Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

Dr. Schwartz is a psychologist with many specialties including anxiety (OCD, GAD, Specific Phobias, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety), depression, eating disorders, trauma and PTSD , insomnia, and substance use disorders. He typically works with late adolescents and adults from a variety of backgrounds. Dr. Schwartz primarily uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) though he frequently incorporates Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training and acceptance-based approaches into his treatment.

My focus is on helping children, adolescents, adults and couples develop effective and meaningful approaches to living fulfilling lives. I provide a person-centered environment combined with evidence-based understandings of emotion, cognition and behavior to effectively address life's challenges. I have worked in hospitals, clinics, schools, and universities with diverse populations and recognize how attachment histories, problematic thoughts, feelings and actions, and traumatic events are related to concerns like sadness, worry, relationship or health difficulties, and developing a sense of identity.

There are many layers and textures in each of our stories and individual healing journeys, that may make us believe that healing is impossible or that inner wellness after trauma is unattainable. You are worthy and capable of the healing you're envisioning. For many of us, a safe healing space is the first step in that journey back to self and is the support we’ve been searching for to become the next best version of ourselves. Together, we co-create the space you need to celebrate your innate wisdom; restore trust in your intuition and voice; and nurture your growth towards more healing and easeful living.

Therapy is a unique experience for each person. It helps you learn yourself, your relationships (past and present), and how you interact with the world. It is a place of self healing and understanding. It is a place to find safety and refuge to manage stress,anger, guilt, anxiety, overwhelming feelings, trauma , interpersonal conflict, and significant life events. I work with youth and adults to help address these issues. I am trained as a psychodynamic therapist, practicing from a relational standpoint. I use several clinical approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, and trauma focused therapy as needed.

Helping you understand what troubles you and gain insight toward positive change is the heart of my practice. I work with adults, individually and in couples, and with families facing the challenges of life transitions and aging. Whether yours are new dilemmas or longstanding struggles, a life-changing event that was planned or unexpected, painful grief over a new or old loss, or a knotty issue in search of solution, all can be opportunities for growth. Every life is a story. You want to make yours better. I work as a partner with you in that process.

A therapist for the last 23 years, I spent the twenty preceding years in large firm law practice in SF, DC and NY. At almost. the last minute, i grabbed hold of my life, and turned it upside down. This turned out very well. Now, every day I get to delight in working with people in a frank and open way, with the aim of changing their lives for the better. Life is difficult — there’s no way around that. But when you and your therapist are a good fit, the therapy relationship can expand your world, deepen your knowledge of yourself, improve your relationships, and release you to a life you can enjoy more fully and freely.

I treat patients and clinicians alike who are interested in enhancing their lives and building upon what they already use to guide them. I also I use different modalities to help address those concerns. My method of practice is to first plan, assess and then treat. We begin our sessions developing a "therapeutic relationship" by getting to know you. Methodically providing psycho-education, emotional support and mixed modalities to address each of your concerns and throughout treatment we reelevate your progress based on your personal needs.

Have you been questioning your gender identity or sexuality? Or struggling with anxiety, depression, boundaries in relationships, or grief? Have you experienced trauma ? Are you 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.

Just as you don't click with every person you meet in the world, you won't mesh with every therapist. And I want to make sure you have a good experience in therapy! As a career changer myself, I work well with professionals who are feeling stuck in certain areas of their life and can't seem to figure it out with the same tools they have used in the past. I love to assist people in mobilizing strengths they already have (like being analytical) and building new capacities (like sitting with tough emotions and listening to the body). Trauma , relationships, family dynamics, identity, and sexual concerns come up a lot in our sessions.

Are you looking to not "overthink," not be triggered in your current relationships, and/or eat without guilt? I empower adults to overcome the burden of anxiety and past traumas. Together, we can identify what's not working and get you back to balance.

You have come to this site to ask for help. That takes courage, strength, and a willingness to look at yourself, to lean into your fears, sadness, isolation, anger, and remove these roadblocks from your life, forever. Our therapists here at TrueYou Center are authentically here for you, supporting you as you unpack all the stories of your life that have lead up to this moment, and helping you rewrite your outcome. Together, we will gently, at your own pace, find the blocks that are preventing you from having the relationships and life you imagine having.

Many of us find ourselves struggling with persistent feelings, patterns, and reactions that hold us back. Perhaps you’ve tried psychotherapy before, and you have a good understanding of your problems but they haven’t changed. Or perhaps you 'know' that you are capable, worthy, and appreciated by others, but at your core, you don't feel this way. I believe that much of the time, symptoms develop from negative life experiences that have not been fully resolved.