LCSW, 10 years of experience
As an Indigenous person, female entrepreneur, partner, parent, and constant pursuer of knowledge, I know what it's like to be so busy that your struggles, traumas, stressors, etc. feel isolating. My whole life has been a passionate healing journey to understand how to tap into the body's natural ability to heal itself and share that with as many people as I can.
You will always be greeted with a smile. What I know has helped me get through challenging times is a place to let go, cry, breathe, and connect with our inner peace. I offer compassionate listening with individualized care to help individuals and couples see joy when difficulties in life present.
Entrepreneurs, executives, and natural-born leaders quickly connect with me because I can relate to them through personal experiences. My open-mindedness is a great comfort for my clients because they know they are not being judged. You will genuinely feel cared about. Making it easier to open up to a stranger and ask for help. I am intentional about providing tools for you to eventually live a life without regular therapy appointments, but I want you to know that I will always welcome you back at any time. You can find me at my virtual private practice called, The Joy Therapist. I hold a clinical license to serve residents in Virginia, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. Appointments are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
I work closely with adult women and men who are entrepreneurs or in leadership roles in their professional lives. They are intentional about experiencing more joy from their successes but are exceedingly stressed by low self-esteem, reduced self-worth, anxiety, and depression. I provide ongoing support for them to master calm, restorative emotional connection with a new perspective on their concerns.
Candice Craig offers therapy covered by Kaiser Permanente - Medicaid and UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicaid in Virginia.
I have learned that we heal most when our closest relationships are emotionally safe places where we can live in a relaxed body. As a therapist, I role model a healthy healing relationship for clients and guide them in achieving a secure connection in other relationships. My mission is to empower you with scientifically backed techniques to continue making personal growth outside of the therapy setting.
As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) with a national certification in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), I help individuals overcome life events like abuse, assault, disturbing childhood memories, domestic violence, traumatic losses, anxiety, and fears. EMDR is an effective, extensively researched psychotherapy that often works faster than traditional therapy because you learn techniques that bring your whole brain into the healing process.
Applying mindfulness-based skills can help clients with anxiety, depression, addiction, or emotional regulation disorders. Developing a daily mindfulness practice has been shown to mitigate cognitive decline that comes with aging, protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and make our brain better able to adapt to change.
In my work with couples, we will identify negative patterns that block the relationship from being a safe haven and a healing environment for both partners. 80% of partners achieve higher levels of trust and intimacy after nine months of using the gold standard for couples therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT is rigorous attachment-based training to help quickly resolve conflict by understanding the hurt hidden by anger. When two adults learn to understand their core needs and communicate how to care for them, this creates a ripple effect that heals the people around them, the generations that came before them, and the generations that will come next.
My cultural identity, education, training, and work experience, has prepared me to work with diverse backgrounds. I actively participate in wellness practices that incorporates thousands of years of healing wisdom from my tribal ancestors. As a therapist who identifies as a Native American citizen, I offer intentional approach to addressing intergenerational trauma with Native American traditions, values, cultural and practices. I am passionate about addressing issues around cultural conflict and intergenerational trauma impacting relationships with self and family identity.