Eclectic Therapists in Spring Valley, Washington, DC

Georgia O'Keeffe once said, "To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage." Our practice has both art therapists and counselors (licensed in MD and DC), we understand the courage it takes to create a better life for yourself using comprehensive care. In addition, the integrated healing and creative processes provide a holistic approach to personal expression, growth and development. Whether your goals are managing depression, anxiety, and/or stress, enhancing your relationships, or creating a greater sense of stability and control in your life, we are confident we can provide you with the guidance and support you need.

You may be wondering how you are possibly going to put your life back together. Or, maybe, perhaps you're praying that you can finally put the vice down. Maybe the heartbreak of loss and unexpected endings is eating you up. We might be a good fit for one another if you're queer, poly, considering recovery, interested in a somatics based practitioner, and vibe with crystals and energy. Whatever it is, let's share a cup of coffee and figure it out together. If you are committed to your wellness and have a desire to seek restoration for a weary soul, hit my line. Let's Get Well, Y'all!

I will challenge you, help you with your goals, and focus on safety, support, and progress. I provide therapy to couples who want to resolve difficult issues effectively. I offer psychotherapy to adults and adolescents and promote trust in self so that much of the work continues outside the therapy room. I view 'eating disorders' as expressions, not pathologies and will work with you to find a healthy voice. For anxiety and depression I utilize imagery, relaxation and cognitive approaches while integrating the past as necessary. Please call or email me with any questions.

My practice prioritizes helping families to get off to a strong start, with a special focus on new parents and their babies. In-home services include: couples counseling, individual support around perinatal mental health for moms AND dads (aiming to prevent Postpartum Depression & Anxiety when possible), hands-on parenting support including my direct observation & modeling.

Therapy is a powerful tool for change. I believe that therapy works when people feel safe and challenged. The goal is for you to feel more competent, hopeful and happy in life. I will work with you to explore, understand and find strategies to move out of difficult situations. You may be searching for therapy because you are depressed, anxious, have low self esteem or feel stuck. You may be struggling with questions of identity, issues of fertility, career possibilities, unhappy relationships, aging parents, retirement. Change can happen at any age.

I genuinely enjoy being able to help individuals achieve real and observable changes in their lives. At some point in life, most of us encounter personal roadblocks that undermine growth and create stress and unhappiness. Through my work I help people facing a wide a variety of difficulties at all levels of severity to achieve more happy and fulfilling lives. While I enjoy working with all individuals, I also have specialized experience in counseling active and veteran military service members, trauma survivors, and women.

Linda Perlman Gordon was voted one of the best mental health professionals in the DC Metro area as well as one of the best couples therapists in Washingtonian's "Best of Washington". I am a family therapist with an expertise working with individuals, couples, young adulthood, marriage, infidelity and divorce. For you, benefits from therapy may include, learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety, managing anger, grief, depression, and/or improving your relationships and communication skills.

If you are looking for a supportive and approachable therapist to help you, your child, or your adolescent build effective coping strategies and create goal oriented solutions to help you improve your quality of life, I can help. My passion is adolescents and children. Some of the issues I focus on include anxiety, depression, adjustment problems, and social skills enhancement in young people. I have extensive experience in helping children, adolescents, adults, and families with complex underlying medical and/or developmental diagnoses deal with the impact these conditions have on their behavior, emotional happiness, and interactions with others.

With 50 years of clinical experience, a Duke U. Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, I am an empathic, results-oriented psychologist. My specialties: relationships, anxiety, depression, stress reduction, intimacy, trauma & abuse. I work with adults, adolescents, & children in individual, couple, family & group therapy. I counsel in Spanish, French & Japanese. I've authored 4 books on intimacy & relationships & hold FREE monthly Zoom workshops on Mindfulness, Creative Movement & Relationships using guided imagery & music. My licensed associates and I serve MD, D.C. & VA. My interactive audio flyer is available at AacCounseling.com. Call me.

Most people would change what is making them unhappy, if they could. I feel my job is to help you become aware of the parts of yourself that are negatively impacting you.I help you look at the patterns that are making you feel stuck. We work together to understand what prevents you from attaining a better relationship with yourself and your loved ones. I believe that all humans desire to understand and to be understood. I create an environment where you can just simply be yourself.

I am passionate about helping people facing relationship struggles that manifest as anxiety, depression, and difficulty with intimacy. My experience and training (EFT: Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy, Imago, PACT) taught me that most emotional challenges are tied to how we function in our personal relationships. I've been told that my real strength is helping people feel safe and reflective enough to recognize, think through, and either accept or change the way they approach the relationships that matter most. I enjoy a collaborative with my clients and couples, working together to make meaningful changes.

I believe we are all finally recognizing that a more holistic approach to treatment is needed. With over 40+ years of experience working in community mental health and private practice, I know the importance on our assessing and understanding all of the ways society impacts every individual. Everything around us matters, even beyond our personal relationships with our families, colleagues and friends. Speaking as a proud social worker, I know to effectively diagnose and treat a human problem needs a fully inclusive, psycho-social model of evaluation. I am here, tailored to help for your specific and unique needs.

MINDFULNESS-BASED SOMATIC PSYCHOTHERAPY & INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS: "What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." [Ralph Waldo Emerson]. All that you seek already lies within you. It is my great pleasure to assist you in opening up to your wholeness. Whether you are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship issues, chronic illness, pain, feeling stuck, existential/spiritual issues or simply seeking what you have been missing or what calls you, I am here to help you find the freedom, peace, love and joy you desire. I DO NOT PRESCRIBE NOR MANAGE MEDICATIONS.

I team with adults, children, and parents to create solutions and awaken aspects of themselves they would like to grow. We work together to heal past pain, strengthen, and to build a fresh start. Our sessions will allow you to take time for yourself to step away from the expectations and pressures of the outside world so that you can feel, see, and build a stronger self. Taking a break from work, school, and life for one or two sessions a week allows for clarity of mind, strengthening of self, and a generation of a new mindset. I will work as your guide in providing you the tools you need to live your life more fully.

Debra Ann Cruz is a speaker, author, psychotherapist, and executive coach, and romantic intimacy specialist. Over the past 20 years, I have worked hard to create an innovative blend of psychotherapy, spirituality, and executive coaching to help clients reach breakthroughs and emotional healing to level up to own the success and prosperity they desire and deserve. Her specialty is helping high-functioning professionals, executives, and leaders to stop holding themselves back due to a negative internal dialogue of fear, anxiety, and self-doubt from their past.

Picking a therapist to work with can be overwhelming. Feeling comfortable and understood by your therapist is critical. During our first session we will explore what brought you to me. Together we identify your struggles, develop a treatment plan, discuss whether you feel comfortable with me, and that our plan makes sense to you. I am a Licensed Psychologist with over 20 years of experience. A certified IMAGO, Gottman, Equine Assisted and Diplomat in Sex Therapy, we will talk openly and candidly about your life. Together, we will explore your concerns, past and present and mindfully identify changes for you to consider.

Navigating transition or change can be HARD; I partner with you to help make it easier. Together we will uncover and explore patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting to help you feel better and live the life you want for yourself. In our work, I hope you feel heard, understood, and cared for. I acknowledge societal inequities in our work together, such as racism, sexism, and ageism. I hope to do all this while maintaining a sense of humor and not taking myself too seriously. I work with adults and older adolescents throughout the state of Maryland online, and I also provide "Walk & Talk" Therapy outside in Bethesda, MD.

We all experience challenging times when we don’t feel like ourselves. We may feel stuck, lost, or experience the same unsatisfying relationships. Engaging in therapy, with the right therapist, can help. Within a supportive and collaborative relationship, I actively work with my clients to better understand themselves and their relationships; to acquire healthy coping strategies; and to achieve an enhanced sense of well-being. I am flexible, tailoring the therapy according to the needs of each client. I bring an integrative approach to psychotherapy that includes insight-oriented work, practical interventions, and cognitive/behavioral techniques, all within a nurturing relationship.

Maybe you've noticed that it's difficult to get up in the morning or that you are less interested in getting together with family and friends. Perhaps you've noticed destructive patterns in your relationships or that you keep "shooting yourself in the foot" at work. Conversations in therapy deepen understanding of distress and unproductive patterns of behavior. This new understanding and the tools you and I develop together can decrease distress and increase satisfaction with life.