We bring Greek Island grace to mental health counseling services in Richmond, VA.

Naxos Counseling is a local, boutique private practice. We are not your big-box, industrialized, or mainstream mental health conglomerate because we do not believe people are meant to fit into a box, follow a specific protocol, and be treated as just another customer. We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality of care customized to your specific needs. It is our belief that great counseling requires a thorough intake process where our providers invest in getting to know you, not searching for diagnosis. In our practice, we collaboratively work with you in identifying your goals and use evidence-based practices to help get you there. 

Our model and clinical approach are centered on relationships - your relationship with yourself, your relationship with the world, and your relationship with your therapist. We place an emphasis on relationships because human beings are creatively designed to be social, long for being known, and (to quote Thomas Merton) no man is an island.

We will spare you the details and nuts-and-bolts of degrees, certifications, and trainings, and simply say that we are credentialed professionals who are completely dedicated and passionate about serving you. Our goal is to make this world a better place by helping you heal, feel better, and wake up in the morning with a smile. To learn more about our providers click here.

Through my training in Gottman Method Therapy, I am well-equipped to help you transform your communication skills. I love walking people through communication skills practices and teaching them the ins-and-outs of healthy communication. Our therapy practice is here to teach and guide you in learning the most well-researched and evidence-based life transforming communication skills available.

Communication is a crucial and vital aspect of our lives and factors and many people may not know that they may actually need professional help in learning how to best communicate. Communication is the medium by which we connect with and relate to the world, ourselves, and others. If we want thriving relationships in our homes and careers then we must master our ability to communicate. 

The first thing we have to learn is that communication necessarily implies that we are able to register and identify our own feelings and emotions. We need to learn how to appropriately describe our inner experience and then to describe what we may need from others in a healthy manner. All of our relationships are wholly dependent on our communication. What many people do not understand is that communication is an actual skill, a practice, and a discipline. People in long-term happy marriages are not there by accident and somewhere along the way they have likely worked on their communication skills. While some people may be naturally effective communicators, most of us need instruction and practice guidance on best practices for how to effectively and healthily communicate with others.

The truth is much of our communication and how we relate to others is taught to us through observation and maybe what we have observed and experienced is actually not very healthy and does not serve us. Here at our therapy practice we want to help you learn the social skills necessary to thrive in your life and relationships.

Our counseling practice incorporates treating our clients through a trauma-informed lens. This simply means that we register and validate the impact that life experiences has on a person. Trauma, whether it is a life-threatening event or something else, can affect a person's thoughts, mood, feelings, beliefs, behaviors, and relationships. All of us have our own story and at our practice we accept people without judgment and offer them a safe environment to share their stories and difficult experiences. The idea is that we are sensitive and do not judge anyone because we know that most of have embodied negative or self-defeating experiences that need empathy and compassion. 

We work with each individual client with where they are, who they are, and where they come from. In better understanding one's past and negative traumatic experiences, we can better intervene for present day symptoms and behaviors.

We offer Internal Family Systems (IFS) psychotherapy which is a trauma-informed approach. Please click on the previous link to learn more about IFS psychotherapy. In short, parts work helps us work with our inner children who hold many self-defeating beliefs based on previous experiences. While we are trained in and incorporate this approach, it may be appropriate at times to refer out for specialty treatment for those experiencing acute PTSD symptoms due to severe trauma. We will discuss this and have a transparent and open dialogue regarding the best approach to your treatment.

Although Naxos is an island, it is a formidable island that was used in ancient times to defend against invaders and pirates. At our mental health counseling practice, we help you build your own strength and perseverance no matter what life throws your way. We help you embrace challenges as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles which helps cultivate a resilient mindset. 

Research shows that 60-90% of all primary care visits have something to do with stress. Building inner strength and combating stress involves developing a resilient state of being, learning how to handle our own feelings and emotions in the moment, gaining the ability to distance ourselves from our impulsive reactions and behaviors, and navigating the world through a place of competence, inner-stillness, and calm assertiveness. If we can do this, we can have much greater inner-harmony and establish a healthy and consistent state of homeostasis.

.Naxos Counseling emphasizes that progress in mental health will result in our clients being better able to remain calm and in control of themselves no matter the situation. Even though we all experience an array of emotions, the goal is to be able to stand firm and to not react impulsively or out of control. Rather, we want to build the inner strength that allows us to be free and in establish order within ourselves at all times. 

By addressing underlying issues and developing coping mechanisms, we help empower individuals to navigate challenges more effectively, leading to a stronger, more balanced, and resilient inner Self. We prioritize this holistic approach enhances overall well-being and fortifies mental fortitude.

No matter how we may want to break it down or slice it up, we cannot escape the essential element that mindfulness, awareness, or presence plays for good psychotherapy and counseling. This is true for individuals and relationships. At Naxos Counseling, we bring our own experience and skills to help you develop a more authentic state of being - a state of being that is calm, clear, present, conscious, and actively aware. It is only from this place of conscious and nonjudgmental observation of ourselves and the world around us that we can begin to gain understanding, see ourselves for who we are, and to finally begin to break free from the old patterns and habits that have had us trapped.

Mindful awareness is the first step in everything we do in our therapy practice. Our clients develop deep insight into themselves, their thoughts, their beliefs, their relationships, and everything in between. We help our clients step back from their feelings, thoughts, and external circumstances to gain perspective, take a breath, and bring their own innate sense of peace and calm into their lives. We assist in helping others show up for life with a fearless presence that cannot be shaken. It is only when we begin to actively establish a new way of living and actually change.

We derive our mindfulness practices from modern psychology, eastern spiritual writers, and ancient wisdom. Depending on one's own spiritual orientation we can help to establish a relatable practice and offer reading suggestions and personalized mindfulness practices that make sense for who you are and what you want.

Our mental health services are designed specifically for you. We use elements of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gottman Method, and other Person-Centered approaches from Carl Rogers. Therapy does best when it sees a person as a holistic entity, that is, in their own environment which encompasses all elements of health, location, relationships, career, family of origin, social circles, belief systems, etc. With this being said, we always zoom out to examine all aspects of a person's life and then combine this with their treatment goals. We can then use elements from our trainings and experience using a variety of therapeutic modalities to address the needs, goals, and concerns of each person.

Some aspects of our therapy will emphasize a somatic and body-based approach to experiencing our feelings and emotions. Other aspects of therapy interventions may be practical tools for enhanced communication and healthy boundaries. Some clients may need more help discerning their cognitive narratives, while others may need more specific assistance working with their inner-child. We emphasize and address the needs for interpersonal relationships and the role that social connections play in our lives.

As each person is different and has unique needs, we help identify with our clients specific areas of attention and then select the most appropriate evidence-based treatment to move them forward toward their goals. In these ways, we treat the whole person and offer interventions that are individualized but also all-inclusive for the different elements that make up our lives.

Your journey of wellness begins by recognizing that sometimes we just don't feel like ourselves. Something may seem to be missing or things feel gloomy. Maybe we are noticing increased irritability or some vague sense of discontent or that we are lacking meaning and purpose. In our view, these is all very normal and something many people go through as our lives have different seasons. We are here to walk you through your journey of wellness and to help brighten your life!