EMDR & Attachment Therapist for High-Achieving Adults
You’re successful in many areas of your life, yet privately feel stuck.
It could be patterns of anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, shame, emotional overwhelm, or relationship patterns that leave you feeling unseen or disconnected. Maybe you’ve spent years trying to understand yourself, but knowing “why” hasn’t left you feeling much better. It could be that a life transition – or simply the exhaustion of carrying so much for so long – has made you realize that your old strategies just aren’t quite working for you anymore.
You may have developed brilliant coping strategies that helped you stay safe, stay connected, and get through hard moments throughout your life. At one point, those strategies worked. But now, you feel like you’re banging your head against the wall – doing the same things over and over even when you desperately want to respond differently. It’s easy to start wondering, “What’s wrong with me?” when what we really need to explore is “What happened to me?”
I want you to know that you don’t have to do it alone anymore.
I specialize in helping thoughtful, high-achieving adults move beyond insight into lasting change. Together, we’ll talk about what’s happening today, heal the past experiences that keep showing up in the present, and build new ways of relating to yourself and the people around you so you can feel more connected and balanced.
I often hear, “what’s the point of dredging up the past? What’s done is done, and I can’t change it.” But the way we react to the people we love, the negative way we view ourselves, and how we navigate challenges today can be a sign that childhood experiences—including trauma, attachment wounds, or emotional neglect—are still shaping our present. The good news is that those wounds can heal in therapy.
How I Help Beyond Traditional Talk Therapy
EMDR • Internal Family Systems (IFS) • Attachment-Based Therapy
My approach is rooted in attachment theory and the idea that our earliest and most important relationships shape how we see ourselves, how much we trust other people, and whether we believe our needs matter. When we don’t get our needs met, we may develop unhelpful patterns of relating to other people.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and parts work are especially powerful tools for healing these past hurts rather than just talking about them. As an EMDR-trained therapist, I go beyond simply rehashing painful experiences. EMDR helps the brain and nervous system reprocess memories that feel “stuck,” allowing emotional and physical reactions and triggers to soften. Over time, it becomes easier to experience emotions more fully, respond in new ways, and build healthier relationships without trying so hard.
I also integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS/parts work), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), attachment-based therapy, somatic interventions, and other trauma-informed approaches because every person heals differently. These approaches help you to build on your strengths, while also caring for the hurt parts of you that desperately want to be heard.
What It’s Like to Work With Me
Clients often tell me they feel relief in finally having a therapist who understands them and a space where they don’t have to minimize or explain away their pain. Instead, they describe feeling seen, understood, and like they can finally take a deep breath.
In the therapy room, I create a safe and supportive space for you to explore new ways of relating to yourself and others. I bring warmth, authenticity, laughter, curiosity, and clarity as we work together to understand what’s happening, heal at the root, and create meaningful change.
Because many of our deepest wounds happen in relationship, healing often happens in relationship too. Over time, the sense of safety and security we build together can extend into your relationships outside the therapy room.
Why I Work With High-Achieving Professionals:
Before becoming a therapist, I spent more than a decade working in government and consulting, where I experienced the high-pressure atmosphere that many of my clients navigate every day. That first-hand experience led me to especially enjoy working with government employees, executives, consultants, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and other high-achieving professionals who appear successful on the outside while privately carrying significant stress.
Many of the people I work with are balancing demanding careers and caring deeply for the people around them while privately feeling exhausted, disconnected, or like they’re never quite enough.
Let’s Work Together
Therapy isn’t about becoming someone different. It’s about helping you feel safe enough to become more fully yourself. I’m looking forward to hearing your story and exploring how I can support you in your healing.
For an initial consultation, please email me at Annie@dcvacounseling-psychotherapy.com
I provide in-person therapy in Falls Church, Virginia and telehealth throughout Virginia, specializing in anxiety, trauma, attachment, and relationship concerns for high-achieving adults. I work with clients throughout Northern Virginia, including Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, Vienna, Fairfax, and surrounding areas.
I work under the supervision of Jacqueline Anderson, LPC and Isabel Kirk, LPC.
Areas of Focus
- Anxiety
- High-Functioning Anxiety
- Perfectionism
- People-Pleasing
- Shame
- Childhood Emotional Neglect
- Attachment & Developmental Trauma
- Trauma, PTSD & Complex Trauma
- Burnout
- Life Transitions
- Relationship Issues
- Self-Esteem
- Emotional Regulation
- Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
- High-Achieving Professionals
- Government Professionals
- Intelligence Community Professionals
- Women’s Issues
Therapy Approaches
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Internal Family Systems (IFS / Parts Work)
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Trauma-Informed Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB)
Serving
In-person therapy in Falls Church, Virginia and telehealth throughout Virginia, including Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, Vienna, Fairfax, Reston, Tysons, Springfield, Richmond, Charlottesville, and Virginia Beach.
