LGBT therapists in Virginia

Hey! I'm Christina, and I'm a licensed clinical social worker with 7 years experience providing individual, couples, family, and group therapy on an outpatient basis. I am thoroughly trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), two off-shoots of CBT that incorporate acceptance and mindfulness. I currently serve as the chapter president for Mid-Atlantic Chapter of The Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences, and I am a contributing author to an upcoming manual on a developing integrative therapy, Contextually-focused DBT. Basically, I'm a therapy nerd. I love and believe in my practice, and am always on the hunt to learn more and be the best therapist I can be.

I have over 40 years of experience in mental health practice. I believe that we work together to help you be the best version of yourself. I am trauma therapy certified, anger management certified and work with teens and adults. I specialize in anxiety, depression and trauma issues as well as Adult Children of Alcoholics. We are a team working together to help you improve your life situations

I help to create a safe, collaborative space where you will feel seen, not judged. Our relationship is one where you can let your guard down and show up as your full self. It is my goal to use a warm and compassionate relationship to walk alongside you, offering reflection, compassion, and challenge when needed to help you reach your goals.

I help people heal from trauma, with a special focus on sexual trauma, and I’ve been honored to support a wide range of individuals — including women, men, military veterans, and LGBTQIA clients — as they work through their experiences and take meaningful steps toward healing. I also enjoy helping people work through challenging life transitions (e.g., parenthood, divorce, etc.) and identity-specific concerns (e.g., men's issues, women's issues, gender identity exploration). In addition to individual therapy, I also provide relationship therapy for monogamous, non-monogamous, and open relationships as well as psychological assessment (e.g., ADHD, dementia, learning disorder, mental health) for adults.

When life gives you lemons...

My education gave me the tools to be a skilled clinician. But it was my own trauma that gave me the insight and depth I bring to this work. I know what it feels like to live in a body that doesn’t feel safe—to question everything, including yourself. I spent over a decade learning how to heal, reclaim my voice, and become the kind of guide I once needed.

In the midst of that long journey, I had a quiet moment of clarity: what I was going through wasn’t just about survival—it was about becoming someone who could walk with others through the dark. That experience grounds my work in both knowledge and deep compassion.

Learning to love the desert

I’ve come to believe that being lost isn’t a problem—it’s part of the path. Like La Loba, the mythical bone-gatherer who wanders the desert collecting what’s been buried and brings it back to life, I help others gather what they’ve lost along the way. That process is sacred, slow, and often surprising—but it’s how we come home to ourselves.

There are parts of you that haven’t died; they’ve just been waiting. And sometimes, when it all falls apart, that’s when the wild, wise parts of you rise again.

Smart Duru is psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with over 10 years of combined healthcare experience. He attended University of Derby, England for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and a master’s in psychiatric mental health nursing with Distinction. Smart Duru obtained a Master of Science Degree with specialization in Psychiatry mental health Nurse Practitioner. He has extensive experience in Mental health, Primary care, Sub/Post-Acute Care, Long Term Care, Correctional Medicine, and Family Medicine.

Are you BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ struggling with self-compassion and self-care? Are you struggling with the anxiety of navigating a society that feels like it's not made to support you? Whether it's systemic issues or unpredictable life changes, sometimes life can feel overwhelming and beyond our control. I provide a space for you to be your authentic self and receive unconditional positive regard through these challenges. Come as you are.

Hi there, welcome! I strive to offer a safe space where you can begin or continue your therapeutic journey. A nonjudgmental space where you can freely process, express, vent, and just be. Taking an individualized approach to include exploring thoughts/feelings/behaviors, challenging negative core beliefs, and developing more adaptive coping skills.