Therapy for Women

Therapy for high‑functioning women navigating anxiety, overwhelm, and major life transitions -- so you can feel more grounded, aligned, and whole.

I work with women across adulthood—often in their late 20s through 60s—who are carrying a great deal and feeling the emotional impact of anxiety, low mood, burnout, or big life changes.

As a woman, you carry a lot.

You may be juggling work, caregiving, partnership, parenting (or “empty nest”), friendships, and community roles—often while quietly managing your own health changes, aging parents, or relationship shifts. From the outside, you look capable and strong. Inside, it can feel very different.

You've Always Been the Strong One — and Something Feels Off

Perhaps you're feeling:

Anxious and overwhelmed, constantly running through worst‑case scenarios
Emotionally exhausted, with little left for yourself at the end of the day
Lonely or disconnected, even when you’re rarely alone
Wondering when you get to matter in your own life

I specialize in working across adulthoos who are carrying a great deal and feeling the emotional impact—through anxiety, depression, burnout, and complex life transitions.

The Invisible Load Many Women Carry

For many women, especially but not only in midlife, the real burden isn’t just the visible responsibilities—it’s the invisible load:

Keeping track of everyone’s needs, schedules, and emotions
Managing the home, even if you also work full‑time
Supporting children or adult children, sometimes from a distance
Caring for or worrying about aging parents
Trying to be a good partner, friend, colleague, and community member

You may feel like you’re the “hub” for everyone else’s lives, without much space for your own feelings, needs, or desires.

This can lead to:

Constant worry or overthinking
Guilt about not doing enough (even when you’re doing more than most)
Resentment you don’t feel comfortable naming
Low mood, numbness, or a sense of going through the motions
Feeling like you’ve lost touch with who you are beyond your roles

It can be hard to talk about this, especially if you also tell yourself you “should be grateful” for what you have.

How Therapy Can Support Women at All Stages

Therapy offers a steady, confidential space where you don’t have to hold everything together.

In our work together, you can:

Have a place to speak openly—without minimizing your experience or worrying about burdening others.
Explore the impact of gender expectations, family roles, and cultural messages on how you see yourself.
Make sense of the anxiety, low mood, or burnout that may have built up over many years.
Learn tools to manage stress, worry, people‑pleasing, and perfectionism.
Begin to reconnect with your own needs, values, and desires—not just those of the people around you.
Consider what you want this chapter of your life to look like, and what might need to shift to support that.

The goal isn’t to turn you into someone else—it’s to help you feel more like yourself again, with more room for your own well‑being.

Common Concerns I Help Women With

In my work with women, I frequently support clients around:

Anxiety and chronic worry
Depression, low mood, and loss of motivation
Burnout and emotional exhaustion
Relationship stress, loneliness, or disconnection
Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and difficulty setting boundaries
Being an older Mom, and parenting transitions
Empty nest, retirement worries
Separation, divorce, or changes in long‑term partnerships
Caring for aging parents and caregiver stress
Health changes, menopause, and shifts in body image
Grief and loss—including less visible losses and disappointments

These experiences can overlap and influence each other. Therapy can help you sort through what’s happening and what you most want to address.

How I Work with Women’s Mental Health

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC), I bring both clinical depth and a practical, forward‑looking lens to my work with women in midlife.

I draw from:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):To work with self‑critical thoughts, worry loops, and patterns that keep you stuck in anxiety, guilt, or low mood.
Psychodynamic therapy: To explore how your history, relationships, and internalized messages about being a woman have shaped how you see yourself and what you feel allowed to want.
Mindfulness‑based practices: To help you tune into your body and emotions with more curiosity and less judgment, and to support nervous system regulation.
A trauma‑informed, mind–body lens: To honor any experiences of trauma, chronic stress, or overwhelm, and to move at a pace that feels safe for you.

My approach is warm, collaborative, and attuned to the realities of women’s lives. We’ll pay attention not only to symptom relief, but also to helping you build a life that feels more sustainable, and true to who you are.

What You May Notice Over Time

As we work together, you may begin to:

Feel less overwhelmed by anxiety, guilt, or emotional exhaustion
Hear a gentler internal voice replacing harsh self‑criticism
Set and maintain healthier boundaries with work, family, and others
Feel more connected to your own wants, needs, and preferences
Experience more moments of ease, presence, and self‑respect in your daily life

These changes often build slowly, but they can profoundly shift how you experience yourself, your relationships, and this stage of life.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

If you’re a woman who is feeling stuck, sad, stretched thin, quietly struggling, or unsure of what comes next, therapy can offer support, perspective, and a place where you don’t have to be “the strong one” all the time.

I provide in‑person therapy in Alexandria, VA and online therapy for adults across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

You’re invited to schedule a free 15‑minute consultation or call 703‑962‑6022 to see whether working together might be a good fit for you.

Contact Me