My therapeutic style blends directness with compassion, ensuring that you feel both understood and motivated. My goal is to help you cultivate self-love, resilience, and insight, empowering you to create the fulfilling life you envision.

My goal is to meet each person where they are at while providing a calm and supportive space. I focus on real-world scenarios and direct experiences in life when teaching skills or exploring thoughts and emotions. I have found the most success comes when individuals can see how it is directly impacting them or what a skill may look like in practice from their direct experience. My goal for each session is to build an atmosphere tailored each session to the needs of the the individual

Here at Acacia Counseling & Consultative Services, we realize that no two people are the same, and we tailor our therapy to meet your specific needs as an individual. We love helping people understand the things that are holding them back with an in-depth approach. After recognizing underlying problems, clients can fully realize their strengths and adjust certain behaviors and thoughts to see things in a different, healthier way. Our practice specializes in helping people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, or trauma. If you are trying to navigate these areas of life, we’re confident that we have the experience to help you rediscover what brings happiness to your life. Through therapy, there is always a way to address the issues you face and learn coping strategies to help you both right now and in the future. Through therapy, we can get you on track to leading a happier, more fulfilling life by equipping you with the tools you need to more efficiently and confidently manage life’s challenges. It is never too late to start living the life you’ve always wanted.

Welcome to my practice! Therapy can be a powerful tool in relieving distress, learning about oneself, and living a more fulfilled life. I believe that at the heart of successful therapy is a collaborative, open, and warm relationship. Through curiosity and acceptance, I help my clients gain more appreciation for their emotions, assist them in recognizing their strengths, and aid them in identifying opportunities for growth. I strive to help my clients obtain the tools necessary to overcome roadblocks, which often keep them from reaching their full potential. I work with clients from diverse backgrounds and life stages and welcome the opportunity to treat individuals facing a wide range of concerns. Given my training and experience working with adolescents, college/graduate students, and young professionals, I have a deep understanding of the challenges these individuals face as they navigate life transitions. In particular, I specialize in helping individuals with self-esteem concerns, relationship difficulties, depression, anxiety, trauma/loss, and disordered eating. Taking the step to begin therapy can be difficult. With the right therapist, however, therapy can be an important and rewarding tool to living a more satisfying, authentic, and fulfilled life. I invite you to contact me to see if I may be a good fit for you. My office is metro-accessible, conveniently located in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, D.C. I have daytime and evening hours available.

If you’re looking for therapy, you may be feeling discouraged, misunderstood, or unsure how to repair the emotional distance that’s developed between you and your partner. Maybe you love each other deeply, but can’t seem to stop the cycle of miscommunication or conflict. I understand how painful that can feel—and I want you to know that healing and connection are possible. My work focuses on helping couples rediscover their friendship, deepen their emotional intimacy, and learn skills that allow them to navigate differences with compassion and respect. Drawing from the Gottman Method and Prepare-Enrich, I use evidence-based approaches to help you understand what’s really happening beneath your interactions and to practice new ways of communicating that bring safety, empathy, and hope back into the relationship. You’ll find my style to be warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental. Together, we’ll explore the patterns that keep you stuck, while also identifying the strengths that can move you forward. I believe therapy should be both a space for insight and for action—a place where couples can learn to listen, forgive, and rebuild a bond that reflects the best version of who they are together. All sessions are virtual telehealth, allowing for greater accessibility to therapy services, and are convenient for most people. My practice provides a confidential, compassionate space for couples and individuals seeking to strengthen their relationships and emotional well-being. Call or email to book your appointment today.

Do you have ruminations that are self-critical? Do you avoid going out or joining social activities? Or maybe you become overwhelmed by anger, fear, shame, dread? Life doesn't have to be that hard. I believe that our behavior patterns are old ways of surviving difficult situations. I bring years of personal and professional experiences and training to foster a safe and collaborative relationship to be curious about your responses, update your system, so to speak, and learn and practice new skills.

People - like plants - don't thrive in less than optimal conditions. However people - unlike plants - have the ability to improve the conditions in which they exist and give themselves the gift of positive and exuberant growth. Is your growth as an individual being limited by ~ anxieties & fears ~ lack of direction ~ depression ~ past trauma ~ poor self image ~ relationship issues Any one of the above can make you feel stuck and uncertain. Growth oriented psychotherapy will help you rediscover your purpose and direction. My task is to guide you as you identify your goals and the resources you'll need to achieve them. My belief is that most of these resources already exist within you or are readily accessible to you.

I strongly believe in your inherent ability to grow and change-- to survive neglect, hardship, and trauma and become stronger and more resilient. I help people find their strengths and learn to accept and even love their vulnerabilities. I teach coping skills and I listen intently.

Feeling overwhelmed by life? Stress feels unmanageable, relationships are strained, and moving forward seems impossible. The constant weight of overwhelm can leave you physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. You long to make peace with a painful past but feel stuck. Unmanaged stress affects every aspect of your life—work, health, and relationships. You recognize the need for change, and starting therapy is a courageous, proactive step toward well-being. I'm here to provide a compassionate, validating space where your thoughts and feelings are heard. Together, we'll work toward healing and a more balanced, fulfilling life. I help individuals and couples navigate emotional regulation, stress, and relationship challenges through evidence-based methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and somatic therapy. Specializing in mood conditions, trauma, and attachment, I focus on fostering resilience and balance. Using biofeedback, I strengthen the mind-body connection to support lasting healing. Life’s challenges can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to face them alone. Whether you’re seeking emotional balance, healing from past wounds, or strengthening your relationships, I’m here to support you. Together, we’ll create a compassionate, non-judgmental space to explore your goals and build the life you deserve. Reach out—I’m ready to help.

Have you hit a wall with therapy? Are you struggling to find hope? My name is Mikayla, and I've lived in and around DC for over 22 years. I provide holistic therapy for individuals with and without ketamine. My clients struggle with PTSD, suicidality, depression, anxiety, substance use, and co-occurring conditions. I also work with couples struggling to resolve and repair conflict. All are welcome here! I have experience working with people who struggle to fit in, people who use drugs, and people in non-monogamous relationships. My perspective is relational and systems-based. No part of us is separate from the rest; we are inseparable from our environments and each other. If you decide to work with me, we'll start by exploring the dynamics of your relationships and the relationship you have with yourself. We can identify and build on your strengths, manage and release the manifestations of toxic stress through the body, improve your emotional capacities, and build stronger authentic relationships. My approach weaves embodied mindfulness, liberation psychology, somatics, trauma-informed care, polyvagal theory, education, sound, and, for those who choose this route, ketamine. There is no "typical" session with me. Each person is approached as a unique being with a unique story. I have real-world experience and extensive training in multiple compatible approaches, which allows me to pull out the right tool for the right person at the right time. I maintain a laser focus on your obstacles and protective barriers while holding a lighthearted space where we are free to laugh about the absurdity of life. I reject hierarchy in therapeutic spaces and hold us as equals sharing the beauty and pain of healing in the human experience. How we work together is guided by your understanding of what you need. I believe you have the capacity to heal yourself. My role is to approach you with a delicate balance of compassion and honesty, maintain a safe and comfortable environment, witness your process, and ask the right questions.

Being a therapist means creating a safe space for individuals to reveal their true selves, leading to healing and growth. Life can be beautiful, and it can be difficult. Therapy provides an opportunity to speak and share our deepest thoughts, saddest moments, and accomplishments so that we might be unburdened and successful in our goals. It is an honor to join with clients for the achievement of their goals, and I value my work as a clinician I have several years of experience providing mental health services, working with assessments, community mental health counseling, and crisis interventions. My experience varies, and it includes services with children and adults. My current office is setup to provide play therapy, group counseling, and traditional talk therapy. I will partner with you to establish goals that are specifically built for your needs, pulling together various theories, strategies, and techniques to assist individuals with depression, anxiety, trauma, difficulty in relationships, and other concerns. I am currently accepting new clients and I look forward to hearing from you!

Our approach is first and foremost to offer acceptance and understanding. Our clinicians have a variety of theoretical orientations and approaches, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, play therapy, attachment-based therapy, emotion-focused therapy, and interpersonal therapy. All of us have training and experience with a family systems approach to therapy and are able to integrate this into our work.