Therapists for college students near Howard University

Thank you for considering working with me. I understand how important it is to have the right support during difficult times. My approach is integrative and personalized, meeting you exactly where you are. Together, we’ll create a safe and supportive space to explore what’s on your mind, while also focusing on practical steps to help you feel more like yourself again. Whether you're feeling stuck in worry, overwhelmed by racing thoughts, or struggling with self-doubt, we’ll work together to build tools that help you feel more grounded and centered in the present.

Hi, I’m Clayton, a licensed mental health counselor and marriage and family therapist. I believe that healing begins when we feel seen, heard, and accepted for who we are. My goal is to create a space where you can explore your thoughts and emotions without judgment — whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, identity concerns, relationship challenges, or simply trying to understand yourself on a deeper level. I work with individuals, couples, and families from all walks of life, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, students adjusting to new transitions, and anyone striving to improve their emotional well-being. My approach is collaborative and compassionate — blending evidence-based techniques with genuine curiosity about your story. Together, we’ll work toward developing insight, strengthening coping skills, and helping you feel more grounded and confident in who you are. Therapy is not about “fixing” you; it’s about understanding, growth, and learning to embrace your own perfect imperfections. If you’re ready to begin that process, I’m here to walk alongside you every step of the way.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor with close to 20 years of experience. I am passionate and committed to helping others achieve their goals and to live a balanced and fulfilled life. I specialize in CBT (cognitive-behavior therapy), mindfulness and psychodynamic therapies. I help you clarify your values and goals, and then encourage you to live life based on those values and goals. I teach you how to best connect with self and others, and believe such connection increases your capacity and possibility for living a life of ease, contentment and passion. Connection leads to better health and well-being. Once you feel safe in connection the possibilities are endless. I have extensive experience working with clients who struggle with addiction and will help guide you on the road to recovery. Together we will focus on action plans that help you build and maintain the life you want. I believe the outcome of successful psychotherapy is more than the absence of symptoms and disorders. It is a life that has increased passion in work, play and relationships.

I work with adults (18+) who have difficulty managing their emotions and who struggle with depression, anxiety, impulsive behavior, thoughts of suicide and self-harm, interpersonal problems, or problems functioning at work or school. I provide evidence-based treatments including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help my clients change ineffective behavioral patterns, develop more helpful ways of thinking, and accept difficult realities in order to build the lives they want. I see therapy as a collaboration between client and therapist to work towards their goals in treatment and in life. I specialize in DBT, a gold standard treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder and related problems with emotion regulation. I provide a range of DBT services for clients. I also use CBT to treat specific problems: panic, generalized anxiety, OCD, depression, and trauma. I can tailor treatment interventions to meet clients' individual needs. Through my validating and nonjudgmental style, I am committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based treatment to help you reach your most desired goals. I currently offer services including comprehensive DBT, individual therapy (DBT, CBT) and individual DBT skills coaching and consultation. Please reach out if you are interested in finding out more about therapy with me.

Life is sometimes overwhelming and therapy can help create possibilities! I am here to support you in identifying what is making you feel stuck and work with you to become the best version of yourself. I offer a warm and compassionate place for clients to talk about their pain and feel understood. I work with college students and young adults experiencing depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, family and personal relationship difficulties, and academic or occupational stress. I draw from a variety of theoretical frameworks to meet the needs of the person I am working with. I am a LGBTQIA+ affirming and fat-positive therapist. I strive to create an inclusive and safe space for all clients. Looking for a therapist is a great first step towards healing and growing! Feel free to email me and I will then let you know my availability and next steps to setting up an intake session for us to get to know each other better. I look forward to hearing from you!

Of all the relationships we have in our lives, I believe that the one you have with yourself is the most important and impactful. Therapy allows a person to create an authentic relationship with oneself. Through the therapeutic process, a person is able to find and access their own innate ability to heal and grow within a supportive, compassionate, and empowering environment. My passion for this work comes from seeing my clients evolve to feel happier and healthier in their daily lives. What I do: Individual Psychotherapy- I provide both in-person and telehealth treatment for teenagers, young adults, and adults, focusing a wide array of concerns including: life transitions, traumatic life experiences, daily functioning impairment, anxiety, and depression ​Gender and Sexuality Affirming Mental Health Care- I provide a safe space for those of you within the LGBTQIA+ community to process concerns unique to your own lived experiences ​Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)- EMDR is a research-backed treatment developed to help you heal following traumatic events by processing memories and gaining control over the way the trauma history impacts the mind and body. ​Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)- CBT is used to help you understand and learn skills to challenge unhelpful or maladaptive thinking and behavioral patterns ​Mindfulness- Mindfulness techniques are used to teach you how to relate to your thoughts differently and to live in the moment

SINCE 2011, I EXPERIENCE AS A CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER/THERAPIST, PROVIDING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS, CHILDREN, AND FAMILIES. I AM TRAINED TO PROVIDE A NUMBER OF SPECIALIZED THERAPEUTIC SERVICES BY USING EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT MODALITIES WITH THOSE DEALING WITH CHALLENGING LIFE EXPERIENCES. CLIENT WELL-BEING IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, AND MY GOAL IS TO ASSIST YOU IN DEVELOPING THE TOOLS AND SKILLS YOU NEED TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES IN YOUR LIFE

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Do you feel overwhelmed by life’s constant demands or stressed by difficult relationships? If so, you matter to me. I love to see people thrive. I enjoy supporting people during difficult times and supplying them with the tools necessary to overcome challenges. Your issues do not define you. My approach recognizes the interconnectedness of our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being. Whether your journey calls for gentle encouragement, practical strategies, or a listening ear, my goal is to empower you to move forward with confidence and hope. I am passionate about fostering resilience, helping you transform hardships into steppingstones, and celebrating your progress along the way. I use evidence-based practices and Biblical perspectives to guide my work. As we work together, you can anticipate a therapy experience that is both collaborative and adaptive. I honor the wisdom and strengths you already possess, inviting you to draw upon your inner resources while equipping you with new insights and skills. No matter where you are in your story, I am committed to supporting you in cultivating greater self-awareness, self-compassion, and a sense of purpose.

RecoverED, LLC is a boutique psychiatric practice dedicated to helping patients who struggle with eating and body image concerns. Here you will find evidence-based, exceptional, compassionate, holistic, and personalized treatment that is tailored to each individual and their phase of recovery. We understand that every journey is unique, and our approach is designed to support you at every step. Your well-being is our priority, and we are committed to helping you regain a healthy relationship with food and your body.

I strongly believe in building a collaborative relationship with my clients in helping them overcome their personal struggles. As a clinical psychologist, I strive to create a safe and warm environment that is compassionate, person-centered, and promotes a person's unique individual strengths. I prescribe to an integrative approach to therapy that includes elements of cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, person-centered, interpersonal, and strength-based approaches. More importantly, my approaches are tailored to the specific needs of individuals to help them achieve balance in their lives and overcome their struggles. My specialties include working with children, adolescents, and young adults dealing with anxiety, trauma, adjustment, grief, depression, and other mood disorders. I have a particular interest working with young adults who are experiencing difficulty adjusting with life transitions that often accompany emerging adulthood. Also, I have specialized training in complex trauma and trauma-focused interventions. My experience includes working extensively with diverse patient populations in a variety of settings including, hospitals, schools, outpatient clinics, and private practice. I am credentialed as a national registered Health Service Psychologist and a member of the Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologists, Northern Virginia Clinical Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association.

Everyone needs support during difficult times in their lives, whether they are dealing with relationship issues, stress at home or work, or feelings of depression and anxiety with or without a clear cause. It is during times like these that therapy can help. Through our work together I will provide a safe space for painful memories and emotions to be explored and work with you to gain a deeper understanding of how these experiences continue to shape you today. Together we will work to help you develop new coping skills and bring an enhanced level of self-awareness to your life. I have extensive experience working with both adolescents and adults struggling with depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and cross-cultural challenges. In addition, my experience working within both acute and ambulatory care medical settings has expanded my expertise to include helping those coping with chronic illness, grief/loss, and end of life issues. Please feel free to contact me to schedule a consultation and to learn more about my approach to therapy. I look forward to hearing from you.

The clients I work best with often share a readiness to engage deeply with their own personal growth and face life's challenges head-on. They typically come from diverse backgrounds but share common experiences such as navigating life transitions, dealing with anxiety or depression, and seeking to improve their communication and relationship skills. My clients are often those who value a reflective and supportive space where they can explore their thoughts and emotions to foster healing and personal development. They appreciate a collaborative approach where they are active participants in their therapeutic journey.

My core values are faith, family, social and economic justice. My worldview is quite simple. You see, I believe that everyone has a right to be in a good place mentally physically and spiritually. I find that I have evolved into a change agent - which is a natural profession for a social worker. The same steps that I have taken to secure my life, mentally physically and emotionally, are the very same steps I am willing to assist my patients/clients in taking. My specialties lie in my abilities to move a person or a family from a place of dysfunction to functionality. I strive to improve the quality of life those whom I counsel. My theoretical framework a solution focused, interwoven with resiliency theory, using a strength-based approach. I am just a chat away if you need me – 'how may I help you?"

College can be an exciting season but also one filled with pressure, uncertainty, and big transitions. Between classes, relationships, and figuring out your next steps, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or disconnected. At Grow and Thrive Wellness Space, I help college students navigate anxiety, depression, ADHD, low self-esteem, and faith or identity questions that often come up during this stage of life. My approach is down-to-earth and supportive, I listen, help you unpack what’s really going on, and work with you to find balance, purpose, and confidence again. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Therapy is a space just for you to breathe, reset, and grow.

We are a mental health practice that specializes in providing quality therapeutic services. We strive to create a comfortable and supportive environment in which you can engage in a healing self-discovery. We provide individual, couples, and family therapy from a modern approach. Our clinicians are not only well-versed in their specialties and fields, but they are also from the same places you are from. The goal is for your mental health provider to be someone who looks like you and who does not sympathize, but can empathize with you life experiences.

I am a board-certified psychiatrist and Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. For me, being a physician is more than a profession—it is a vocation to help indviduals flourish. My practice is devoted to students and young adults seeking thoughtful, individualized psychiatric care that extends beyond symptom relief. I provide comprehensive evaluations that consider medical, nutritional, lifestyle, and psychological factors—including laboratory testing when clinically appropriate—to identify the contributors to emotional and cognitive health. I also specialize in evidence-based de-prescribing for patients who wish to reduce or discontinue psychiatric medications for anxiety, attention difficulties, or substance use disorders. My approach is guided by precision, humility, and restraint: using the least intensive intervention necessary while drawing upon the full breadth of evidence-based medicine. Depending on each patient's needs and goals, I integrate psychotherapy, nutrition, lifestyle medicine, exercise, targeted supplementation, and, when appropriate, carefully selected medications into a personalized treatment plan. In addition to my clinical work, I have presented internationally on psychiatric deprescribing and medical ethics. My work has been recognized with awards from the American Psychiatric Association, the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, the American Psychoanalytic Association, and other leading professional organizations. I am the Founder & Medical Director of Verigrate Health. I am licensed to serve patients in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Lousiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin.

Kristina sees teens, adults, couples, and families navigating: -stress -anxiety -depression -trauma -life changes and transitions -sexuality and/or gender issues -relationship challenges -pressure of the performing arts/sports worlds -acculturating and/or racial identity concerns -living with a chronic medical condition -grief Sessions take place in a warm, supportive, and non-judgmental tele-health atmosphere. Kristina: -uses compassion and kindness to cultivate the therapeutic relationship -empowers individuals to develop the skills/strategies needed to cope during challenging times -helps clients to build self-esteem while gaining personal insight -helps clients to recognize their strengths, value, and resilience -helps clients to start taking control and making positive changes in their life Kristina welcomes the opportunity to assist you on your journey, working together to relieve the challenges you face. Afterall, "emotional well-being is just as important to us as breathing is!"

College life can feel like a high-speed juggling act. Classes, relationships, deadlines, family expectations, and trying to take care of yourself all compete for your attention. It can be hard to slow down and make sense of everything you are carrying. I work with students who want to pause, understand what is creating stress or disconnection, and refocus on what truly matters. If you want a therapist who will be your biggest cheerleader and also someone who will call you in when you need it, you are in the right place. My approach is trauma informed and grounded in CBT. Together we work to understand patterns, build clarity, and create real and lasting change. Finding the right therapist matters, especially when you are balancing a full schedule. If you are considering therapy, I invite you to visit my website and schedule a free consultation. This is your chance to ask questions, explore your goals, and get a sense of whether we are a good match. I offer virtual counseling for students located in PA, VA, and DC.