LMFT, 7 years of experience
Hi, I'm a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Virginia and Pennsylvania. I received my Doctorate degree in Couple & Family Therapy from the University of Minnesota and have been practicing for 8 years. I have experience working with individuals, couples, and families who struggle with anxiety, chronic health conditions, depression, loss and grief, stress, trauma, and relationship issues such as boundaries, parenting, intimacy, infidelity, trust, and more. I work with clients to process and heal psychological and relational pain. I believe that therapy is both science and art. The art of therapy can be seen as a joint venture between clients and therapists, and the science reflects in providing assessments, treatment plans, and evidence-based interventions. I believe in the collaboration between clients as experts in their lives and myself as a therapist who is trained in providing therapy services.
In the first session, I will get to know you through various questions about biological, social, psychological, and spiritual backgrounds. I will ask you about current issues, and we will discuss therapy goals together.
Behind each wound is a story. People walk through life with powerful, solid, and heavily built stories. Some stories are sensitive and secretive, making them even more challenging to carry because there is not only the wound of having endured them but the secret they have become. I hold a safe “enough” space for clients to share, explore, change, and grow.
I enjoy working with adult individuals and couples, who desire to make changes in their lives and/or would like to process and reflect on their experiences
As a systemically oriented therapist, I acknowledge the importance of broadening the view of clients’ systems by searching for strengths, resources, and constraints. I provide personalized treatment plans for each couple and consider their unique context. The road to change requires curiosity, empathy, encouragement, and persistence. I honor that clients allow me to witness their journey and walk the road with them to help achieve their therapy goals. I utilize the Biopsychosocial approach to help couples adopt the solution sequence instead of the problem sequence and help them maintain the progress they make in therapy.
The human experience is so complicated that any single treatment model is limited to thoroughly attending to every level of clients’ experiences. So, I utilize the Integrative Systemic Therapy approach in my work with clients. I believe that the integrative approach bridges the gaps between different models and enables me to develop personalized and more comprehensive treatment plans. I have special training in Integrative Systemic Therapy, Medical Family Therapy, Pre-Marital Counseling, and The Neurobiology of feeling safe: Working with Boundaries Inside and out.
4 ratings with written reviews
July 24, 2025
My first session with Dr. Aalaa went very well. She made me feel welcome and safe. She explained her methods very well and made sure that I’m comfortable with them. I’m looking forward to starting a long journey with Dr.Aalaa.
July 22, 2025
Very lucky to have Dr. Aalaa today, I felt very comfortable with her, she is calm, nice, professional and respectful and knows what to do. I’m optimistic about her and very eager to work with her soon. Most comfortable thing is she speaks Arabic and this makes it easy to communicate and express myself and my feelings.
April 29, 2025
I cannot express in words just how exactly Dr. Aalaa Alshareef is the absolute best therapist I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Previously, I would never stick with a therapist. I would go for a few months and then I would generally dread going to therapy, start to miss and then get “too busy” and quit. Not now, Dr. Aalaa is a complete life changer she’s thorough, authentic, her memory of my issues and ability to combine teaching coping skills with understanding me is incredible.