**ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS** You get annoyed at the question “where are you from?” because the answer is a complicated story. Everyone thinks that you are “exotic” because you or your family are from a different country, little do they know that you are constantly questioning how you fit into expectations from society and your family. You embrace being “quirky”, “a misfit,” "different” but only on the inside and only to a select group of people. You feel exhausted wearing multiple masks, being “too much” for some people in your life and “not enough” for others. Maybe it’s time to discover the courage you never knew you had.

Old patterns holding you back? Stress and anxiety gripping you?Do you just want to feel happier? Suffering from grief; or dealing with remembered trauma from childhood such as physical or sexual abuse? Ellen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She focuses on helping to identify, explore, and resolve difficulties faced in relationships, jobs, parenting, and life transitions such as a birth or aging. She works with clients to explore, change, and grow to achieve outcomes identified during the therapy process. Her approach is eclectic using a combination of intensive short-term, cognitive/behavioral, trauma-centered, and psychodynamic therapies.

I have worked in settings such as schools, inpatient, outpatient, home based, emergency services, respite care, & community mental health. I have focused on family systems/conflict, school based concerns, special education, behavioral management, parenting skills, domestic violence, sexual assault, substance abuse, trauma, and couples work. I believe a system of working together, including resources in the community, and collaborating with a whole team can yield positive results for the client and family.

What I'm especially good at is helping people get clarity about their relationships and their boundaries. This means I work well with individuals in difficult marriages, children and parents trying to establish adult bonds, codependent people, and with anyone who wants warmer, happier, more peaceful interactions in their life. If you can't figure out why your relationships go off the rails, I can help. I like to work with adults, teens and parents, couples, minor-attracted persons (non-offending pedophiles), LGBTQ folks and people who don't know why they feel bad.

Are you tired? Have you been trying really hard to no avail? Are you carrying many burdens, responsibilities, and troubles that you feel are breaking you. Are you discouraged? Exhausted? Worried? Sad? Disappointed in yourself and others? Stuck? Are you struggling with feeling that you do not matter and/or that you do not measure up? Do you crave to be understood, to rest, to connect, and to see your relationships flourish? Do you hope for a better tomorrow?

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, my goal is to help you uncover your true potential and move forward into the life you long to have. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve the challenges you face. We will unearth long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from the life you deserve. I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals. This first step is the hardest. Let's take it together.

When a person realizes that self awareness is the long term solution, they will seek only to understand themselves. No longer do they seek to blame the outside world for their thoughts or feelings. My ideal client is one who seeks to do the work to evolve . Together we start the journey to locate the "inner" barriers that may be holding you back. We do the work to gain control of your thoughts and feelings that are keeping you feeling "stuck". Lasting relief comes from learning techniques which are less about problem-solving and more about letting-go of old beliefs and habits. Know thyself and the whole world changes!

For the past 15 years, I have been committed to working with preschool and school-aged children and their families who are struggling with anxiety and other emotional and behavioral regulation difficulties. I also support children and families through the complicated emotions of divorce, adoption, and other losses as well as the stress and threats to self-esteem that can accompany learning challenges, ADHD and social difficulties. I partner comprehensively with children, parents, schools, and other involved professionals with the aim of building the strongest possible foundation from which children can grow and thrive.

I launched Northern Virginia Older Adult Counseling in 2016 with a clear-sighted mission to provide professional mental health care to older adult clients. My goal is to be an affordable and accessible resource to individuals who are experiencing emotional pain, struggling with family conflict, physical disabilities, bereavement, anxiety and depression. My over-arching goal is to establish a strong therapeutic alliance with a relationship based on trust, commitment and support. While my specialty is working with older adults (65+), I welcome adults of all ages to my practice.

Do you long for the days when you and your partner seemed happy and not every conversation left you feeling angry, sad, or misunderstood? Do you feel like you are banging your head against a wall having the same old fight? It can be very painful when the relationship you care the most about is not working or is causing you pain. I am certified in EFT, Emotionally Focused Therapy. Many therapists say they work with couples but when your relationship is struggling you deserve to work with someone who has experience and training with a solid, well researched approach that provides a plan to help you.

Are you stressed, anxious, depressed, or feel out of control?Whether a parent concerned about a child, an adult, or couple, we can work together on your concerns. Do you want help with smoking, chronic pain, public speaking, phobias or sexual problems? We can develop a program to address these problems.If you are an executive or professional a coaching plan for career and business goals may help. Perhaps you want to write a book or perform better at a sport. We will approach your future with a problem solving, empathic and supportive approach. Warm regards! Geoff Michaelson,Ph.D.

Are you stressed out? Do you feel like have lost control of your life? Do your bad memories bother you a lot now? Do you find yourself yelling at your child/spouse more often than laughing with your child/spouse? Do you feel frustrated and find yourself saying the same things over and over, with no results? If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you are NOT alone. HopeSpring Child & Family Clinic is right here. I can help! I have been working over 25 years as a Developmental Psychologist (Certificate date: Sept 1996, Certificate #: 37) in South Korea, and psychotherapist in Texas, Maryland, and Virginia.

I am currently ONLY accepting new sport psychology clients and clients requesting psychological evaluations. The goal of DuBois Psych Services is to help clients reach their full potential through a holistic approach. My clinical style focuses on helping clients understand the mind-body connection. In essence, helping clients understand how thoughts, feelings, and beliefs can positively or negatively affect our bodies. I facilitate this approach in individual therapy with adolescents and adults.

Feeling overwhelmed, stuck or hopeless and not sure what to do? Having trouble with your spouse, child or other important people in your life? My passion is to collaboratively work with you to be better able to live life to its fullest and to foster healthier connections with the important people in your life. I am committed to teaming with you to foster the change and growth you want and deserve in your life.

Practicing over 20 years. Expert therapist in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and marital/couples problems. Expertise in includes the treatment of social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic/anxiety attacks, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Practitioner-scholar with over 50 published journal articles, books and book chapters on psychotherapy and psychological disorders. My primary modality is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a problem-focused, evidence-based approach. I hold several certifications including "Cognitive Therapy," "Schema Therapy," and "Schema Therapy for Couples."

I am a founding partner of Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education, LLC. Gil Institute is a private group practice committed to providing evidence- and practice-informed mental health services for traumatized children, youth, and adults. My clinical career has focused on facilitating emotional healing for at-risk children and adolescents exposed to multiple traumatic experiences. I have worked in various clinical and educational settings in the Northern Virginia area providing guidance and support to bilingual and bi-cultural children (and families) experiencing socio-emotional and educational challenges.

Couples who are struggling through a time of conflict or disconnection often tell me they are losing hope for their relationship. I hold on to hope even when it seems you can't, and this doesn't mean putting on blinders. Rather, it sets a context for our work together, focused on repair, healing, and skill building for communication and intimacy. I also work with individuals, teens, and families, and I have expertise in stress reduction, addiction recovery, parenting concerns,and alleviating depression and anxiety. My approach is solution focused and practical. I welcome the chance to work with you!

Are you looking to connect and deepen your relationships with those important to you? Do you know what obstacles are getting in the way of sustaining a fulfilling relationship? Whether you're anxious or depressed, I will work with you to understand how your past family experiences are having an impact on you. By understanding your childhood family emotional patterns and learning new ways to think and act, your relationship will deepen.

Gil Institute is an evidence-based group private practice that provides trauma- and practice-informed mental health services to individuals, especially young children, who have endured traumatic experiences. Our specific goals are to empower clients to access reparative energy, to acknowledge and express their pain in a variety of verbal and nonverbal ways, and to reduce the power of a traumatic event or relationship, so that healthy choices become real options.