Attachment-based Therapists in Annapolis, MD

Being a parent can be really hard! And so can being a kid! Whether it's you or your child who's struggling, I can help you create a more calm, positive, and enjoyable family dynamic. I work with children as young as 4 years old, and utilize play therapy to address issues such as behavioral difficulties, anxiety, peer challenges, and traumatic experiences. For parents who feel "stuck" in their parenting approach, or who have experienced a life-changing event, I offer guidance and support.

I work with both individuals and couples/family members. I assist clients who are having problems in relationships - marital, premarital, parent-child. I work with people who are seeking to change destructive patterns in their interactions or communication. Each may feel his/her needs are ignored or that their partner doesn't understand them. They repeat the same arguments with predictable patterns of communication and behavior. Each may feel alone in the relationship, and believe that things can't improve. They would like to improve their connection but are unsure about how to do it.

Welcome! Chances are, if you're coming to this page you're struggling with something. Making that first step to see a therapist takes a lot of courage and shows a ton of strength. It is my belief that we all need support and a safe place to process and grow. Creating that space and working with you to understand and grow through this time, is an honor for me. I love working with families, couples, individuals and adolescents and feel that one of my strengths is my ability to put you at ease and make the challenging process of therapy more comfortable for you.  

The Collective Healing Center is an evidence-based private practice that provides trauma-informed mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults. Our clinical staff is especially trained to work in individual, couples, or family therapy formats. We specialize in the areas of children and families, trauma, attachment disruptions, perinatal and postpartum mental health, life transitions, gender diversity, and sexual orientation. Our clinicians have ample familiarity with trauma-related issues and symptoms such as self-injury, dissociation, eating concerns, grief and sexual behaviors.

My professional career began in 1978, joining Harvard Clinical Faculty in Psychiatry. Throughout the years I’ve continued my training in emerging evidence-based treatments that has enabled me to provide an empathetic, eclectic approach to my work with Adult, Child, and Active Duty Clients & Families in outpatient, inpatient, school and Military settings.

I serve clients who struggle with anxiety, ADHD/ADD, depression, self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts. Artistic talent is not needed for Art Therapy. Sometimes, feelings are just hard to put into words, so creating art helps people identify and share how they feel. My theoretical views are based off of Cognitive Behavioral Theory in which our thoughts, emotions and behaviors have a cyclical effect on each other. In order to change our behavior, we must first learn how our thoughts affect our emotions and vice versa.

Therapy is an invitation to learn about ourselves and our world. This search, both joyful and difficult, can be hard to tackle alone. In therapy we explore together the questions that confront us, such as: Who am I? Why do I often act in ways I can’t explain? How can I learn to feel comfortable in my own skin? How can I find greater meaning in my work? Why is it sometimes difficult to love the people close to me? How can I imagine a new way of living? Delving into these questions with a therapist can help clear away impediments and give us courage to live, love, and learn well.

I believe that to understand ourselves and our difficulties, we must explore those aspects of ourselves that are not fully known while looking for patterns of unhelpful behavior that we often repeat. We must then develop new ways of thinking and being. I realize that therapy in general can be confusing. It can be difficult to find the right therapy and therapist. My first goal in therapy is to help you understand the process of therapy and how we might work together. My hope is that you will not only find relief from your symptoms, but that you will continue to benefit after we finish therapy by having a more satisfying life.

You've made a brave decision! It takes a great deal of courage and strength to ask for help. I know it's not easy struggling with problems alone not knowing where to turn or who you can trust. Give me a call today and let's sort things out together! We can get from where you are to where you desire to be. You shouldn't suffer alone no matter what mistakes or messes life has brought you. Today is the day to take a leap of faith! Start your healing journey in a safe space and let's sort through your struggles and figure things out. Let's journey together.

I am a counselor and psychotherapist working with adults ages 21 and above as well as couples. My training and experience includes a broad range of mental health conditions. I use an integrative and strengths-based approach to therapy that emphasizes cognitive change and emotion-regulation. My style in working with clients is interactive and educational. Client goals are central to the therapy process.

LifePsycle Counseling specializes in addressing the needs of adult individuals, children (beginning age 5), families and elder clients as they are faced with issues associated with personal life transition, various types of loss and recovery. Typical clients are seeking support for stress management, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship issues, and personal / professional growth, including life and interview coaching. In addition to having raised three successful children with my husband, I bring background experience as a classroom teacher, success in corporate business and clinical mental health counseling.

**NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS. I INVITE YOU TO REACH OUT ABOUT MY WAITLIST FOR APPOINTMENTS AS THEY COME OPEN** Hi! My name is Smith (they/them) and I deeply value clients feeling heard and believed. I have worked with clients dealing with anxiety, depression, body image struggles, disordered eating, coming out, transitioning, dissociation, relationship conflict, acute and complex trauma, and more.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience within the mental health industry. I am the founder of Empower & Elevate Psychotherapy, a virtual outpatient private practice providing quality mental health care to individuals and families across 32 states. I specialize in the assessment and treatment of pediatric, child, adolescent, and adult populations with symptoms related to autism, ADHD, disruptive behavior, intellectual and developmental disabilities, anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, stress, life transitions, challenges with identity development, hardship in attachments, and family discord.

Life can often feel overwhelming. You may be seeking peace and happiness but instead find yourself feeling stuck, lonely, afraid and lost. If this resonates with you, you are in the right place. My primary goal as a therapist is to create a sense of safety for you. Our working relationship is a place where you have the freedom to discover your authentic self, free from fear or judgment or the need to perform. The client therapist relationship is sacred to me and I am always honored when you allow me to come along on your journey towards authenticity, growth, healing, peace, belonging and joy.

Infidelity, Sex addiction, Compulsive Porn use and other compulsive sexual behaviors can wreak havoc on ones own life, and leave a wake of pain, betrayal and trauma in the lives of those who are connected with them. If you are a man or woman who relates to this chaos, we are very aware of the shame, pain and confusion you may be feeling. If you are the partner, wife or family member of this individual, we understand the betrayal, trauma, confusion, anger, despair that may be how you are feeling.

I have worked for 40 years with people who want to find balance in their lives and who have inner turmoil and conflict in relationships, work and mind and body. I tailor our work toward the uniqueness of each individual in my practice. I utilize comprehensive Energy Psychology, other various therapeutic approaches and traditional approaches including talk therapy to treat traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks and phobias, addictive cravings and women's developmental issues including history of sex abuse or violence, chronic pain, allergies, especially when they are memory related held in the body having evolved into physical symptoms.

We all carry stories in our heads that inhibit us from being our best selves. My intention, through creative, therapeutic collaboration, is to gently challenge those stories and clear away the obstacles to happiness. My clients face a variety of issues, ranging from depression, anxiety and adjustment disorders to problematic attachment patterns, unresolved trauma and fractured body image. The common thread between these obstacles is the bedrock of my practice: taking a mindful look at all parts of our being, past, present and future, quieting shame, and empowering you to see a brighter future for yourself.

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Maya Angelou. I specialize in working with those who struggle with compulsive sexual behaviors, pornography use, relationship and intimacy issues, codependency, enmeshment, infidelity, sexual abuse, betrayal trauma, and/or other forms of complex trauma and PTSD.

Do you feel like no one gets it? Better yet, no one gets YOU, not even yourself? Do you find yourself in the same cycles of relationships, negative thoughts, personal crisis and just feel like the proverbial hampster on a wheel? Are you sick of the sound of your own voice saying you want things to change but they never do? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel like you're screaming at the top of your lungs but it all comes out garbled gibberish that no one can hear anyway? Do you feel like you've fallen into your life rather than created it? Do you want to feel seen, heard, healed, and hopeful?