4963 Elm Street, Suite 100 Bethesda, MD 20814 | 202.256.4646
NOW LICENSED IN DC, MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, & VIRGINIA
4963 Elm Street, Suite 100 Bethesda, MD 20814 | 202-256-4646
NOW LICENSED IN DC, MARYLAND, & VIRGINIA
Patient Portal
ABOUT ALICIA PATTERSON
I’m Alicia Patterson, MA, LPC, R-DMT, a Licensed Counselor and Psychotherapist in Maryland with over 15 years of clinical experience in human services. I specialize in couples therapy and sex therapy to individuals and couples of all sexual orientations and relationship structures. I also offer Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy to clients who want to explore the power of psychedelics.
My journey toward private practice has been in the making since my first experiences working in multiple sectors of public service as a young adult. Thanks to the values instilled in me as a young person, I hold a high standard of professionalism and client care. I’ve been working in human services, student & client care, within the medical, educational & mental health systems in various ways since 2008. I truly love what I do and plan to be in it for the long haul. I’ve been in the field of psychology since 2010, licensed & credentialed since 2016, and working in a private practice setting on top of extensive experience within the system since 2013.
My Approach to Therapy
I invest in further training and education every year. I hold training in Somatic Psychotherapy, Dance Movement Therapy, Eye Movement Desentisization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Holistic Pelvic Care (HPC), Attachment Theory, Prenatal Psychology, Marriage & Family Therapy, Practical & Experiential Therapy for Couples (PET-C), Sex Therapy via AASECT sex therapists, Concentric Sex Therapy, Gestalt, Existential Therapy, Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (I offer Ketamine Therapy), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Suicide Assessment & Prevention, Severe Mental Illness Assessment & Stabilization, Multi-Cultural Competency, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Clinical Supervision, Cranial Sacral therapy & more.
Before I entered my graduate work, I completed a health coaching program with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, taught yoga & meditation for years, and am also a licensed massage therapist which partners well with my Somatic Counseling training & background. In addition to the trainings above, I draw heavily on Internal Family Systems (IFS), Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), The Gottman Method, Discernment Counseling, Polyvagal Theory, the latest Neuroscience research, Transpersonal & Depth Psychology, Ancestry & Lineage focused multi-culturally competent work, Brainspotting, and more. I enjoy being an integrative practitioner and am not a “one modality is the answer for everyone” type of professional.
My work with couples evolved naturally from my focus on women’s health work. I eventually started seeing couples & families to help address the nuances of relationships, sex, attachment & bonding, parenting, monogamy, marriage, fertility, and life planning. I enjoy working with couples and find the deepening of relationships and relational clarity a beautiful and stabilizing force in an uncertain world. I began offering Discernment Counseling when I learned the difference between Discernment work and couples therapy, a much needed distinction.
My History
I’ve been working in human services in some capacity since 2008. As I matured while working in the healthcare and mental health field, I honed my skills in emergency rooms providing psychiatric evaluations and working in hospital psychiatric inpatient units, private residential treatment, community mental health crisis services, and a small trauma-informed agency providing care for underserved communities. As a younger professional, I worked in an autism preschool classroom in Montgomery County, for an orthopedic surgery practice for years in the Washington D.C. area, and with inner-city medical staffing in Baltimore, MD. I strive to contribute to the field gaining needed attention amongst our society that still has taboos about mental health. I maintain strong professional and supervision relationships.
Education & Licensure:
Mount Saint Mary’s University, B.A. , 2007
Naropa University, M.A. 2014 & Faculty 2014-2015
Boulder Massage Therapy Institute, Certification of Completion & Faculty in 2018
LPC – Licensed Professional Counselor, 2016 – present
LMT – Licensed Massage Therapist, 2017 – present
R-DMT – Registered Dance Movement Therapist, 2013 – present
If you would like to schedule an in-person session on Fridays in Bethesda with Alicia, or a virtual session (Maryland or Colorado), please contact her at 301.801.4585 or apattersoninfo@gmail.com.
“Working with Alicia is inspiring and enlightening. My partner eagerly introduced me to Alicia’s work. This was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Alicia is a scholar with anatomy and intricate mapping of our center. The healing potential with her work is limitless. She guided us into many possibilities with great sensitivity, wisdom and warmth. We should all be fortunate enough to know this miraculous space we carry within us with such a gifted guide as Alicia.” – Eileen H.
“I found Alicia because I was in unmanageable pain. Through Alicia’s work I found emotional regulation and power in my body. I’ve shifted my thinking as a result. After a few sessions with Alicia, my pain decreased to an echo of what it was. If I have a flare, I have strategies to use. I learned physical and emotional pain are connected for me. Working in a holistic way was like putting myself back together rather than treating fractured parts. I’m so grateful” – Lauren R.
“Alicia has an inner spirit that not only invites you to heal, but makes you want to jump into the healing waters safely with her. She guides you through this work with a sense of compassion, determination, and hope. She goes at your pace but also opens the door for you to heal.” – Marian P.
“I am so grateful for the support she has offered both my wife and I through this journey. She has been so kind and generous with her time helping me. As a man, this territory was foreign to me. Alicia was always there to help me understand my partner’s journey. She was the bridge between my partners’ journey and my doubts. She gave me the knowledge and receptivity to be a support. Alicia helped me remove the barriers I had by giving me an opportunity to see the beauty and power of this work. I really appreciated her pelvic health understanding and the support she gives to male partners. For any partners anxious about this work, she is deeply empathic. I am grateful she’s taking the steps to invite more people and partners into the conversation.” – Charles S.
