Dr. Sadé Dunn
Dr. Sadé Dunn is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor providing services to clients across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. As a graduate of Governors State University and Bowie State University, she is a dedicated advocate, leader, and the owner of Blush, Bordeaux, and Bronze Therapy—a Maryland-based telehealth outpatient mental health clinic committed to delivering holistic and compassionate care. Dr. Dunn specializes in perinatal mental health, with a deep passion for addressing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders inspired by her personal experiences, research, and advocacy in this field. She is devoted to supporting families navigating these challenges and is working on expanding her practice to include programs aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding these disorders while providing effective care. Additionally, Dr. Dunn is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a trauma-focused therapeutic approach designed to help clients heal from past experiences. Her research interests—spanning perinatal mental health, ADHD support, positive parenting, and identity development—underscore her commitment to fostering resilience, growth, and well-being in her clients.
First session
When you work with me, you'll gain more than just a space to talk — you'll gain practical tools, genuine insight, and a clear path forward. Together, we'll uncover the patterns and beliefs keeping you stuck, whether that's anxiety, imposter syndrome, or unresolved trauma, and use evidence-based approaches like ACT, CBT, DBT, and EMDR to help you manage difficult emotions, heal from the past, and build stronger relationships. You'll also gain clarity around what truly matters to you, so you can create a life aligned with your values rather than one driven by external pressures. Above all, our work will be collaborative every step of the way — your goals, your pace, your voice — with the ultimate aim of helping you move from simply surviving to truly thriving.
Strengths
My life experiences my own personal journey with IVF, my compassion, and this being my calling in my life that God has put on my path.
Ideal clients
My ideal clients are high-achieving adults 20+ who are navigating anxiety, depression, fertility challenges, or other significant life transitions. While they often appear successful and capable on the outside, many of them quietly struggle with imposter syndrome, relational difficulties, or the lingering effects of past trauma. They may find themselves striving for perfection, feeling disconnected in their relationships, or wondering why accomplishments that once felt meaningful no longer bring the fulfillment they expected. Many of my clients work in demanding, high-pressure fields such as the helping professions, academia, or entrepreneurship, and they come from all backgrounds and identities. They are often deeply compassionate and driven individuals who give so much of themselves to their work and relationships that they sometimes lose sight of their own needs in the process. I support my clients using evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and EMDR. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, I tailor treatment to each individual's unique circumstances, drawing on the modalities that best fit their goals and experiences. Above all, I believe therapy works best as a collaborative partnership. I work alongside my clients to clarify their values, build practical coping skills, process difficult experiences, and create meaningful, lasting change — helping them move from simply surviving to truly thriving.
Treatment methods
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based therapy I use to help clients process distressing memories and traumatic experiences that continue to affect their present-day lives. In our sessions, I guide clients through a carefully sequenced protocol in which we identify target memories, and while the client brings the memory to mind, I use bilateral stimulation — such as guided eye movements, gentle tapping, or alternating tones — to help the brain reprocess the experience in a way that reduces its emotional intensity. Rather than requiring clients to describe their trauma in exhaustive detail, EMDR allows the mind to naturally move toward healing, often bringing relief more quickly than traditional talk therapy alone. Throughout the process, I ensure clients feel safe, grounded, and in control, teaching stabilization and coping techniques they can use both in and between sessions. My goal is to help clients release the emotional charge of past experiences so they can move forward with greater calm, confidence, and freedom in their daily lives.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, collaborative approach in which I work together with my clients to understand how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. In our sessions, I help clients identify unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that may be contributing to their distress, and then we practice practical strategies to challenge and change them. Rather than simply talking about problems, CBT is active and goal-oriented — I teach concrete coping skills that clients can apply in everyday life, often with between-session practice to reinforce what we've worked on. My goal is to equip each client with tools to respond to challenges more effectively, so they become their own therapist and can maintain their progress long after therapy ends.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
In my practice, I draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients develop psychological flexibility — the ability to stay present, open up to difficult experiences, and take action guided by what truly matters to them. Rather than challenging or restructuring thoughts, I help clients change their relationship with them, using cognitive defusion techniques so they can observe thoughts as passing mental events rather than literal truths that must be obeyed. Mindfulness and acceptance strategies are woven throughout our work, allowing clients to make room for uncomfortable emotions like anxiety, grief, or self-doubt instead of expending energy trying to avoid or control them. A central focus of my ACT work is values clarification: I guide clients in identifying what gives their life meaning — whether that's relationships, creativity, growth, or service — and then support them in committing to concrete, values-aligned actions, even when difficult feelings show up along the way. This process of "dropping the struggle" with inner experiences while moving toward a meaningful life helps clients step out of loops of avoidance and rumination. Whether working with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or life transitions, my goal is to help clients stop fighting their inner world and start building a life that feels rich, full, and authentically their own.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
In my practice, I integrate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help clients who struggle with intense emotions, impulsivity, and interpersonal difficulties build a life worth living. At the heart of my DBT work is the dialectic — balancing acceptance of where clients are right now with gentle pushes toward change — which allows me to validate their pain while still encouraging growth. I teach the four core DBT skill modules: mindfulness to help clients stay grounded in the present moment, distress tolerance to survive crises without making things worse through self-destructive behaviors, emotion regulation to understand and reduce vulnerability to overwhelming emotional waves, and interpersonal effectiveness to communicate needs, set boundaries, and maintain self-respect in relationships. I frequently work with clients on chain analyses to understand the sequence of events, thoughts, and feelings that lead to problem behaviors, identifying where skills could be inserted to create different outcomes. Validation is a cornerstone of how I work — helping clients feel genuinely understood before moving toward problem-solving — and I coach them in using skills like TIPP, opposite action, and wise mind both in session and in daily life. Whether addressing self-harm, suicidal ideation, emotional dysregulation, or chaotic relationships, my goal is to help clients move from a life of suffering and reactivity to one of stability, self-compassion, and intentional choice.
Location
Virtual sessions