We are the Counseling Center of Washington, DC®. We specialize in providing evidence-based therapy to help improve your quality of life and mental health! Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or grief; our team will provide new insights that enable change at all levels.
Our Washington, DC Therapy Specialties and Services:
The Counseling Center Group® is a practice dedicated to providing professional counseling therapy services. Our skilled therapists bring many years of experience from a wide variety of specialty areas. It is our philosophy that many clients can benefit from specific tools and then use those tools in their everyday life. Therefore, we do our best to empower you to live your life without the need for prolonged therapy.
Individual Therapy
Couples Therapy
Group Therapy
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
The process is shorter than traditional therapy and is very effective in resolving trauma. The therapist guides the client through a series of eye movements that help to release the emotional impact of the trauma. The therapist also helps the client to reframe the event so that it no longer has the same emotional charge.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C)
Eye Movement Desensitize/Reprocess Therapy (EMDR)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE)
In DBT-PE, clients initially work with the therapist to establish safety and gain the skills needed to cope with addressing trauma. While continuing in all modes of standard DBT, DBT-PE then addresses memories and beliefs related to the client’s trauma history.
Parent Child Interaction (PCIT) Therapy
Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) Therapy
Gottman Method Couples Therapy
The Gottman Method is a form of couples therapy that was developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman based on over 40 years of research on what makes relationships work. It focuses on emotionally supportive communication and understanding each partner’s needs in order to foster a healthy relationship.
Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) Therapy
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Therapy
Emotional Fitness Program (EFP) Therapy
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
ART draws from several existing therapeutic approaches in order to reprogram how our brain stores upsetting memories or images to reduce the severity of distressing reactions. It combines elements of traditional talk therapy with creative activities to help us process difficult experiences and learn healthier coping skills. ART focuses on the connection between our thoughts, feelings, behavior, and body sensations.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Therapy
Our Therapists in Washington, DC
EMILY RIZZO
CLINICAL DIRECTOR WASHINGTON DC
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EMILY RIZZO
Gender Identity Therapy, LGBTQ Counseling, Relationship Therapy
For the last ten years, Emily has worked with teenagers, adults, and families as a counselor/therapist. During her career, Emily has worked with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, people of color, and helped clients with depression, anxiety, self-motivation, trauma, self-harm, grief, familial relations, gender identity, sexual identity, sexual/relationship needs, communication in relationships, understanding their identity, and self-integration.
Along with individual therapy, Emily provides couples and family therapy and has experience working with families who have been through the foster care system, adoption, and with parents of teens in a wilderness/partial hospitalization/intensive out-patient program. Emily began her journey in extensively learning DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and incorporates this skill-work into her sessions.
A certified yoga teacher from Skyhouse Yoga Studio in Silver Spring, Emily believes in incorporating healing movement and breath work into sessions. Emily is a proud member of Maker’s Lab DC (founded by Lee Livingston Perine) which builds and supports queer communities by creating spaces that celebrate life, art, and queer culture.
Counseling is helpful during a hard time and can be something we come back to when we need support or a tune-up. Self-care is a daily act and Emily’s belief is that counseling can help jump start our self-care routine. We all deserve to be heard, to understand our feelings, and to speak our truth.
JEANILY CRUZ
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JEANILY CRUZ
Jeanily is a trauma-informed therapist who is deeply passionate about working with communities of color, those in the LGBTQ community and other marginalized individuals. She regularly helps clients who are struggling with anxiety, relational issues, self esteem, boundaries, or mental health stigmas in various cultures. If you find yourself stuck, shrinking, or sometimes unable to use your voice- she is here to help gently guide you back to your authentic self by creating a safe space to process and make meaning of your experiences. Healing is a birth right. No matter what you’ve experienced and gone through-you deserve joy!
Jeanily takes a strengths-based approach to empower her clients to use the skills they already hold to heal and support their overall mental wellness. Jeanily uses a trauma-informed lens along with modalities such as CBT, DBT and mindfulness to help clients explore the root of their experiences, shift negative thinking and empower them to embrace a fuller life.
BROOKE SHAFER
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BROOKE SHAFER
Brooke Shafer joins the Counseling Center Group bringing with her experience working in Washington, DC and Boston, MA. She has spent time in her career working in Elementary and Middle Schools and in mental health crisis situations, specializing in working with children, families, and young adults. Her clients have come from diverse backgrounds and have presented with difficulties managing anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, suicidal ideation, gender identity, sexual identity, and social difficulties. She also has experience working with children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum or who have been diagnosed with other developmental and educational disabilities.
Brooke’s primary counseling philosophy is the understanding that meeting the client where they are at is the best way to heal or progress. What works for one client one day may not be helpful for the next client, or even the next day for the same person. Allowing clients the space to both experience their feelings and problem solve in a given situation ensures that their personal therapeutic goals are within reach.
Brooke offers each client unconditional positive regard and acceptance. Therapy will be individualized to each person, couple, or family to move towards their specific therapeutic goals, including the option to utilize teletherapy or in-person therapy. Clients can expect to be treated with respect and dignity throughout the therapeutic process.
Brooke has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from Indiana University and a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University and holds clinical licenses in both DC and Maryland. She is a DMV native and lives with her partner and one cat.
