Trauma and PTSD therapists & psychiatrists in Reston, VA

I’m Lex Santí, LCSW, DSW-S, MFA, Clinical Director of A Key Therapy, a mindfulness-based telehealth practice. I work with adults and couples (18+) navigating anxiety, burnout, life transitions, relationship concerns, and questions of meaning and identity. I’m licensed in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia.

Before founding A Key Therapy, I worked as a generalist therapist at Cornell Health, and earlier led international crisis response at Cornell. I know how heavy it can feel to carry a lot at once, and I bring steadiness, curiosity, and humor to the work. I’m also a writer, a yoga teacher, and a former Peace Corps volunteer, and I speak English, Spanish, Romanian, French, and Hungarian.

My caseload is often full, so if you’d like to work with me specifically, I keep a waitlist. A Key Therapy also has other clinicians who may be a great fit. You can learn more at akeytherapy.co.

Feeling overwhelmed, lost, or unsure where to start? You've come to the right place.

With over 17 years of clinical experience across a variety of settings, I specialize in creating a warm, judgment-free space where you can explore your concerns at your own pace. Whether you arrive with specific goals in mind, need help identifying them, or simply need somewhere to exhale.

I work with children, adults, couples, and families navigating a wide range of challenges, including depression, anxiety, behavioral concerns, relationship difficulties, and life transitions. Whatever brings you here, I bring deep clinical expertise, genuine compassion, and a commitment to helping you move toward the mental health and life you deserve.

With 8 years of experience in the mental health field, I firmly believe in the parity of mental and physical health. Life often leads us into dark tunnels, and my role in therapy is to guide individuals toward the light at the end of those tunnels.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and a Healing-Centered Engagement Practitioner trained through The Flourish Agenda in California. I am passionate about helping clients build self-confidence and self-worth while making sense of life’s complexities. I have been serving clients as as mental health professional for five years in private practice, group counseling settings and experience in emergency services.

Making the decision to start therapy is a profound investment of your time, energy, and vulnerability. If you are looking for a blank-slate clinician who simply nods and listens, we might not be the best fit. I offer a highly engaged, malleable, and unflinching partnership.

My approach is rooted in the belief that while the work of untangling our lives is deeply structural, the room itself doesn't always have to feel heavy. I bring a grounded warmth to my practice—which means knowing how to sit quietly in the gravity of a difficult truth, but also knowing when to break the tension, exhale, and find the light in the sheer complexity of being human. I won’t just sit in silence while you do all the heavy lifting; I am an active collaborator who adapts to exactly where you are.

I have 26 years of experience dealing with individuals, couples, families in therapy. We will work together to develop plans that are unique and right for you.

I am a therapist that has a passion for helping others break free from burdens. I believe our deepest secrets can be blockages to moving forward in life. My mission with every client is to create a space where they feel safe to be authentic, while learning ways to regain control of their lives. I am honored to support you in this journey you are getting ready to embark on and I am rooting for your success in the healing process. I am sending you well wishes and a safe space to chat.

I am Dr. Darlene Anderson, A Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Virginia, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in the state of North Carolina, a Nationally Recognized Board Certified Counselor (NCC), and an approved Supervisor for Virginia Board of Counselor residents. I have worked with clients through various issues and concerns, which includes depression, anxiety, substance issues, low self esteem, relationship issues, family conflict, codependency issues, trauma, stress, grief and loss, and life transitions.

I have 30 years of experience working with young adults, individuals, couples, and families in various settings such as community mental health facilities, home, schools, hospitals, detention centers, and private practice. I graduated with my bachelors degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, my masters degree in Counseling from the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC, and my doctorate degree in Social Work from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.