4963 Elm Street, Suite 100 Bethesda, MD 20814 | 202.256.4646
NOW LICENSED IN DC, MARYLAND, & VIRGINIA
4963 Elm Street, Suite 100 Bethesda, MD 20814 | 202-256-4646
NOW LICENSED IN DC, MARYLAND, & VIRGINIA
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THERAPY FOR WOMEN
Are You A Woman Struggling To Find Joy In Your Life?
Does it seem like something vital is missing from your life but you can’t figure out what it is? As you strive to have it all, do you feel empty inside? Are you unfulfilled and struggle to show up authentically as the fullest version of yourself?
Although from the outside, it may look like you have it all, inwardly you feel disconnected from yourself, your family and friends, and your passions. Perhaps you are constantly seeking approval in the eyes of others in order to feel worthy of love and acceptance. Or perhaps you are a perpetual people-pleaser and rarely consider your own wants or desires. Brené Brown calls perfectionism the “20-ton shield.” Rather than being in touch with your authentic self, this futile pursuit of perfection often leads to depression, anxiety, and endless negative self-talk.
Signs You Have Lost Your Spark
When you’re disconnected from yourself, you may feel irritable, stressed out, sad, or emotionally numb. As you contend with feelings of unworthiness, many women suffer from imposter syndrome: the experience of believing that you are not as competent as others may perceive you to be. Burdened by the emotional labor you carry for your family, you might feel angry and resentful of your partner. And if you’re struggling with sexual low desire, you may need help rekindling your inner passion.
Even though you may feel hopeless, the truth is that you already have everything you need inside of you—you simply need to learn how to cultivate your inner spark to experience joy and create pleasure for yourself. Therapy for women can help you find that spark.
Women Are Expected To Handle Life’s Pressures And Make It Look Easy
For thousands of years, our patriarchal society has placed unreasonable expectations on women. Expected to be attractive partners, nurturing mothers, and—in the past 50 years—accomplished career women, it’s only natural that fulfilling all of these roles at once leads to exhaustion, depression, and never feeling “good enough.”
Often, we single-handedly carry the emotional labor of the family and do the “invisible parenting” that goes unnoticed by our spouses. Not to mention, the expectation placed on us as women to juggle our careers while attending to family is entirely different than what is expected of men—no wonder we need counseling to teach us self-care and help us attain work-life balance.
We Feel Guilt Instead Of Gratitude
When we take stock of the blessings and privileges we have and still feel unfulfilled, it can make us feel guilty. After all, what right do we have to be unhappy when we have so much to be grateful for? Unfortunately, our gratitude often leads to feelings of shame, leading us to minimize our suffering in comparison to others, which only makes us feel worse.
What’s more, we are raised in a society that values independence, self-reliance, grit, and perseverance. Because being vulnerable, asking for help, and reevaluating our priorities are not recognized as strengths, we often avoid seeking the guidance we desperately need.
Choosing to enter therapy customized for women is a brave act. It takes courage to admit something isn’t working, and you deserve to feel better. You are not on this earth to only be self-sacrificing—you are here to nurture yourself, feel deeply connected to others, and create meaning and beauty in your life.
Therapy For Women Offers The Support You Need To Rediscover Your Most Authentic Self
Many women who come to therapy feeling anxious or depressed ask, “What’s wrong with me?” They may believe that if they could figure out how to be “perfect”—whether as a parent, spouse, or professional—they’d be happy. Part of my job is to help you see that there’s nothing inherently wrong with you—you are simply an imperfect human being who struggles like everyone else.
Counseling for women provides a safe and non-judgmental space where you can finally exhale and let your true self shine. My goal is to help you question the societal messages you’ve received, feel comfortable reaching out for support, and demand more for yourself.
I am interactive, responsive, and will tell it like it is. My clients describe me as warm, empathic, and direct in a way that feels both supportive and challenging. I also find ways of incorporating humor into sessions because laughing at ourselves can enable us to gain perspective, more easily cope with our problems, and promotes emotional growth.
What To Expect In Sessions
As a psychodynamic psychotherapist, I will help bring awareness to the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that impact your life experience. By recognizing patterns you developed in childhood that were once helpful, you will discover how they may have become maladaptive in your current life and relationships. By developing new ways of responding, we can literally rewire the brain to learn how to truly connect with others.
While some therapy sessions are spent discussing life events, I try to steer you to focus more specifically on a dynamic or pattern in your life that keeps showing up repeatedly. It can be illuminating to point out how a current situation resembles a situation from the past, so you can fully appreciate what triggers you.
My Approach To Counseling For Women
I rely on my intuition to tailor therapy to include modalities and strategies that will specifically benefit you. I utilize a variety of techniques and frameworks that are informed by mindfulness and self-compassion techniques, relational therapy, as well as Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I also offer Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), which is a brief therapy using rapid eye movement and voluntary image replacement for trauma, PTSD, phobias, depression, and anxiety.
Therapy Groups And Workshops For Women
In addition to individual counseling, I often refer women to one of my ongoing therapy groups. Group therapy is an extremely effective modality that helps women practice relating to others, receive feedback and support, and feel less isolated. Additionally, I might recommend you participate in the Daring Greatly™ Women’s Weekend Intensives that I offer.
Only through total self-acceptance can you finally embrace and implement lasting change. With counseling for women, you can build self-esteem and discover the authentic woman you were always meant to be. By learning to honor your feelings, you will get in touch with your passion and rekindle your spark.
But You May Wonder Whether Therapy For Women Is Right For You…
Therapy is too expensive.
You may spend money freely on personal trainers, nutritionists, and massage therapists in the pursuit of health, but when was the last time you invested in the emotional self-care that counseling offers?
As a women’s therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience, I have seen women discover empowerment and create the lives they’ve always dreamed of through counseling. Therapy allows women to improve their relationships by simply working on themselves to heal from feelings of self-doubt and unworthiness that have plagued them for years.
I should be able to handle my issues on my own
Although our society perceives independence as a virtue, unfortunately for some, this trait has developed into a “hyper-independence,” in which we convince ourselves we should be able to do everything alone. However, this is simply not true. Humans are hard-wired for connection—we need each other to flourish in life. The ability to recognize when you need help is a true sign of strength and courage.
I am not a women’s counselor who believes in being a blank slate—I am a real human being who has also struggled in similar ways as my clients. This allows me to be compassionate and relatable as a woman, mother, and partner.
What if I don’t want to revisit my childhood?
I understand how the idea of dredging up the past sounds scary. However, the past informs the present—exploring and understanding the patterns established in childhood that may be unconsciously impacting you is the best way to empower you to make better choices for yourself in the future. It’s okay to be skeptical, but I’m here to guide you. Over time, we will develop trust and create a collaborative relationship in which you can feel safe to explore your innermost thoughts and feelings.
Get In Touch With Your Passion
Whether you prefer individual counseling, couples therapy, group therapy for women, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Daring Greatly™ workshops or any combination of these services, your journey starts here. To set up an initial consultation to see if we’re a good fit, please connect with me through my contact page or by calling (202)-256-4646. I look forward to hearing from you!
For more information about Brené Brown’s work, please click here.
