Hey there, I’m Jamie (she/her). If you struggle to feel "seen", if you experience stress with your identity or in your relationships, or maybe if you're new to therapy or you've had not-great encounters with therapists in the past, I hope you'll book a session and give me a try. My approach is intuitive, collaborative, and conversational, and prioritizes a safe and inclusive experience for people from diverse and often marginalized backgrounds. I offer therapy services for adolescents, adults, and couples/expansive relationships to help you improve communication, develop self-compassion, and find a deeper connection to your true self and each other. I am a sex-positive, body-accepting, anti-racist, LGBTQ+ ally in all aspects of my life, and this open-hearted stance deeply informs my work as a clinical therapist. Over the past three years I have developed a personal mindfulness practice and find that these techniques can be really helpful in therapy as well. I have a lot of experience, but I am not the expert in *you* - let’s work together to help you discover and follow the path you choose. As far as credentials go: I'm a clinical social worker independently licensed in Virginia and West Virginia, a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, a trained Acu-Detox Specialist, and have been a clinical therapist for 12 years. I have been trained and am experienced in the treatment of multiple conditions including PTSD, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, and chronic pain.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In the first session I will ask a lot of questions about your history, symptoms, previous treatments, health, childhood...in social work we refer to this as a "biopsychosocial assessment". This, along with the intake questionnaires you'll complete prior to the session, will help me get to know what's going on with you. I will never force you to discuss things that you're not ready to, but as we work together I will encourage you to confront difficult issues and provide guidance as we deal with them together. You may already be coming into therapy with an idea of what you want to get out of it, and if not I'll help you identify some goals so together we can make a plan for your care that we'll revisit from time to time.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
I often use a cognitive behavioral model to help my clients recognize and better understand how their beliefs about themselves and the world influence their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Sometimes, just being able to name and explore your feelings with non-judgmental curiosity can be really helpful. While I have experience and training in a variety of evidence-based therapy modalities, and may recommend that some clients would benefit from a structured therapy protocol, I prefer to take a generalist or eclectic approach as this gives us room to explore what you need.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
As a therapist I rely a lot on my sense of humor and my easygoing, accepting demeanor. My background and upbringing has been somewhat unusual and non-traditional, which I believe gives me a unique perspective on life and the ability to form connections with my clients and meet them where they are without judgements or expectations. If I had a "niche", I'd say that it's more about my holistic approach and focus on collaboration and building an effective working relationship with my clients as individuals, in order to develop trust to support our work together. Growth can be satisfying, but also challenging and even sometimes painful; I am here to be a compassionate partner and guide to you during that process.