Liz Serens
Welcome. Here you are seen, supported, and safe in a serene, culturally attuned, LGBTQIA+2 affirming space. I’m Liz Serens, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia with more than 22 years of active study in human development. I work exclusively through virtual care, supporting adults navigating anxiety, ADHD related experiences, identity exploration, and major life transitions. I help adults find clarity, steadiness, and self‑trust during moments that feel overwhelming. I show up as a steady, emotionally attuned guide for clients who want a space where their internal world is taken seriously.
I bring lived experience with ADHD, a learning disability, and the emotional challenges of navigating body image in a culture that often ties worth to appearance.
I practice from a primarily agnostic perspective and welcome clients from all cultural and spiritual backgrounds. I have been providing telehealth services for 1.5 years, and my approach is collaborative, grounded, and shaped by lived experiences including ADHD, a learning disability, body image challenges, and parenting a gender‑fluid child. I remain open to learning what each client needs to feel supported, regulated, and connected in their treatment.
First session
Our first session is a calm, welcoming space to get settled and see what kind of support feels most helpful for you. • A gentle start I’ll confirm your name, review informed consent, go over your rights with the telehealth transcription system, and share my credentials so you know who you’re working with. • Understanding your needs We’ll explore what brings you in and look at your intake form, assessment scores, medication list, and any cultural or personal context you want me to understand. • What sessions look like We’ll talk through next steps and make sure the pace feels right. Sessions are typically 53–60 minutes, and my goal is to offer a supportive, flexible space where you can show up as you are.
Strengths
My strengths derive from blending lived experience, clinical training, and a grounded, steady presence. Growing up with a father who was the first blind psychiatrist taught me resilience, attunement, and the importance of meeting people with honesty and respect. My own experiences with ADHD, a learning disability, and body image challenges help me connect with clients in a direct, human way. I am a challenging, conversational, and strength‑based therapist. I teach practical coping skills and use acceptance‑focused strategies from Dialectical Behavioral principles, including the shift from “but” to “and” to build emotional flexibility. I help clients slow down, notice patterns, and work through difficult emotions rather than avoid them. I incorporate simple grounding skills—tapping, imagery, and muscle relaxation—to support regulation and connection. I work with individual adults and focus on strengthening clarity, boundaries, and emotional resilience within a culturally attuned, LGBTQIA+2 affirming space.
Ideal clients
🤷♂️Who I’m Best Positioned to Serve 🔎If you’re searching for the right provider and hoping to feel an actual fit, here’s who tends to thrive with me: ⭐ open to change, even when it activates discomfort 🌟willing to challenge ineffective thoughts and behaviors using DBT‑informed strategies ⭐honest and direct, especially around safety concerns (a core part of building a stable therapeutic container) 🌟sometimes unsure, awkward, or weird about therapy (and are committed to showing up anyway) ⭐motivated or apprehensive, but wanting a life that feels more aligned with their values 👍consistent, human, imperfect, and open to practicing acceptance and change 🧐 willing to explore uncomfortable emotions with curiosity rather than judgment 🗣️comfortable using Grow’s AI transcribe system to help track progress and reinforce skills If this sounds like you, we’ll likely work well together. You don’t need confidence or perfection — just willingness, honesty, and a readiness to build a life worth living.
Treatment methods
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I use Person-Centered Therapy to create a space where clients feel safe leading the conversation. My role is to reflect, support, and stay attuned to what feels meaningful to you. Sometimes that includes constructive self-disclosure, such as sharing a brief example from my own experience to normalize a feeling or reduce shame. For instance, if a neurodivergent client says “I always mess up deadlines,” I might gently share that I also use color-coded systems and visual cues to support executive functioning. It’s not about shifting focus. It’s about modeling self-compassion and showing that adaptation is valid. You set the pace and I follow with warmth, respect, and transparency.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I use ACT to help clients make space for hard thoughts without getting stuck in them. For LGBTQ2+ and neurodivergent clients, this often means working with beliefs like “I’m not doing it right” or “I feel broken.” We notice those stories, clarify your values, and take steps that feel meaningful even when things are uncomfortable.
Compassion Focused
I take a collaborative, emotionally attuned approach that helps clients understand the patterns shaping their inner world. I use Supportive Therapy to strengthen coping, reduce distress, and create a grounded space to explore shame, internalized criticism, identity‑related concerns, and the pressures that come from high expectations or past experiences. I also incorporate simple body‑based grounding skills—like tapping—to support regulation and presence as clients navigate difficult emotions. This version keeps the Therapy Approach section focused on how you work, while your bio holds the lived‑experience context that informs your lens. Would you like this even shorter, or does this feel like the right balance?
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help clients notice stuck thought patterns and shift them with practical strategies. As someone who lives with a disability and grew up with a disabled father, I understand how constant criticism can shape beliefs like “I always ruin things.” Together, we slow down, explore where those thoughts come from, and build kinder, more accurate ways of thinking that support growth.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I use DBT techniques to help clients feel more steady in the chaos. We build skills to manage intense emotions, set boundaries, and stay in the here and now when things feel overwhelming. Whether you're navigating relationship stress, big transitions, or just trying to cope day to day, we practice tools like mindfulness, meditation, and emotional regulation to support clarity, self-respect, and healthier ways to respond. I often use the feeling wheel to help clients name what they’re experiencing, even when it feels like “nothing.” Numbness is a feeling too, and recognizing it can be the first step toward reconnecting with emotion, language, and self-awareness. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to start.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Other specialties
Serves
Doesn't specialize in
Licensed in
- VirginiaLicense 0701013288