Licensed to practice in Virginia and accepts 10 insurances. Specializes in Life Transitions, Trauma and PTSD, Women's Issues and 10 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
Hello! My name is Meredith. I am an LPC, and have been in private practice since 2021. I am deeply passionate about what I do and I'm so glad to be getting started on Grow. As a therapist, I intentionally try to bring my most genuine and authentic self to my clients. I know how crucial this is as the basis of a productive working relationship. My sessions are primarily client-led, meaning I will prioritize what feels most prescient to you on a given day, and meet you where you are. At the same time, I will help ensure that we are consistently working toward your specific goals. I feel that the best therapeutic outcomes come from the most secure and trusting counseling relationships, and that is what I try to provide. It is probably also important for any potential client to know that my office will always be a safe space for all, regardless of belonging to any underserved, disenfranchised community. When I am not at work, I love cooking, all things macabre and scary- books, movies, podcasts, and I love reading and hanging out with my family. I am passionate about all kinds of art and the written word. I recently took up archery, and it is a great outlet. Otherwise, I am an indoor type of gal, especially in the summer. I am quick to laugh, and will often crack a joke at my own expense.
It is very normal if the thought of the first session feels like a lot. The first session is the intake; this means that I'll interview you about a bunch of different aspects of your background, like family, employment, medical, educational, mental / physical health, and cultural history. I will be using this to gain a sense of who you are and what you are hoping to focus on in therapy. We will also briefly look at your goals for therapy. In my opinion, an equally important thing that happens in the intake is that the client can get a sense of the counselor. You can check in with yourself; do you feel that this is a good therapeutic match for you, and could you could see yourself developing trust with me over time? You are the only one who can truly know what a good match is for you, and that impression begins in the first session. I will also answer any questions you have about the therapeutic process and what to expect throughout. We will go over scheduling and I would love to hear any initial reflections you have if you would like to share. I hope you can leave the first session feeling grounded and like you've take the first solid steps in your therapeutic journey.
I've been fortunate enough to work with a diverse client base, and frequent feedback is that I am warm, empathetic, and insightful. Clients have often communicated feeling seen, heard and understood. I think my tendency to be fairly perceptive and intuitive serves me well as a therapist. At this point in my career, I feel confident I am in the right field and I truly love what I do. However, one of my strengths as a therapist is my determination to be an avid lifelong learner. I want to constantly expand my skill sets and competencies to equip me to help more people and be a better therapist. Finally, I think my sense of humor serves me and my clients well in their therapeutic process. One of my favorite teachers said "We're all just walking each other home." I think that at its heart, therapy is about human connection, whether that is connection with ourselves or others. I consider it an enormous privilege to be a part of my client's journey home to themselves.
I work particularly well with young and middle-aged adults. My clients frequently are either in the midst of a challenging or transitional time in their life. Alternatively, they may want to unpack or address prior or childhood trauma. I tend to be particularly effective with young women facing issues related to gender expectations and inequality, balancing parenthood and professional life, and developing parts of their identity which may have been unexamined or ignored until now. My clients frequently want to understand their relationships better and in order to do so are open to exploring early life experiences through attachment-based therapy. In recent years, some clients are also keen to unpack and process current events unfolding in our society. My ideal clients are open-minded and committed to a meaningful therapeutic process. My clients tend to be fairly long-term, many attending for 5-plus months.
Other specialties
I identify as
Attachment-based
When I began learning about how to clinically use an attachment lens as a therapist, I came for the sound developmental theory, and stayed for the results I saw with clients. With this as my primary framework, the counselor and the client collaboratively create a safe relationship and space in which to explore and understand how their development and inner life are shaped by early primary relationships and experiences. Attachment-based therapy can provide the foundation for securely attached relationships, which can contribute to a key need we have as humans- secure connection with others.
EMDR
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This is a structured treatment method in which we utilize bilateral stimulation to access traumatic memories in a way that does not feel overwhelming or overly distressing. This is done to help re-structure your neural networks around trauma, which gives the client the ability to "reprocess" the event or memory in a new way. Based in neuroscience and supported by strong outcomes, this can be a very effective way to treat trauma.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
I use this method frequently as a more structured and specific lens of attachment-based therapy. The counselor often uses this modality in couple's counseling, which aims to identify and interrupt unhelpful cycles/patterns of communication, and identify emotion underneath the moment-to-moment conflict or dysfunction. The goal is to replace behaviors which lead to insecure attachment with tools to get to a more secure relationship attachment style. As I mentioned, this is frequently an approach I use in couple's therapy, but I also use this in family and individual settings.
Strength-Based
Strengths-based therapy is integral to my approach as a therapist. Using techniques in this approach such as reframing, journaling, open-ended questions, the client becomes empowered by and rooted in a thorough understanding of their own inner resources and power. This can help re-shape a client's self-view, especially if one's self-concept has been damaged by other relationships and experiences. This treatment method is grounded in positive psychology, and may come into play at various points of the therapeutic process.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
This treatment method speaks the most to my fundamental approach as a therapist. Person-centered therapy is an approach in which a safe environment is cultivated in three main ways. The counselor is genuine and authentic with the client rather than distant or implying a clinical hierarchy. They provide unconditional positive regard for the client. The therapist uses empathy and reflective listening to ensure the client feels fully heard and understood. This is sort of a "home base" for me as a therapist; any time I am using another approach, it is likely that the characteristics of person-centered therapy are still a part of most sessions with clients. I find that feeling heard and understood is a vital part of the counseling process that is therapeutic in and of itself.