Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Gaithersburg, MD

CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS. Dawn is a Licensed Professional Counselor & Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with over 30 years of helping experience. Dawn is a compassionate, caring, & empathic therapist with extensive experience working within inpatient & outpatient mental health settings. She utilizes an integrative & strength-based approach to therapy, incorporating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, & Solution-Focused Therapy. Dawn specializes in many areas including, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, trauma, PTSD, women’s issues, & stage of life concerns.

For me, there is no ideal client. To some extent, everyone is on a spectrum of depression and anxiety, and I seek to work with clients who need assistance becoming oriented toward improvement. I have personal and professional experience and understand how difficult it is to find someone patient enough to grow alongside a client through the therapeutic process. I want to work alongside you to help you live a happy, meaningful life with these conditions.

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.

Casey Frederick is a Licensed Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Maryland. Casey has experience and training in a variety of clinical approaches working with populations including children, families, parents, wounded, ill and injured service members, as well as military dependents. Casey specializes in providing art therapy with a trauma informed approach while integrating attachment and polyvagal theory from a strength based perspective.

The highs and lows of life can be overwhelming for anyone, but have you ever felt like you can't see a way out or forward, or maybe you are just so overwhelmed by the thoughts of, "what if." I do not think there is anyone who can say they haven't been there. This is why my goals as a psychologist is to help you find your way, out, up and/or through. My name is Dr. Featherson, a Licensed Psychologist, with a focus on trauma, anxiety and depression. My ultimate goal is to help individuals build the skills they need in order to navigate this thing we call life, whether that is learning coping mechanisms or just processing the past.

4/16/24 Almost ready for new teletherapy clients. We can work together to develop your understanding of yourself and use this wisdom to adjust how you interact with yourself. In turn, this can impact how you interact with various aspects of your life, including other people. Therapy with me typically involves participating in a collaborative process of discovering, clarifying, updating, and implementing insight. While we can set intentions and pursue goals to fit your needs and preferences, it’s also important to me to structure each appointment as much as possible around what is most relevant to you at that given point in time.

My approach to healing is based upon a non-invasive experience rather than prolonged processes, which incorporates EMDR, Guided Imagery, and traditional psychotherapy. Each session provides an atmosphere for nurturing, heart-opening, and confidentiality that will help you successfully achieve your goals in less time than talk therapy. The outcome of this success will help you feel less anxious, sad, fearful, stuck and/or enhance your confidence, ability to perform, love openly, commit when you want/let go when you want, be fully present and connected in whatever you do.

I value a therapeutic relationship based on warmth, safety, understanding and deep recognition of your authentic self. I validate and nurture your unique self expression and creativity. I have been a therapist for over 20 years, and use my training in trauma informed therapy, IFS, psychodynamic and attachment perspectives to help transform your relationship with others, deepen your emotional life, and reconnect to internal parts of yourself. I utilize AEDP and mindfulness to facilitate the healing of grief, loss, and attachment wounds. To undo aloneness. I emphasize self inquiry and the connection of body, mind. and spirit

Joseph “Joe” Gallagher, LCPC, NCC, CCTP, BC-TMH, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and a Board Certified-Telemental Health Provider. Joe is a multiculturally competent therapist who is passionate about assisting clients in identifying and achieving their goals. Joe delivers an integrative approach to therapy, believing that every person is intrinsically valuable with a unique story to tell. Joe believes that all individuals have the right to be heard by a caring professional who will provide a safe space to grow and learn to be their best, most happy self.

My passion is helping others find inner peace and happiness and working through whatever issues they are currently experiencing. I work through a multicultural lenses to help create a collaborative, client-centered, strength-based environment. I utilizes cognitive behavioral, dialectal behavioral and behavioral rehearsal approaches to allow for a safe and secure place for individuals have their needs met. I provide therapeutic services to young children, adolescents, and adults with a wide range of emotional and behavioral disorders.

I'm a bilingual Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with over 26 years of treating children, teens, adults and families in private and public settings. I work with individuals with complex trauma, and personal histories of neglect/abuse. Addressing family systems issues like, parent/child relational issues, family reunification and ineffective/ inadequate parenting skills, and insecure attachment. Implementing evidence based practices and mindfulness techniques to achieve individualized treatment goals. I provide treatment to Spanish speaking individuals/ families.

Ideally, I'd treat clients with a trauma history. Someone with a mixture of short and long term trauma. My ideal client is eager to learn and wants to find a way to become their own safe space. Someone who wants to learn how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, find out their triggers, and treat themselves with patience.

Do you find it challenging to maintain a sense of connection with both yourself and those around you? Are your personal needs frequently pushed to the bottom of your priority list? Do feelings of guilt frequently arise, making it difficult to assertively decline requests from others? It's possible that you can't even recall a time when life felt differently. But one thing is clear: you're ready for relief. You're prepared to prioritize your well-being, express your honest thoughts without overthinking, and, above all, unshackle yourself from the unhealthy chains of obligation and guilt that have bound you for so long.

I believe that everyone has the ability to change. Sometimes it can be difficult being in the driver seat alone, so why not allow me to be there for you as the passenger? From my perspective, the client plays an integral role as the expert of their life. In sharing their journey with me, I hope to help them work towards sustainable growth and healing. My ideal client is someone who may be experiencing difficulty navigating their day-to-day responsibilities due to past trauma, current life stressors, and relationship issues.

My goal for every individual, couple, or family I work with is not just to solve problems but to achieve actual long-term happiness. I do a developmental, growth-oriented style of therapy, best suited to intelligent adults, couples, or families interested in permanent solutions to emotional difficulties such as depression, inter-personal conflict, loneliness, lack of meaning, insecurity, panic, or anger. Therapy as I practice it will change how you understand yourself and other people, how you react to life events, and most important of all, how you feel on a day-to-day basis.

As a result of COVID-19, all therapeutic services will be provided using Telehealth, by video conference. Telehealth makes mental health care more accessible. It brings mental health care options to those with limited mobility, those who lack transportation, and those with limited mental health care options in their community. It also allows those who would ordinarily be reluctant to seek treatment because of the perceived stigma associated with receiving mental health care' to get the help they need. Flexible scheduling, evenings and weekends available, all from the comfort of your home, car, wherever you are.

I'm a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, certified PCIT therapist, and certified within agency trainer for PCIT, with experience in both short and longer-term therapeutic models of psychotherapy. This includes working to treat anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, trauma, relational difficulties, parent-child attachment challenges, challenges with self-esteem, and supporting individual identity exploration. I believe therapy is a collaborative process to work on each individuals unique needs and goals. I am here to provide guidance and a space to explore your strengths and navigate your therapeutic needs.

As a therapist, I have 23 years of experience in the mental health field. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Work, my mission is to help you identify goals, focus on your future, and empower you to succeed. As a trauma survivor, I naturally relate to others as I empower and encourage you to be the best version of yourself. I have worked in a variety of settings including mental health agencies, residential centers, and psychiatric hospitals. I am accepting new patients exclusively through Telehealth to help people in a safe and convenient way.

Welcome! I am the Owner and Co-Founder of Melanated Wellness, LLC. Our mission places particular emphasis on better serving and empowering the Black, Neurodiverse, and LGBTQIA communities. I specialize in working with adolescents, 16 and older, through adulthood as they navigate their journeys of growth, healing, and development. Training and clinical expertise at Melanated Wellness is centered upon compassionate treatment for issues related to trauma, anxiety, PTSD, neurodiversity and sexual and gender identity. Clients will be welcomed to a collaborative space where they can identify their needs to begin working towards wellness.