Hi, I’m Megan (she/her)
I am a psychotherapist and leadership consultant with specialty working with depression and anxiety, adjustment and identity, particularly cross-cultural issues, and trauma. I work with both individuals and couples, and am licensed in DC, Maryland and Virginia. My office is in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, and I also offer telehealth online.
I integrate mindfulness into my work, using ancient practices like meditation and yoga, as well as mind-body approaches like EMDR, to help clients move past difficult experiences, balance the pace of modern life, and live with joy and contentment. Finding out what motivates people and helping them discover their own path is my passion, and energizes my work.
Clinical Expertise & Training
I am a licensed clinical social worker (LICSW). As a therapist I have worked with clients from diverse backgrounds both in private practice and in the community, including immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, at the McClendon Center, the CUA Counseling Center, Catholic Charities, and Mary’s Center.
I have found EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) to be a powerful tool to address trauma; I am advanced certified in EMDR from EMDRIA and am proud to be a member the EMDR Disaster Network dedicated to supporting those at the front lines of disasters. I have also completed trainings in TF-CBT (trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy), was a 2019-20 fellow of the Contemporary Freudian Society, and am a graduate of the Washington School of Psychiatry‘s intensive post-grad psychodynamic Clinical program, with a specialization in Couples Therapy.
This background allows me during talk therapy to listen deeply for what is “underneath” what you share – feelings you need support to release, patterns that are not yet conscious, and unresolved dynamics from your that shape your present .
Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga
Living with purpose, contentment and joy in the midst of fast-paced modern life can be greatly supported by practicing presence. Over the past decade, I have completed several months of silent meditation retreat in the insight meditation tradition under the guidance of internationally renowned masters at the Insight Meditation Society, the Forest Refuge, and through ongoing individual instruction through Gaia House. I also have a 200RYT trauma-informed yoga teacher certification through Yoga District.
This training allows me to offer simple but powerful meditation and yoga techniques clients can use to calm and focus themselves in session, and then strengthen in their own time. My deep commitment to practicing present-centered awareness in my own life also gives me great capacity to sit with others’ experiences.
“Finding out what motivates people and helping them discover their own path is my passion, and energizes my work with clients.”
Cross-Cultural Expertise
My life and career have been devoted to exploring identity and belonging. I have lived at the nexus of countries and cultures, and am sensitive to issues of diversity and inclusion. Born in the U.S., I completed my schooling in Australia, with a B.A. (Hons.) from the University of Melbourne. My PhD in History at Columbia University in New York compared the ways people from different countries have used various approaches to redefine their identities in the context of war, dislocation, and shifting political lines. My MSW from CUA brought me into the community in DC to work therapeutically with people grappling with these challenges.
My research has received awards from the Mellon Foundation, the German DAAD program, Princeton University, and the Institute for Historical Research in London, amongst other fellowships. Meeting with people across countries contemplating their identities inspired me to work directly with those facing such issues.
Leadership Development
Over the past decade, I have applied insights from my research to support clients to change their lives.
My work in international leadership development has taken me around the United States, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East to work with leaders from 32 countries, through the German Marshall Fund and in partnership with NATO, the OCP Foundation, the State Department, and other organizations. I’ve designed and facilitated individual and team-based interactive seminars to strengthen clients’ abilities to build relationships and work collaboratively across differences.
That’s my background, and how I came to this work. I look forward to learning about you: about your concerns, your hopes, and to partnering with you to realize your full potential.
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Photo credit: Tatiana Syrikova, Tina Nord