Suicidal Ideation Therapists in Washington, DC

The Pincus Center specializes in working with clients to build a life filled with pleasure and joy. We will help you to find your inner voice, establish your own goals and find a path that works for you. There is no one true way to do therapy or to live your life. We will help you find the tools to ride the waves of emotions that we all experience instead of being pulled under. We can't make everything perfect but we can make it better. We focus on issues around body acceptance, sexual freedom, neurodiversity, shame, low desire, sexual functioning issues and a wide variety of other mental health issues.

For many people, therapy can provide relief from suffering and give a person a deepened awareness of their life. 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 a couple sessions and others are looking for a long term process. Both can be helpful.

My goal as a therapist is to help clients embrace their authentic selves, foster meaningful relationships, and improve their quality of life. I work to create a safe and accepting environment that values the unique personality, lifestyle, and goals of the individual. My clinical expertise includes treatment of eating disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression and self-harm behaviors.

As a bilingual therapist who values a collaborative approach, I am here to accompany you on your journey to understanding the deeper roots of your experiences and how they impact your daily life. I am fluent in both Spanish and English, and can work in either preferred language. Through exploring your past experiences, relationships, and patterns, we will uncover underlying factors that shape your current thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The development of a trusting therapeutic alliance and the facilitation of self-reflection will enable you to see things from a new perspective and empower you to take meaningful actions.

I’m a clinical psychologist specializing in understanding relationships, both with yourself and with others. I graduated from a psychology doctoral program in 2004 and have worked at psychiatric and health rehabilitation hospitals, community mental health center, and long term care facilities, treating adolescents, adults and seniors. I have had a full- time private practice for over 13 years.

I treat individuals and couples who present with a range of needs, from debilitating eating disorders to mild anxiety and to issues that cannot be described in five words or less. I see the whole person rather than a group of symptoms with the recognition that people are complex and that most of us have difficulties in one or more areas of our lives. I work to help people become more integrated which, I believe, helps them lead more fulfilling lives. Life isn't so easy sometimes, but through insight change is possible.

I see people who are experiencing anxiety, depression, or other unpleasant emotions who want to learn more about themselves as a way of relieving their stress. These unpleasant emotions may involve problems in work, school, or close interpersonal relationships.

Joy's focus has always been empowering individuals to reach their fullest potential. Prior to joining DTA as a Psychotherapist, Joy provided individual and group therapy and other services to diverse populations including children, adolescents, adults, and families experiencing anxiety, depression, anger, ADHD, low self-esteem, trauma including sexual assault, drug and alcohol use, autism spectrum disorders, and involvement in the foster care system.

I am a licensed Psychologist in Washington DC and in Maryland. I specialize in the treatment of trauma, specifically child sexual abuse. I have extensive experience in the utilization of evidenced based treatment in the area of trauma with children as young as 3 years old. I also provide psychological and psycho-educational evaluations. I have worked with children impacted by the foster care system, multiple traumas, grief and loss, gay, lesbian, and transgendered youth . I strongly believe in creating a warm and accepting amotsphere and that this is a neccessary condition for successful treatment.

I view therapy as an invitation to bring awareness to the here and now. For many of us, we press forward, through, and over difficult feelings when they arise in our daily lives. Often they show up as unwanted thoughts or images. They not only fill us with dread, but we will go to great lengths to avoid them. On the other hand, what if moving toward our feelings actually reduces the influence they have over us, allowing us to attend to the very things we value, thereby creating meaning and purpose in our lives.

I value working with individuals from many different backgrounds, including folx from queer and trans communities, POC, and both college students and working adults. I’m a strong advocate for gender affirming health care. A significant focus of my work involves helping my clients to deepen their understanding of themselves and their relationships.

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.

Maybe you are stuck in painful cycles that keep you from fully enjoying your life. Maybe you’re having thoughts and feelings that you barely recognize as your own. Maybe your usual coping strategies just aren’t working anymore. And maybe -- most importantly of all -- you have the feeling that, with the right kind of support, you could fulfill your true potential and make an important contribution to the world.

No matter your past or present, your haves or have nots, life can be difficult. I believe that people want and need to be understood – to feel validated and acknowledged in the midst of their troubles. Without these moments of understanding, life can feel mundane, lonely, or deeply confusing. At the most troubling times when stress, depression, or relationships overwhelm, change can seem impossible. Yet change is made possible through a trusting therapeutic relationship and a careful understanding of oneself and others.

I am a gay psychotherapist, and enjoy and have had success working with both LGBTq and heterosexual adult clients. A warm and supportive environment allows for the gradual development of a professional relationship between client and therapist that can provide an important basis for their work together. Individuals often come into my practice dealing with feelings of depression and anxiety, as well as the impact of trauma, that affect both their ability to have a positive self-image and sense of identity, and to move ahead in their life. I support a client around reducing these blocks in their life.

I strive to empower clients in session to make sense of personal circumstances and experiences. Through greater exploration and self-understanding, clients can strengthen their sense of self and break down barriers. I use a client-centered and strengths-based integrative approach to improve self-esteem and autonomy. With a holistic, multicultural lens I help clients grow and seek clarity as they work through times of stress, anxiety, change, or stagnation. I believe self-compassion is one of the most important tenets of growth, and one of the most compassionate things one can do is seek and accept support.

My goal is to create a safe and accepting environment that allows us to better explore the issues you are facing. I believe that one of the most important elements of counseling is the therapeutic relationship. I value a trusting, open, and interactive relationship that allows us to improve insight into your struggles and issues, and develop a plan for recovery and healing.

Life often places unexpected obstacles in our path, leaving us stuck and uncertain. I specialize in guiding those who find themselves at this crossroads, fostering self-inquiry, somatic balance, and the rediscovery of your innate healing potential. My passion and expertise lie in healing wounds from childhood and ancestral trauma, sexual and domestic violence, and complex loss. Many also turn to me in pursuit of holistic self-awareness, a deeper understanding of their relationships, and their unique role in our world, or to prepare for and navigate psychedelic experiences.

One of my favorite therapy-isms is, "if nothing changes, nothing changes". You deserve the opportunity to feel your best and I would be honored to help you on your journey towards emotional healing and self-discovery. The best part of being a therapist is getting to discover all the unique strengths and coping skills that everyone possesses, and helping them identify and access those gifts. I love working with people in all stages of life, and truly believe in the healing power of a strong, therapeutic relationship.