Trauma Focused Therapists in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC
See all therapists in Dupont Circle, Washington
Jess MacIntyre
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
9 Endorsed
Verified
9 Endorsed
Therapy helps us cope more effectively with challenges and encourages growth even in difficult circumstances. A strong relationship between therapist and client can make the process significantly more enjoyable and productive. I strive to be genuine and authentic in sessions, incorporating humor and warmth to create a safe, nonjudgmental, and respectful space for support. Together, we will explore your ways of thinking in order to facilitate insight into your experience and gain new skills and strategies to create long-lasting, positive change in your life.

Rashanta Aneisha Bledman
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
11 Endorsed
Verified
11 Endorsed
Our practice provides
trauma focused
therapy to adults hoping to better understand themselves and their unique experiences. We use a collaborative approach to highlight strength and resilience while assisting in learning to manage depression, anxiety, body image dissatisfaction, racial trauma, and interpersonal relationship difficulties. We specialize in women's issues, LGBTQIA+ concerns, racial/ethnic identity, religious/spirituality concerns, gender identity and experiences of people of color. Our practice reflects diversity and commitment to cultural humility and awareness. Associate info at drbledman.com. Fees vary.

Anne Gialanella
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
Verified
7 Endorsed
Verified
7 Endorsed
If you find yourself struggling to overcome trauma, maintain healthy relationships, or cope with anxiety, I would be happy to talk with you about my approach to therapy and how we might work collaboratively to empower you to make meaningful changes in your life. I specialize in providing clinical services to adult survivors of trauma, including sexual abuse, physical abuse, and witnesses to violence. I also help clients address issues of depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, and grief.

Jonathan Christophel
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LICSW
Verified
Verified
I use
Trauma focused
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, CBT, and Eco-therapy based concepts in my work.
I look forward to working with you, or your children, in overcoming current obstacles and life challenges. In my experience in working with adults, children, and families, they have all the strengths and resources they need within themselves, and can reach their full potential within a safe, empathic therapeutic relationship.

Priscilla Dass-Brailsford
Psychologist, EdD, MPH
Verified
Verified
I see a wide range of clients who strive toward an authentic self, seek to explore growth, and achieve their full potential. I have expertise in helping clients suffering from anxiety, depression, and trauma and practice clinical interventions that are strength-based and solution-focused. My belief is that psychological and behavioral problems are expressions of pain and efforts to cope with unacceptable environmental demands and consider therapy an important step in restoring resilience and making healing possible.
Not accepting new clients

Yujia Julia Liang
Resident in Counseling, MPhil, MSEd
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Perhaps it’s overwhelming stress. Perhaps it’s an identity or existential crisis. Perhaps it’s your child who is encountering emotional and behavioral difficulties. Perhaps it’s your own traumatic memories. Regardless of reason, you are here, and I am here for you.

Kathryn Wagner
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
9 Endorsed
Verified
9 Endorsed
Psychotherapy can help you make sense of complicated feelings, gain insight into relational patterns, and begin to move forward in areas of your life where you feel stuck. My focus is to help you untangle struggles, set meaningful goals, revise problematic narratives about yourself, and re-orient you toward your values. My integrative approach is informed by psychodynamic, feminist, multicultural, relational, and behaviorist theories. Above all, I value the therapeutic relationship and your personal growth.

Lisa Sherper
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW-C
Verified
3 Endorsed
Verified
3 Endorsed
My primary focus is on helping couples and individuals with sexual issues. In working with couples, I find dissatisfaction with partnered sex is often linked to deeper relationship difficulties and the two can be intertwined. In other instances, the therapeutic focus is primarily on enhancing technique and increasing desire rather than improving the relationship. I also work individually with women to eliminate barriers to sexual wellness and increase acceptance. I enjoy working with gay, lesbian, and heterosexual clients and have respect for sexual fluidity and variance in erotic interest.

Capital Institute for Cognitive Therapy
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
Verified
We are CBT experts. Since it was founded in 2003 by Dr. Stephen Holland, Capital Institute for Cognitive Therapy has been providing research-proven treatments and compassionate care. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective for a number of problems, including: depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), hoarding, panic, phobias, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, insomnia, chronic pain, personality disorders, and relationship problems. Studies find most patients in CBT have significant reduction in symptoms and distress.

Jeremy Ayers
Counselor, LGPC, NCC
Verified
Verified
I believe you’re stronger and wiser than your current struggles might lead you to believe. It’s just that sometimes our core strength gets covered up by the stress of life and the difficulties we’ve faced. With me, therapy is about helping your best self emerge, which often takes a big dose of compassion and a much-needed break. I work with clients on a variety of issues, including anxiety and depression, relationships and sex, career changes, grief, trauma, and growing up in dysfunctional families. I'm also passionate about supporting LGBTQ, trans, and gender expansive clients.

Nadia R Khansa
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
Verified
Verified
I have been working with various forms of trauma throughout my career. Whether it is a single-incident trauma, long term difficulties with relationships, abuse, or attachment trauma, processing your own medical illness or the death of a loved one, or navigating the impact of systemic oppression—the things that have happened to you do not have to be in control of you. I help my clients find empowerment in building the future you want for yourself and finding a healthy relationship with your past. I have extensive experience working with clients healing from identity based stressors. All races, religions, sexual orientations, gender
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Dr. Lauren E. Mays
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
3 Endorsed
Verified
3 Endorsed
Welcome! I am a results-oriented therapist who specializes in helping individuals break free of old patterns, find motivation, form deeper relationships, and manage difficult transitions. Using foundations of attachment and neuroscience, I work collaboratively with clients to help them gain insight into how they are "wired". This blueprint allows us to develop effective strategies that both reduce immediate stress and make lasting impacts on your overall well-being and life satisfaction. I believe that the therapist-client connection is paramount to this work and strive to provide a space that is safe, thought-provoking, (sometimes) fun, and always real.

Elaine Mazanec
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LGSW
Verified
Verified
I am a psychotherapist located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC, offering individual, group, and couples therapy. I have a diverse practice and enjoy working with men and women to help them grow from within and improve the relationship they have with both themselves and others. I incorporate psychodynamic therapy, internal family systems, and mindfulness into my practice. Most importantly, I create a warm, compassionate space where clients can learn to better understand themselves, let go of self-limiting beliefs, and build healthy coping mechanisms.

Leyla M. Kenny
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, PhD, LICSW
Verified
Verified
With over 20 years of experience, I provide psychotherapy for adults dealing with anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, grief, and interpersonal issues. I am on faculty at The Catholic University of America and the Washington School of Psychiatry where I continuously both learn and teach the latest findings in effective therapy.

Sonja Harrison
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LICSW
Verified
Verified
I believe that everyone has the capacity to accomplish their goals. My role is to help you uncover and understand the obstacles and trauma that are getting in the way of achieving what you desire, and then help you tap into your inner resources to succeed. With empathy and authenticity, I work alongside my clients to promote healing and discovery of their power to change. Whether you are experiencing symptoms related to anxiety, depression, grief and loss; problems with relationships, parenting, or self-esteem; or a general sense of disconnectedness – whatever it is – I recognize that therapy is self-work, and it's not easy.

Maury L. Joseph
Psychologist, PsyD, MPsy
Verified
12 Endorsed
Verified
12 Endorsed
Anxiety, depression, and other experiences that bring us to therapy are some of life's greatest challenges, but they are also valuable opportunities for growth. With a therapist's help our struggles can become an opening to deeper self-understanding, to new ways of living, and even to new beginnings. Our suffering requires us to seek help so that we may learn to better help ourselves. With proper support we can come to see that our symptoms and difficulties in a new way- as the first difficult steps on a journey of learning and growth.

Aya Behavioral Health, LLC
LPC Intern
Verified
Verified
I focus on all types of traumas, such as stress related disorders, and neurodevelopment disorders, such as, intellectual developmental disorder, Autism, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder ADHD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, insomnia, and personality disorder. I specialize in individual and group therapy with children 8-13, teens 13-18, and adults. I’m also happy to collaborate with families who are struggling with multiculturalism and culturally specific issues due to the transmission of multigenerational trauma.

Jonathan Kirkendall
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
Verified
Verified
What does therapy in the time of Covid-19 mean? These days when our life has been turned upside down, our general sense of anxiety may have increased. What will happen in the future? Will my family be ok? Will I have a job? At the same time, this public health crisis is intersecting very uniquely with our own personal life. Maybe you’re a college senior who didn’t get to graduate. Maybe you’ve recently had a loss and now feel more lonely than ever. Maybe now past trauma is coming to the fore. Maybe all of this just feels overwhelming. I can help. I bring a goal oriented, holistic approach to help you bring more calm to your life.
Waitlist for new clients

Laura Lokker
Psychologist, PsyD, JD
Verified
Verified
At some point in our lives many of us will struggle with anxiety, depression, loss, relationship problems, career concerns or life transitions. If you are facing one or more of these challenges, I believe I can help. I am a licensed psychologist providing counseling and psychotherapy to adults in Washington DC. I have experience working with diverse clients on a wide range of issues. Depending on your needs and goals, I integrate various therapeutic approaches and treatment models, including psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal and mindfulness.

Ariel VanDoren
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Therapy is a choice that may allow for insight, personal awareness and change. Therapy allows you to increase self-awareness so that you can be accountable for you thoughts, feelings, and actions and learn to avoid triggering situations, unhelpful patterns of behavior and overcome challenges you are facing. I firmly believe in a person's potential for growth by integrating aspects of their past into the present in an effort to heal. As you learn to externalize parts of your self, it is my hope that you become more comfortable with vulnerability and present in your daily life.
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How can I find a therapist in Dupont Circle, Washington?
Search for nearby therapists or counselors by inputting your city, town, or suburb; or zip code; or a provider’s name into the search bar. From there, you can filter providers by the issues they treat, cost, insurance, gender, and other factors to find providers who are well-suited to your needs. To navigate between locations within the same country, enter a new city or zip code into the search bar.
Learn more about how to find a therapist.
Learn more about how to find a therapist.
Is online therapy a good option?
Therapy conducted online can be just as effective as in-person therapy, as long as there is a strong alliance between the client and the therapist. To find a therapist who provides telehealth services to clients in your area, click “Online Therapy” on the directory homepage and search by your city or town or your zip code.
What’s the difference between a psychologist, a therapist, and a counselor?
Therapists, psychologists, and counselors are all licensed mental health professionals. In the US, psychologists have earned a doctoral degree. The terms “therapist” and “counselor” are used somewhat interchangeably, but generally therapists offer longer-term, mental health care, while counselors offer shorter-term care that may focus on one domain, such as marriage, career, or academic challenges.
What type of therapist is right for me?
Clients should consider factors such as insurance coverage and their primary reason(s) for seeking therapy to determine the type of professional best suited to their needs. Someone struggling with mental health challenges such as depression or anxiety, for example, may wish to seek out a clinical psychologist or therapist, while someone navigating career obstacles or marital upheaval may benefit from seeing a counselor who can offer short-term, targeted support.
Is everyone in the Psychology Today Therapy Directory a licensed therapist?
The Psychology Today directory lists providers who offer legitimate mental health services to the public, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and counselors. Many have been licensed by the country or state where they practice; providers whose license or primary credential has been verified by Psychology Today are signified by a “Verified” symbol. Some clinicians or organizations provide services for which their state or country does not offer licenses, such as pastoral counseling. They may be selectively included without the “Verified” seal.
What type of therapy is right for me?
The type of therapy best suited to a particular individual depends on several factors, including their primary reason for seeking therapy, their preferred timeline (some therapy types last for a set number of sessions, while others are open-ended), and their personality and preferences—some may prefer a more structured approach. For many individuals, multiple types of therapy could provide a good fit.
Is online therapy cheaper than in-person therapy?
Many therapists charge the same amount for online therapy as they do for in-person therapy—though clients may still find this cost-effective if it cuts down on their transportation costs. Health insurance plans often offer equivalent coverage for online and in-person therapy; indeed, in many places, they are legally required to do so. Text-based or on-demand therapy apps may be cheaper than traditional one-on-one psychotherapy; however, the practice may be less effective and is not likely to be covered by insurance.