Family Therapy in Bethesda, MD

Opening up can be challenging for some individuals, so I make it a priority to create a safe, warm, and respectful environment. I am a compassionate and creative therapist who strives to ensure that you will feel heard and understood as you confront life's challenges. Therapy is an opportunity to find personal fulfillment, increased self-understanding, and the ability to self-reflect. I will help you in this journey and along the way we will identify unhealthy patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving, as well as strengthen meaningful relationships.

We work with individuals, couples, families, and children. We specialize in addiction, eating disorders, relationship issues, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, trauma, family conflict and grief. Our greatest intention is to help clients understand themselves better and improve their quality of life and relationships. We cater our approach to each client, responding to their own unique problems and personality style. This is not a "one-size-fits-all" practice.

Couple and family therapy can sometimes serve as an efficient and effective strategy to improve the wellness of the whole family system. Sometimes severe psychological distress and suffering is located within the couple or family, rather than solely within a given person as it may appear at times. I have built up a strong skill set to offer a particular form of couple and family therapy known as "psychoanalytic couple/family therapy" which zeroes in on the undercurrent, unconscious meanings for destructive, relationship patterns that are outside the awareness of the couple/family.

My strengths include warmth, compassion and open-mindedness as part of a comprehensive, client-centered approach. My early training emphasized humanism and later training has included a variety of modalities, such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and EMDR. I focus on fostering existing strengths of clients and tend to favor a more short-term approach. I also provide supportive counseling related to issues centered around family, relationships and career.

Tired of having the same argument with your partner or certain family members? Find it hard to talk about sex with your partner? If so, individual and/or couples therapy can help!

I believe that it is essential for clients to find the right fit for their therapist. I want the client to know that my office is a safe space and I will do everything I can to help them navigate through the tough times in their life. Coming from a Greek background influences my desire to maintain cultural competence and tailor therapy to best support one’s beliefs and values. I will work as my client's advocate, ensuring that they feel valued and heard. I strive to create a relationship built on trust, communication, growth, and respect.

After years of working in New York, I am now happily serving the Maryland, DC, and Virginia community. I am a clinical psychologist providing evidenced based treatment to adults, children and adolescents. I have extensive experience working with a broad range of issues including anxiety, relationship difficulties, life transitions, and low self-esteem. My specialty training in the treatment of eating and weight disorders offers a unique perspective as an expert in the implementation and practice of family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

I work with individuals and couples who are struggling with worries, sadness, relationship difficulties, or feel "stuck" in some way. My primary focus areas are anxiety, depression, ADHD and trauma, using a combination of cognitive behavioral and integrative practices. I draw from modalities such as Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Somatic Experiencing. This integrative approach to mental health allows me to tailor the experience to your unique needs.

Are you or someone in your life impacted by a chronic or terminal illness? Are you struggling with decisions around risk for a genetic illness? Are you struggling with relationships, family boundaries, or life transitions?

Touched by Adoption? The Barker Foundation recognizes that adoption is a lifelong journey, with normal developmental challenges and tasks. We will walk with you through and support you through your journey. Whether you are an adoptive parent with a child that is struggling emotionally or academically; a birth parent who is seeking understanding, reflection, or search and reunion; or an adoptee looking for support- we are here for you.

"Help! My stress is over the top!" Have you found yourself thinking this? Are you facing difficult circumstances? Is stress from events in the world, or concerns about oppression and privilege, affecting you and/or your relationships? Is it harder to meet your commitments to family, friends, and/or groups and causes you care about? I specialize in helping adults, adolescents and families draw upon their strengths, solve problems, and develop new understanding and new skills.

Individuals, families and couples realize, at some time, they need assistance to effectively deal with overwhelming life events, strained relationships, loss, anger, and life transitions. For over 20 years I have successfully helped people break self-defeating, unfulfilling patterns of relating and behaving so they can experience more joy, happiness and success in their personal and professional lives. I use a blend of psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral and family systems therapy. My clients find me to be a very direct, open and engaging therapist, who provides safe space for even the most difficult issues and conflicts to be addressed and resolved.

Selecting the right therapist is an important, personal decision. You deserve to work with someone who is compassionate and highly skilled in helping to bring about desired changes in your life. In nearly thirty years of clinical experience, I have helped people attain more satisfying personal and family relationships, cope with symptoms of anxiety or depression, and learn to better manage the stress of daily life.

My individual clients include those dealing with mental health challenges; making decisions about career or relationships; or pursuing more fulfilling approaches to life. I work with couples of all ages, stages, and compositions, addressing communication, infidelity, loss of passion, infertility, parenting, strengthening relationships, and deciding. I work with couples struggling to decide if and how to continue to work on deeply troubled relationships and solidifying commitment. I see families dealing with communication issues, creating appropriate boundaries, and working through separation, divorce, and blended family issues .

Hi! I specialize in trauma, anxiety, depressive disorders, grieving, self-esteem, social skills, and relationship issues. I provide individual and family therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults. I am passionate about working with clients from diverse backgrounds and strive to incorporate cultural competence in my therapeutic practice. I believe it’s crucial to provide psychotherapy and preventative services to clients from diverse backgrounds who may be unaware of potential warning signs and risk factors associated with mental health disorders.

The therapeutic relationship is the foundation of the growth and healing process. My primary goal is to cultivate trust, comfort and connection with my clients. This relationship is essential to whatever challenge has caused you to seek help. I have a true passion for helping others and have spent my career learning from world class clinicians and mental health professionals of various disciplines. I offer a range of different therapies that effectively treat anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma, substance use issues and other compulsive behaviors.

Adoption is a profound and enduring journey that encompasses a range of developmental challenges and milestones. It is not merely a singular event but an ongoing process of personal growth. I have a personal connection to adoption and specialize in offering customized therapy for children and teenagers grappling with issues like anxiety, ADHD, grief, transitions, and behavioral difficulties.

Building a family, whether it be two individuals joined by love and respect, or the amazing addition of a child, is hard. It is normal for these life transitions to bring up feelings of anxiety, grief, sadness or confusion. I specialize in working with women, children, and families to address these big relationship and life moments. We partner together to work towards building stronger foundations for parent/caregiver and child relationships, creating safety, and finding and using skills that help us feel calm. We find hope and enjoyment in places that have been previously forgotten.

Change can be unpredictable and sometimes stressful to the point that it may disturb a family, trigger anxiety or depression, generate relationship problems in adults and behavioral problems in adolescents and children. Having lived in different countries myself, I can understand how difficult it is to adapt to new life situations.