Therapists in Washington, DC

No matter how difficult your current circumstances may feel, psychotherapy can help you identify what is holding you back and help you develop the right strategies to feel connected with yourself and others. My goal in therapy is to assist you to find your own voice and to guide you to live life in your own terms.

Seeking help is the most challenging thing that most of us will ever do. Armed with life skills, information, and knowledge, we are expected to have all the right answers. Even if we have endured familial, racial, or socio-economic struggles and barriers, we hesitate to seek assistance because of our conditioning to perfection. This pressure makes it that much harder to speak with an absolute stranger and pour out all our life’s troubles. However, if that stranger is a genuine listener, makes us feel safe, and compassionately transitions us from pain to healing, it becomes easier to let that person in on our helplessness.

Maybe a recent loss, heartbreak, or impending change has you shaken. Perhaps you have checked all the boxes and reached all the milestones but still lack joy or a sense of purpose. Maybe you long to change a repetitive problem at work or in your relationships but don't know what will help. Research consistently shows that the therapist-client relationship is central in determining the effectiveness of therapy. As a graduate psychoanalyst, I have had extensive training and experience in understanding how to harness the power of the therapy relationship to effect the greatest relief from suffering and promote the greatest growth.

I strive to provide a collaborative and supportive working space for individual clients or couples with a range of presenting concerns. My clients tell me that they appreciate my warmth and practicality, as well as my willingness to provide an individualized treatment plan tailored to their specific needs. I believe that most clients' struggles-be they with depression, anxiety, attentional difficulties, or relationship issues-are born of and maintained by a range of factors. These factors may include past experiences, family history, biology, or unhelpful patterns of thinking.

Therapy provides the opportunity for a collaborative conversation about how to manage life's challenges and address the issues that are causing you distress. Together with one of our therapists, you can identify and understand your feelings better, gain insight into patterns of behavior that leave you frustrated and unsatisfied and develop the needed tools to manage your emotions and communicate more effectively in relationships. Our therapists have varied specialties and use an integrative and personalized approach to best meet your needs.

We are a group practice with a shared passion for women's mental health. Our clients are working professionals, parents, and students in all phases of life. We love to work with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD/neurodivergence, relationship challenges, trauma, and eating disorders. Our team has experience in numerous evidence-based treatment modalities including EMDR, ACT, EFT, CBT, ERP, & DBT. We believe in collaborative, integrative, and holistic mental health care and are here to support you. We are proud to offer individual, couples, and family therapy.

My therapeutic style is warm, authentic, and interactive. I create a comfortable and non-judgmental working environment for my clients, using empathy, honesty, and a sense of humor. I approach each individual treatment collaboratively - establishing treatment goals that are tailored specifically to the individual client's needs. My clients gain understanding and insight that help alleviate symptoms and create positive life changes. Because the way we think affects the way we feel, I help my clients learn how to identify and challenge negative thinking. These practical skills enable them to maintain the level of progress they make during therapy.

*Now Accepting Tele-therapy Clients* Do you find yourself feeling sad, anxious, unhappy with life circumstances? Are you having relationship difficulties, feel stress from work, or have a child experiencing difficulties? I offer comprehensive assistance to change and work through many of life's challenges. If you find yourself suffering from any of these situations, or if you do not feel quite like yourself, let us help you begin on the road to improvement by addressing patient concerns, including but not limited to the following:

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.

I believe people have the ability and strength to heal and change, sometimes we just need a little help in getting there. Through an integrative approach, I help clients recognize their strengths, and explore their patterns to help them realize their full potential. I believe that the core of therapy is a strong therapeutic relationship - my practice style is warm and empathic - I truly enjoy getting to know my clients, and I believe the relationship between therapist and client is essential in change.

Compassionate therapy has the power to help people reflect, grow, and change. Using a warm and engaging approach, I collaborate with clients to develop treatment strategies that work based on research-based techniques. I specialize in working with clients struggling with relationship issues, OCD, grief and loss, and difficult life transitions, including changes in roles or identity.

I am a mental health and school counselor passionate about supporting the growth of children and young adults. I am experienced with both school-age children, young adults, and adults. I have also spent a lifetime in the world of professional dance and the creative arts. My experience in dance and the body highly influences my therapeutic lens. I view integration of body and mind through multi-sensory modalities as integral to client growth. I take an integrative approach to my work; in one session we may talk, play, draw, explore the sand tray, or move. Some moments may be more directive and some may be client-led.

I offer an integrative approach to therapy, incorporating Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic psychotherapy and mindfulness to achieve the change you seek. I am also trained in Play Therapy, SPACE for parents of anxious children, adolescents and young adults, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).

The journey of life is complex. We can often find ourselves struggling with difficult emotions, challenging circumstances, and coping skills that no longer serve us. Sometimes, these patterns can be explained by understanding the influences of our past. I also believe our lives are greatly influenced by the relationships around us and how we show up in them. As a therapist, I value creating a supportive and collaborative space for you to explore yourself, your experiences, and the changes you’d like to make in your life. Together, we will work to move towards empowerment, self-acceptance, and self-compassion.

As a clinical social worker, I work from a strengths-based, person-centered, and deeply collaborative perspective. We become a team in your therapy journey. My approach to therapy is integrative, and I draw from cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and humanistic frameworks to support individual needs and goals. I also believe humor can play an important role in the therapeutic process. Clients work hard in therapy, and moments of levity can help reframe and normalize struggles in a positive or relieving manner.

Welcome! Whether you are barely keeping your head above water, consumed by distressing thoughts, unsatisfied with your relationships, or lack a sense of well-being, our work together can serve as a catalyst for change. With a deep commitment to understanding the complexities of each client’s unique life experiences, I offer an integrative approach aimed at exploring how the past shapes the present and guiding people towards obtaining a better life.

Strengthen your quality of life. Emotional and psychological stress can create significant difficulties in reaching one's life goals. As a licensed independent clinical social worker, I provide intensive psychotherapy for adults, couples, college students, veterans and adolescents. My clinical focus involves working collaboratively to identify and treat painful symptoms that can lead to struggles in work, school and relationships.

I specialize in working with clients experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and self-worth, trauma, and family of origin concerns. Often clients are discovering that their ways of coping with their emotions, their past experiences, and their relationships are no longer effective or healthy. Therapy is an opportunity to recognize and untangle patterns in order to have healthier coping strategies and a healthier relationship with yourself.

I'm Michael Librie, Psy.D, LCSW-C, LICSW. I'm a Psychotherapist with over 35 years experience, qualified to provide integrative psychotherapy, combining techniques from various therapeutic schools to suit the needs of the client. I am delivering therapy virtually at this time in Maryland, Washington, DC and North Carolina. My approach combines traditional dynamic psychotherapy with awareness and internal inquiry processes. I partner with you to help guide you to focus inward so that you may experience your core self, listen to your soul and find your personal truth.