Therapists in Upper Marlboro, MD

I have provided therapeutic services to an array of clients over the past 30 years of working. These clients include individuals, families, couples, and groups. Overall, I have assisted individuals struggling with managing depression, trauma, anxiety, bereavement, ODD, ADHD, and thought disorders to name a few. I'm equally committed to keeping families together given the positive correlation between teen delinquency and broken families or single parents.

Kumi Pledger, LCPC, strives to help clients sleep better, worry less and enjoy life more! She works with children, adolescents, couples, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Clients, families and adults for various issues including, relationship challenges, supporting new and expectant mothers, eating disorders, adjustment problems, trauma, grief and loss. She uses personal insight and professional experience to provide clients with a safe place to be heard, free fears, reduce anxieties, eliminate unwanted behaviors, grow, improve and conquer insomnia.

Do you ever wonder if it is possible to experience more enjoyment or peace of mind and heart? I work with clients to identify sources of worry, unhappiness or self-criticism. Together we identify one's strengths and build on those strengths in a positive, supportive way to create a life one would like to live and experience. I employ strategies from family systems, solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral, self-compassion, psychodynamic and mindfulness models in my practice. I work with individuals, couples, families and first and second generation immigrants in a collaborative and compassionate manner.

I am experienced in working with families, couples and teens who have been impacted by severe mental health issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders, disordered eating, grief/loss, substance abuse and more. My goal is to help people stay connected during moments of crisis and distress. I help people who struggle to stay connected and caregivers who struggle to parent teens. I typically work from a Family Systems framework, using Attachment Based Family Therapy and Functional Family Therapy. I offer a wide range of therapeutic interventions to support families and teens in meeting their mental health goals.

Counseling and Therapy for Children, Adolescents, and Adults. Currently, I am offering both in-person and virtual individual and family therapy to children, adolescents, parents, college students, and adults (18+). My specialties are: ADD/ADHD, Social and Performance Anxiety, Stress, Phobias, OCD, Sadness, Depression, Grief, Loss, Emotional Dysregulation, School or Work Underachievement, Self-Esteem, Confidence, Social Skills, Assertiveness, Anger, Lying, Manipulation, Life Transitions, Relationship Issues, Chronic Pain and Illness. Play therapy equipped office suitable for young children & art therapeutic activities for teenagers.

Victoria was transracially adopted from China as an infant. Her previous work history includes: supervising visitation between parents and their children, working as a school counselor in a public charter school, providing intensive, home-based therapy to children with intense emotional and behavioral needs, and providing clinical case management to LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. Victoria believes strongly in client-oriented services and that everyone should have access to the opportunities and support that they need to succeed. Victoria is also passionate about self-improvement and continuing to learn throughout your life.

I work with individuals, families, caregivers 12+ specializing in issues relating to complex trauma (CPTSD), transracial/international adoption, LGBTQ+, and Neurodivergence (ADHD). If you are looking to heal from trauma, increase your understanding of how your nervous system operates, or improve your mind-body connection, you're in the right place!

The mere thought of therapy can be daunting, while in actuality most of us ask for advice from those around us everyday. What makes therapy different from asking a coworker, friend or relative for their advice, is my approach to therapy. I believe therapy is allowing you the space to work out issues, the space to feel free and learn about yourself in new ways. Therapy is looking at your thoughts and behavioral patterns for maximum effectiveness to your desired goals. My approach is best summed up in a quote by Benjamin Franklin, “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”

You have just taken the first step in taking care of yourself. Now let's work together to help you meet your goals. Do you struggle with low self-esteem and anxiety? Has it been overwhelming going to work and school? Are you having problems in your marriage or relationship? Do you ever feel like you're not good enough for others or can't rely on yourself without questioning things? Need immigration evaluations so that you or a loved one can stay in the US? Let's work together to revise your life! Working on your anger and looking for anger management courses? We love helping people achieve satisfaction in their lives.

Teens (13+) and adults gain insight and skills to decrease or eliminate anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, grief, that make school, relationships, work and everyday life difficult. We'll explore the impact early life experiences, relationships have on identity, thought, behavior and mood. We'll replace or reframe thoughts and interpretations, learn positive behavioral skills, develop healthy relationships and learn mood regulation. We'll identify triggers, understand how past experiences affects and informs the present, improve ability to regulate, and uncover patterns/trauma that impact you and implement new behavior patterns.

As a licensed therapist, I have over eight years of experience working with individuals and families of various ages and backgrounds in school, hospital and private practice settings. I currently focus my clinical work with preteens, teens, and adults who are struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, self-esteem and life transitions. And, as a biracial (Asian/White) therapist, I am knowledgeable about unique identity issues for biracial/multiracial individuals and am passionate about supporting others in this area. I believe therapy should be a collaborative process, and view clients as the experts of their own lives.

Becoming your best self, managing natural life transitions, and staying on top of daily stressors takes work. I seek to create a safe, trusting environment where you feel free to share honestly and receive genuine feedback. We will explore patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors in order to establish improved ways of being and relating to others. Through our work together, you will achieve a better understanding of yourself, helping you to alleviate distress and develop more satisfying relationships.

I work with Individuals, Couples and Families who can sometimes feel "stuck" not heard or unhappy. I believe that my clients are the experts and my goal is to guide them in understanding the "why," "how," and "what's next." I believe that even in our darkest times we all have strengths that can help us achieve the goals we want within our relationships with ourselves and the others in our life and my role in the therapeutic process is to guide you towards those strengths so together we can bring back into light they deserve. I like to go at my client(s) pace so to not push or create unattainable expectations.

My clients are looking develop insight and gain skills to manage anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, self-worth, adulthood, ADHD, immigrant and cultural identity, mood disorders, experiences, school/work stress, relationships, socializing and difficult transitions. We'll explore the effects of relational dynamics, early life experiences, thought and behavior patterns, culture and identity, transitions and family of origin. We'll identify triggers, understand how the past affects and informs the present, improve ability to regulate, and uncover patterns/trauma that impact you and implement new cognitive and behavior patterns.

I am of South Asian descent and open to clients of all backgrounds. However, I know there is a great need for therapy in South Asian communities. I grew up witnessing how harmful stigma can be surrounding mental health. I am an avid believer that everyone is entitled to therapy. We can work together in your journey of healing! You do not have to suffer alone nor feel shameful about it. I strive to create a space that is warm and inviting.

My clinical focus includes helping teenage and adult clients explore, understand, identify and apply mental strategies to help manage immigrant and/or identity stress, transitions, overwhelm, pressure etc. My expertise also includes grief, depression, anxiety, trauma mood disorders, ADHD and more. I have developed exceptional skills for working with trauma, identity, school and career issues, grief and loss, as well as emotional and behavioral issues. I use CBT, person-centered, strength-based, culturally sensitive and solution-focused therapeutic frameworks.

As a Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist, I work with individuals, couples, children, adolescents, and families. I have experience working with issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar, trauma, and issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community. I work from a multicultural perspective while utilizing techniques from solution-focused and cognitive-behavioral therapy models. My counseling philosophy recognizes that the client is the expert in their own life and that everybody has the ability to grow and change. Therapy is a setting where you can help identify unresolved problems that are impacting your access to that ability.