Therapists in Manassas, VA

For 30 years I've used drama therapy, music and art for personal healing and social change IN PERSON or ONLINE, and I specialize in ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy). Through dialogue, gesture, image, rhythm, collage, diagrams, or enactments, we'll find ways to foster awareness, acceptance and action, to improve the WORLD you live in. I've worked with people in east Africa, Spain, Romania and Virginia. I'll help you grow the soul force needed to love even the shyest, shadowy-est elements of your personality.

I am a licensed clinical social worker in Virginia with over 5 years of experience working as a social worker. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, career challenges, and health issues. I also helped many people who have experienced physical trauma or emotional abuse. My counseling style is warm and interactive. I believe in treating anyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion, and I don't believe in stigmatizing labels. My approach combines cognitive-behavioral, solution focused, and task centered counseling. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek for a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. If you are ready to take that step I am here to support and empower you. I look forward to working with you!

As you already know, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. Likely one of your first questions is what can she, Barbara, do for me; does she possess the skills to help me get to the place I want to be. Hopefully, my response will provide those answers to you. What I bring to the table as a therapist, if you will, goes way back and is based on wisdom and knowledge gained from years of education, years of working with individuals, couples, and families as well as serving as a consultant in different settings, serving as an expert witness in local and state courts, etc, etc...but as importantly it is based on what I have learned from my clients over those many years. That alone has been invaluable. I truly believe that when people interact they, whether consciously or unconsciously, not only touch each other in some way, but learn from each other. I believe that people have more similarities than differences; that we need to recognize the similarities and be sensitive to the differences. I believe in people and their innate ability to change. I believe that humans basically resist change; that it is easier not to change than to change despite wanting to change...but it is not impossible....change takes work.... and perseverance... and above all hope that their situation can change. My beliefs are not limited to my role as a therapist...I believe I have integrated those beliefs into my whole self and that they are how I relate in my personal and professional life...otherwise they would merely be a 'technique' and would easily be discerned by my clients, friends and/or associates. Bottom line....what we believe determines how we behave. As you will find, if you choose to work with me, I have many operating beliefs and an acquired level of wisdom...based on life. I look forward to hearing from you and making a connection that will help you where you are with your life journey and assist you in getting you to a new place in your life; one where you want to go.

I am licensed in Virginia with 43 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping Children, Teen and Adult clients with relationship, family, spirituality, stress and anxiety, depression, sexuality and identity issues, coping with addictions, trauma and abuse, & anger management. I use a cognitive behavioral and existential therapeutic approach to help people progress to a more fulfilling life. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

Hello, I have organized INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES on various online platforms based on a topic of interest, a common need, or related to various lessons, challenges, and experiences during a lifetime. I also manage a YouTube channel for access by clients - "journey associates" with a red sunset background. The content is not my own, but a collection from various sources related to the mind for you to find. Go to the Playlist tab, the tap "View ALL" to look around at the many folders and thousands of links. These resources can be found at - https://www.youtube.com/@findingyourwaytoday I also manage several groups or pages on Facebook related to navigating through the challenges of life, enjoyment, leisure, learning, and cool stuff. One such group to provide information related to coping, caring, and community is "Outside of the Box: Coping Creatively with Whatever" found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2589259251341840 . Several sub-groups on topics can be found via a request for a menu of titles. Subgroups and pages on Facebook include the following topics: > support for men, > support for women, > support for teens, > the process of bereavement, > recovery from loss and trauma, > relationship dynamics, > parenting and family issues, > individual development by age-groups through the decades, > pretirement (preparation) and retirement (action and execution), > neurological aspects of causation and behavior, > creativity and perception, > community, coping, and self-care, > precious pets, > the need for maintaining a sense of humor, > photography and sharing videos as a hobby, > self-development and insight via writing and art, > appreciation of nature, and > inclusive spirituality and ethics. If you'd like to learn more, you can send a specific request regarding your interests, curiosities, and related topics to: findingyourwaytoday@gmail.com. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I am skilled at guiding individuals and couples through a review of • thoughts and behaviors, • history and anticipation, • beliefs and misconceptions, • values and choices, and • goals and objectives toward an increased awareness of options, needs, resources, and results. The application of such knowledge about oneself can lead to choices that are more likely to be experienced as effective, productive, healthier, and rewarding. To provide space for a more structured option, I have limited other descriptive information on my profile. That information is readily shared once a client makes a decision to explore my qualifications, style, specializations, and approach before and during the first session, which, in part, is an interview by the client of myself as a professional of potential selection. PLEASE NOTE In addition to the next section of SPECIAL OFFERING - See the last portions of my profile > DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE, > PERSONAL POWER, and > THE PROCESS. A SPECIAL OFFERING of Structure and Focus for an eight-session intensive experience yielding optimized value for your investment of financial resources, of time, of effort, of energy, and of attention. One program is called "I AM READY" for clients who want an infusion of information, activities, skills, and tools related to their given focus and needs. One can choose to stop at the end of four sessions (Part 1), or sooner if the match of myself as a professional with a client does not feel like a good-enough fit. The goal of the eight-session infusion is to prepare you to move forward with or without a counselor after an introduction of structured information, practiced skills, and wisdom-tips as a foundation for healthier self-care and more effective coping. One aspect of this process is to learn how concepts and behaviors are tools to enhance a sense of self and to apply principles for change, maintenance, recovery, and gratification. Another aspect of the process is to identify and name the critical issues that warrant attention as a pathway to: • increase and apply awareness, • reduce personal barriers or situational roadblocks, • enhance coping and action strategies, • broaden perspectives, • deepen understanding, • emphasize strengths and assets, • develop personal confidence and efficacy, • highlight existing assets and resources, toward the outcomes of • increased gratification, gratitude, desired results, • an orientation of where you are at this time in your life, or regarding certain issues, • a process of defining your goals and objectives, and • a measurable clarity of options related to self-care, coping, direction, and resources. You are not obligated to continue after the fourth session, or even the first session, if there does not seem to be a good fit of my professional style and methods with your expectations, needs and goals. Each client’s feedback is requested during or after each session to assure that I am on course with your goals and needs. I suggest rituals that reinforce life-long learning and personal growth. Requirements: individuals and couples who can relate to the meaning and desire to improve or integrate the concepts listed below. The “I AM READY” timeframe of 8 weekly sessions (Parts 1 and 2) is designed for people who are ready to engage in the process and participate in what is needed for effective outcomes. Here are some concepts that represent the acronym of I AM READY. I – Initiative, Intelligence, Insight, Intrinsic, Interpretation, Integrity, Innovative, Investment, Intention A – Ability, Acquisition, Attitude, Accurate, Action, Affirmation, Application M – Mindfulness, Meditation, Maturation, Meaning, Motivation, Mindset, Mentality, Method, Map R – Real-istic, Renew, Redefine, Relevant, Review, Replace, Rethink, Reason, Resourceful, Retain E – Education, Emotion, Energy, Enough, Expression, Experience, Explanation, Expectation, Evaluation A – Assessment, Access, Accentuate, Assess, Articulate, Attribute D – Determined, Dedicated, Decisive, Development, Daily, Dignity, Deliberation, Diverse, Depth, Durable Y – Why? YOUnique, Yield, YES!, YOU can DO this!, Your Goals. If you are ready to start and commit vs window shop or partially use your subscription due to missed or unscheduled appointments, then count to 10 as you assess your degree of readiness and motivation. Then decide if you are ready or not for the Part 1 - four sessions of assessment, support, and education as a foundation upon which the process will lead you through the subsequent four weeks and into the next chapter of your life. DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE and PERSPECTIVES • I have worked with people who struggled with an active addition or who were in recovery from one of the worst chapters of their lives. • I have listened to and supported clients who worked in blue-collar jobs and clients who worked in white-collar positions. • I have provided counsel and education to people who currently or had been employed on Capitol Hill, at the Pentagon, and in The White House. • Clients have also included those who have worked at various federal agencies: FBI, NASA, US Border Patrol, and the Secret Service, law enforcement, clergy, active military personnel and veterans. • I’ve served clients who were first-responders or first-time parents. • I have guided teens who were in high school or transitioning to the experience of college-related demands. • I have been a bereavement counselor to survivors who faced the death (of various causes, anticipated and unexpected, which can result in “complicated bereavement”) - of a partner or spouse, - a parent, a sibling, a grandparent, - a child or a grandchild – both under legal age and as an adult-child. • I have supported people who have contended with invisible, chronic illness or pain, or who have had deteriorating health, and across different points in the lifespan. • I have been a privileged witness to the sacred, private lives of many people who survived adverse childhood experiences, • trauma as an adult, (military, domestic, and circumstantial: victimization, accidents, work-related or other accidents, hospital experiences, the death of a loved-one, witness a situation involving someone else safety, etc.), • and persons who have contended with gradual or sudden heartbreak and grief, • debilitating and diminishing consequential aspects of an anxiety disorder, • the suffering inherent with mood disorders (episodic or chronic in nature), • and the universal issues of being human combined with the developmental tasks required of continued growth and adjustment. • During college I worked at two summer-camps for four years (in MA and NJ) with people who had developmental disabilities, the under-privileged, and the very privileged. • And I have presented workshops at professional conferences and for agency trainings. PERSONAL POWER includes: 1. an awareness of making a series of choices, 2. resulting in executing a decision, and a direction, and 3. the application of knowing what is required for a desired outcome, with 4. the creative process of exploring or creating options. The PROCESS 1. MAKING A DECISION, 2. CHOOSING A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, 3. TAKING ACTION ON YOUR DECISION and CHOICE 4. ENGAGING IN THE PROCESS of • UNCERTAINTY, • STRUCTURE, • EDUCATION, • SUPPORT, and • ACTIVITIES for • Desired RESULTS. If you want to interview me during a first session, I can then send you more information about how I see my style and approach (humanistic, educational, and eclectic with life-long learning). And if you decide to continue your search for a better fit with a therapist of your choosing, I genuinely endorse and support that path, by removing your connect to me if that be the case. If that would be your decision, I do ask that each client apply direct communication about intentions or needs so as to • “not fill a seat in my electronic waiting room” by clients who are undecided, • as evidenced by not making appointments, or not keeping appointments, • due to not being ready to start and follow-through, and thus, limiting access to my services of clients who are ready with a plan to begin the process. Please be aware that for each when a client who is passive, dormant, or • inconsistent in scheduling and keeping appointments, • there is a counter-productive influence on my availability to potential clients due to a place being taken on my roster of existing clients. You can choose to disconnect your affiliation with me in order to take action with another therapist and/or return when you are ready and able to engage consistently in the process and service for which you are paying a monthly subscription. Sincerely, Will Perks, MSW LICSW in West Virginia LCSW in Virginia LISW-CP in South Carolina

I am licensed in Virginia with 12 years of professional work experience. I hold a Master's Degree in Counseling and a PhD in Counselor Education. I have experience in helping clients with relationship issues, trauma and abuse, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, & coping with life changes. My areas of speciality are Relational Cultural Therapy, Decolonized/Liberatory practices and am a somatic experiencing practitioner. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

I am licensed in Tennessee and Virginia with 25 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, & coping with grief and loss. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process. I provide EMDR, (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). It is a research-based trauma therapy which is appropriate in many other situations besides specific traumas. I am happy to talk to clients who might have an interest in EMDR to help with major traumatic events or developmental trauma from childhood. I am available on Tuesday through Thursday afternoons, from 12:30 to 3:30 pm Eastern time.

I am licensed in Virginia with 5 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with grief and loss, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, & depression. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. I will do so with care and compassion, focusing on your needs and growth. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

I am licensed in Virginia with 7 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, anger management, & bipolar disorder. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in Virginia with 20+ years of professional work experience. I possess experience in assisting clients with stress and anxiety, relationship challenges, grief and loss, as well as enhancing motivation, self-esteem, and confidence. My approach involves collaborating with clients to establish an open and secure space where thoughts and feelings can be expressed freely and without judgment. Additionally, I offer support to students in K-12 education, including coordination with school environments, should the child and family desire educational assistance.