3 therapists in Virginia matching your needs

Hi, My name is Kristel. I am an LCSW who provides talk therapy via Telehealth. I am a multifaceted individual with a deep well of life experiences that inform my perspective. As a former military brat and spouse, I've intimately understood the complexities of life's transitions. My journey has taken me from being a stay-at-home mom to transitioning back into the workforce, granting me a unique appreciation for both roles. I'm a devoted mother of two children, and my path has been marked by significant challenges, including the struggle with infertility and profound grief. I proudly identify as a feminist and supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. These aspects of my identity deeply influence my approach to life and work. With a background in working with families, individuals, and children, I bring a wealth of experience. My personal journey has shaped my empathetic, compassionate, and inclusive perspective, which I offer as a source of support and understanding to those I work with.

Hi! I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland, where I was initially licensed. I have also been licensed in 9 other states (AZ, CO, IA, ID, NE, NV, VA, UT, WI). I have been actively working as a mental health therapist for 15 years. I have been helping adults with anger issues, adults who want to gain coping skills and strategies, discussing different perspectives and insights toward self, relationships with others, and their situations. I have been working with adults with existential crises, issues with motivation, low self-confidence, and communication challenges effectively. Additionally, I like working with older adults and adults who are going through phase of life changes. ***Due to my externship hours, my availability is extremely limited. If you feel that I could be a good fit for you but scheduling was a problem, please reach out to me; we can explore options. I apologize for the inconvenience.

“Taking refuge” is a phrase in Buddhism that serves as an invitation to our world-weary self to find relief. From the confusion of life’s dramas and the inevitable pull to get swept up in them. Loving relationships can offer that kind of relief, those in which one feels accepted and seen. And meditation, too: the mind slowing down and opening to its inherent spaciousness. Taking refuge requires building trustworthiness, through a softening and strengthening that happens over time in relationship. That is one of the reasons psychotherapy is effective: The trustworthiness that therapist and client build together allows for a depth of self to be known and expressed. Such encounters with self in turn build trustworthiness within oneself, for as our capacities enlarge, we enlarge. In coming to find safety and solace within, one learns to live less fearfully, participate in relationships with greater authority and ease. As a graduate of Naropa University and longtime Contemplative Psychotherapist, I see psychological healing through a Buddhist Psychology lens: as we open our hearts to ourselves through compassion and insight, we are able to shift and find more flexibility in our conditioned patterns of relating to ourselves and others. To facilitate that opening, I draw from a variety of psychotherapeutic practices and philosophies—Jungian Psychology, Gestalt Psychology, Object Relations Psychology, Rogerian Psychology, Internal Family Relations, and many mindfulness-based interventions such as Hakomi and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I seek to create a warm and compassionate space in which you can explore, understand, and transform your life.