facilitate healing and change, as well as understanding and fulfillment. Whether stuck in a conflicted relationship, feeling lost, struggling with depression or anxiety, adjusting to a transition or life change, feeling unable to break unhealthy patterns or resolve past issues and pain, it can be difficult to know where to start. Together, we can explore the issues you face and identify the direction you want your life to take and the steps needed to get you there. Once established, our relationship can provide the foundation and safety for this process.

Our life journey is challenging with unanticipated twists, turns, bumps and detours. How we choose to navigate these challenges will profoundly impact our ability to live a healthier, happier, and emotionally stable life.

Michael F. Shea, LICSW, is a integrative psychotherapist operating a private practice in Washington, DC with over 28 years of experience. Utilizing a holistic approach to health and healing, he integrates the disciplines of Social Work, Mind-Body Medicine, and Spirituality to aid those who seek self-awareness. He works with individuals, couples, families, groups, and corporate executive teams. His specialties include: addictions, mood disorders, pain management, crisis intervention, spiritual crisis, and strategic planning. He is certified by and is on the faculty of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.

I have been in the private practice of psychodynamic psychiatry for over three decades. I provide psychotherapy and prescribe medication only when indicated as an adjunct to your psychotherapy. I offer a safe, warm and trusting environment in which you can discuss your deepest concerns and you can feel that you are being listened to and truly heard. Together we would work to understand the conflictual issues that are contributing to your difficulties and that are preventing you from achieving your goals in your interpersonal, occupational and academic life.

Typically individuals come to psychotherapy for relief of emotional and psychological pain, which may take the form of depression, anxiety, self-defeating behavior, and/or unfulfilled relationships or goals, to name a few. Many can identify some past trauma, or perhaps some mistreatment that seems somehow connected. For others the reasons are more elusive, like a general feeling of unhappiness, perhaps with oneself or with others.I strive to help you verbalize your thoughts and feelings about what happens between us in our emerging relationship as a way of understanding your relationships in general.

Finding the right therapist is like any other relationship in our lives, it's important that it's the right fit. My therapeutic style is warm, engaging, and collaborative. My priority is making sure the therapeutic relationship is a space where you can feel open to share your fears, dreams, goals, and authentic self while being supportively challenged on the things that are impeding your happiness and contributing to your distress. Throughout this process we will consider the role of your unique cultural identities and how your life experiences have influenced the person you are and hope to be.

Welcome! I am an adult psychotherapist, licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). These credentials, coupled with nearly 30 years of related experience, allow me to address clients' needs holistically in individual, couples and group psychotherapy. Many individuals struggle with chronic pain, depression, anxiety, loss, addictions, and adjustment to change. My style is direct, compassionate and interactive and relies on evidenced-based practices. I am open to the LGBT community. I aim to help individuals and couples gain insight and make behavioral changes to enhance their lives.

I believe therapy is a collaborative relationship that can lead to finding new and positive ways of relating to people and situations in your life. In therapy, we look at the distinctive ways in which you relate to me and others, whether or not you are aware of them, and then we analyze them so you can consciously begin to do something different. I want to make psychotherapy affordable, so I accept clients on a sliding scale basis, from $95 to $125. I would be happy to hear from you.