about me
Hello, and welcome. My name is Allison, and I'm a licensed Public Health Social Worker (LCSW/MPH). I graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from Boston University in 2017 and a Master's in Public Health from Boston University in 2018. During this course of study, I focused on learning methods to help individuals and communities work through and heal from trauma. Since then, I have worked with adults of all ages who struggle with depression, anxiety, immigration stress, past and current trauma, eating disorders, grief, pregnancy, issues with acculturation and identity formation, and the general stress of living and functioning in a world that is often unkind to folks. Some of my topics of interest include identity, oppression, culture, trauma, body image, and early life experiences that shape how we view the world as adults.
As a practitioner, I pull from a variety of techniques and theories, as I believe that a “one size fits all” approach can harm clients and does not allow people to express their needs fully. I pull from models such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Liberation Health, Health At Every Size (HAES), Motivational Interviewing, and Narrative Therapy, and I uses a strengths-based, empowerment-focused approach.
I consider you to be the expert of your own experience, and I then play the role of your consultant to help you identify where and how you want to grow into your best self. I am aware of the often negative impacts that the dominant worldview places on all of us, and I am attuned to the fact that society treats everyone differently based on their various intersecting identities. I am comfortable discussing privilege and oppression and how these concepts differentially impact the therapy space, especially with regard to race, culture, body size, health/ability status, religion, sexuality, and gender identity. I am also eager to be your co-conspirator in challenging and breaking down some of these structural barriers in order to help you find your own voice and to live more freely and wholly in your identity.
I consider the therapist-client relationship to be sacred, and I am honored to share space with you as you work through some of your innermost pain on your journey to find peace. Seeking out therapy for the first (or second or third or fourth!) time is incredibly brave, and I honor your vulnerability and commitment to invest fully in yourself. I look forward to working with you.
“A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step”
- Lao Tzu
Asking for help is hard, but here you are. I'm forever impressed by my clients' ability to notice when something in their lives is no longer working for them, and their bravery at seeking therapy to get help in making change.
I hope that, with therapy, you feel that you are better able to reach your goals and to feel better about yourself.
treatment methods and orientations
I consider my treatment approach to be eclectic in nature, which means that I pull from a variety of methods in order to suit my clients' current needs. Therapy is not "one size fits all," so I do my best to stay up-to-date on current theories and methods so that I can offer my clients the support that helps them best.
I work from a trauma-informed, strengths-oriented framework, and I believe that my clients are the experts in their own experiences. My clients are in the driver's seat of the treatment, and I'm the copilot, helping you to read the map and to plan a route.
Some of the models that I pull from most heavily are:
01
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT) focuses on the connection between our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Have you ever made decisions or behaved in a way that is purely driven by intense emotion, rather than logic? Or have you ever had thoughts about yourself or the future that are based in your depression or anxiety, rather than your reality? If so, CBT might be a good technique for us to explore together.
02
DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (or DBT) can be helpful for those of us who are wired to feel emotions very intensely and often act impulsively, or whose emotions can lead to a lot of relationship conflict and maladaptive behaviors. DBT provides us with concrete coping skills and ways to investigate our emotional response to certain scenarios. This can be helpful for individuals who struggle with disordered eating, self-injury, substance use, and suicidal thoughts.
NARRATIVE THERAPY
03
Narrative Therapy focuses on clients' abilities to investigate and rewrite the "stories" that have been told to them about themselves and about the world. These stories can be taught to us by the dominant culture or worldview, society, our families, our religions or cultures, and early life experiences. These stories they make up our core beliefs. and often tell us that we are not good enough, that we are undeserving, that we are broken, or that we are worthless. Using Narrative Therapy, our job is to challenge some of those stories and teach ourselves different ones.
04
MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
Motivational Interviewing was borne out of the Substance Abuse field but has now become common practice for any type of change-oriented behavior. Are you seeking therapy because you want to make changes in your life, either with regard to certain behaviors, patterns, or ways of thinking? Motivational Interviewing allows us to assess where you are in your "change process" so that we can best set you up for success at making change, wherever you are in your readiness.
05
EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR)
EMDR is an evidence-based trauma treatment that also shows significant results for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other types of emotional distress. EMDR allows us to work with your nervous system to reprocess earlier life memories that have impacted how you orient to the world. I am trained in the Basic Level of EMDR through The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy and am happy to talk more about how this would look with your treatment plan.
06
HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE (HAES)
Health At Every Size is a social justice movement in the health/medical space that supports people in bodies of all sizes to define health for themselves, without the goal of changing or shrinking their bodies. HAES posits that body size is not an indicator of health, and that health can be achieved at any and all sizes and in any type of body. I am vehemently anti-diet and understand firsthand how diets and Diet Culture can perpetuate Eating Disorders and disordered eating. My goal is to affirm you in the body that you are in exactly at this time, while helping you to understand the external forces that tell all of us that we are not good enough and that we need to shrink ourselves. I am comfortable collaborating with (and, as needed, advocating to) dietitians and medical providers as needed to support Eating Disorder treatment.
Who do I see?
I primarily meet with adults as individual clients, although I also have experience working with adolescents and families.
My ideal clients are goal-oriented and eager to gain insight into the dynamics and forces that are causing them discomfort.
I am licensed to see clients who are physically present in Maryland or Virginia.
What topics and concerns do I address with clients?
Over my ten years of experience in the field of mental health, I have worked with clients in discussing a variety of topics, including:
Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma disorders, pregnancy and parenting, grief, immigration/acculturation stress, life transitions, disordered eating and exercise, body image, self-injury, suicidal ideation, substance use, identity exploration (including sexual, racial, religious, and gender identity), family conflict, and more.
booking an appointment
LOCATION
I meet with clients through Counseling of Alexandria LLC, which is currently located at:
2001 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301.
For the foreseeable future, I see all clients virtually through a secure telehealth platform.
Due to licensing requirements, I ask that my clients be physically present in Virginia and Maryland during telehealth meetings.
PAYMENT AND FEES
I charge $330 for a 90-minute first-time appointment and $165 for 50-minute follow-up appointments. EMDR appointments are either 50 minutes ($165) or 90 minutes ($250).
At this time, I do not currently accept insurance.
Please ask your insurance about your out-of-network behavioral health coverage, and I can provide you with a Superbill to submit for reimbursement.
MY PRACTICE HOURS
I currently see clients throughout the week, primarily on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturday mornings.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
Call or text 703-650-9195