Attachment-based Therapists in Washington, DC

I believe healthy, trusting, connected relationships are the cornerstones of strong mental strength. Whether you’re coming in for couples counseling or individual therapy, I approach everything from a relational lens. When you feel fulfilled and empowered in your interpersonal relationships, you’re better equipped to handle the many stressors life presents.

Are you longing for vitality, a sense of choice or self-love/confidence in your life? Are you looking for authenticity, courageous conversations, resonance or deep trust repair in your relationship/s? Are you hoping to find how to live a meaningful and impactful life? I support authentic, compassionate and empowered relating to yourself and others with courageous journeying opening your full expression, connection and power for change. My clients are individuals, partners, co-parents, educators, caregivers or leaders, teams or groups who want to achieve greater trust, connection, resonance, collaboration and systemic resilience.

Hello and thank you for having the courage and strength to learn more about YOU. Psychotherapy is a process and a process that I will take with you. About me: I began my career over 20 years ago, and have worked in several grassroots organizations with the common mission of empowering individuals. I have a love for service and advocacy particularity for the most vulnerable and disenfranchised groups.

Welcome! I'm so glad you're here. You've made the courageous choice to seek professional help. I understand finding the right therapist can be tough, and this may be your first big step towards change. If you are wanting more calm and centeredness within yourself and more stability and connectedness in your relationships, we might be a good fit. I value collaboration, trust and safety above all else. I like to see us as a team where your sense of choice and voice are essential to the process. Together, we will work to forge a new path towards healing.

I view therapy as a collaborative process where the client is the expert on themselves, and the therapeutic relationship is the most important factor in creating change. It is important to have a safe, empowering, and supportive environment in order to examine hurtful relationship patterns and emotional difficulties, and in turn change negative self-evaluations to better respond to life's challenges. I am genuinely interested in and committed to helping my clients gain insight and express their needs in order to engage in more healthy relationships and live the life they want.

Touched by Adoption? The Barker Foundation recognizes that adoption is a lifelong journey, with normal developmental challenges and tasks. We will walk with you through and support you through your journey. Whether you are an adoptive parent with a child that is struggling emotionally or academically; a birth parent who is seeking understanding, reflection, or search and reunion; or an adoptee looking for support- we are here for you.

My work with adults includes those with a trauma history, depression, anxiety, grief, relational issues, somatic symptoms with no medical explanation, feeling stuck or sensing that something is just “not right”, as well as healthcare providers & other first responders who have experienced increased stress during the COVID crisis. My experience with children includes those with a trauma history, adoption, depression, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, divorce, school refusal, low self-esteem, difficult peer & family relationships, immigration, & cross-cultural adjustments.

***WE ARE TAKING REFERRALS AT THIS TIME AND OFFERING TELETHERAPY AND IN PERSON SESSSIONS. We see clients 3-16 years old and their families. I specialize in adoption, and work with adoptees, adoptive and foster families. I am trained in using play-based activities and interventions with families, sand tray, and attachment-based therapies. Please visit my website sabrastarnes.com to learn more about me and the work that I do.

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.

My goal is to help clients move towards a more satisfying and meaningful life. Using a non-judgmental, collaborative, and flexible approach, I tailor my treatment style based on clients’ needs and personal goals. My treatment style combines CBT with acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions. I also provide strategies for relaxation, emotion regulation, and coping with the physical manifestations of chronic stress.

I stress the importance of a strong, caring therapeutic relationship with my clients. I provide a safe, supportive environment in which clients can discuss their feelings and experiences, both past and present. We engage in a collaborative dialogue that allows for inquiry into why patients feel the way they do and what factors have influenced their development into who they are and how they experience life. In doing so, they are often able to feel better about themselves, their relationships, and their place in the world.

Deciding to begin therapy can be a difficult step, but by building a supportive therapeutic relationship, we can understand what’s painful and troubling to you in a way that feels manageable. Maybe you’re not where you want to be in your life; you find yourself repeating familiar patterns and feeling stuck, or you feel overwhelmed by life transitions, anxiety, relationship struggles, loss, or addiction. You might find that talking to your family and friends isn’t helping you cope with your challenges as much as you'd like, and you realize you need a different kind of support.

I believe that given the right context, all people have the capacity to grow, heal and change. It can be overwhelming when painful experiences, emotions and sensations disrupt our ability to be in the flow of life. I offer a warm, compassionate and authentic space where we'll connect with your strengths and resources so that we can meet with whatever is feeling challenging and create meaningful long term change.

I recently moved to Washington DC and am excited to experience the diverse community. My excitement includes practicing psychotherapy for the many populations I have previously served, including adolescents, young adults, and adults of all genders and ethnicities. My experience includes working with LGBTQ populations, college students, and veterans from all SES backgrounds. I also have a vested interest in working with adolescents struggling with loss and grief, anxiety, and depressive experiences. As a member of the first-responder community for five years, I am also knowledgeable on stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

There is nothing like being listened to and understood on a deep level, with genuine interest and acceptance. This is what I strive to offer in therapy or analysis, as we explore together your hopes and dreams, your losses and regrets, your longings and fears. Many people come to therapy to free themselves from self-defeating patterns and the legacy of past traumas, so they can be more truly themselves in relation to others and live with greater satisfaction and meaning. My analytic training enables me to work intensively, and I enjoy incorporating experiential techniques like journaling, psychodrama, and art.

There are many challenges we face throughout life and I aim to create a safe, supportive space to process and find solutions for them together. I aim to use empirically supported methods for treatment. I take an integrated approach to therapy, drawing from my training in Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and relational approaches. I also incorporate methods from Acceptance and Commitment therapy and mindfulness. I work with adults; individuals and couples.

I work with people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, OCD and panic, as well as those facing relationship difficulties, life transitions and people coping with trauma/PTSD. I also help people who experience difficulties with acculturation and adaptation. I use insight-oriented psychotherapy to help identify patterns in a person's life that may be contributing to their current difficulties, as well as to help improve the nature of their interpersonal communication and achieve a more fulfilling life.

As children, we are learning from interactions with our parents who we are and how to fit into the world around us. After we leave home, we become our own parents as we continue to learn about ourselves and how to find our own place in life. And when we have families of our own, we are now parents both for our children and for ourselves, as we continue to understand more about who we are. I provide a warm, empathic and accepting environment where you can explore your current life challenges, as well as address past issues that impact your everyday life.

Welcome to Modern Owl Counseling. We are a group of Clinical Social Workers who believe that everyone deserves someone to talk to who is non-judgmental or biased. You are the expert on you! There are many different kinds of people and different kinds of therapists. It's most important that you and your therapist are a good fit and you feel comfortable opening up to them. Please see our website for therapist bio's and techniques used. We are here to work as a team with you to establish and meet your goals. Together we can create change and improve your symptoms.