IFS Therapist Serving Maryland & DC

Andrea is a warm and compassionate therapist who works with teens and adults navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, and the challenges of feeling pulled in different directions. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and began her clinical work with approaches such as CBT and DBT. When she discovered Internal Family Systems (IFS), she found that its emphasis on inner compassion, connection, and curiosity deeply aligned with the kind of healing she wanted to support.

Now as an IFS Level 1 trained therapist, Andrea helps clients become curious about their thoughts, feelings, and inner “parts” rather than judging or fighting them. She believes therapy should not only provide support in the moment, but also empower clients with practical skills and greater self-understanding that they can carry into everyday life. Therapy becomes an opportunity to better understand what is happening within, develop a more compassionate relationship with yourself, and create meaningful change from a place of greater calm and clarity.

Approach to Therapy

Andrea believes therapy should meet clients where they are and move at a pace that feels right for them. She views therapy as a collaborative process focused on empowering clients with greater self understanding and skills they can carry into their everyday lives.

Her approach is grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), often called “parts work.” IFS recognizes that everyone has different parts of themselves, such as an inner critic, a people pleaser, a worrier, or a part that feels overwhelmed, that influence how they experience themselves and the world around them.

Andrea gently helps clients get to know these different sides of themselves with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment. Through this process, clients may experience a shift in how they understand themselves, their relationships, and their experiences. Over time, this work can support greater self understanding, internal harmony, and a deeper connection with their own sense of Self.

Did you know the movie Inside Out was created through consultation with a group of IFS therapists? It shows how different inner emotional parts can take over the 'console' of our minds. When our parts work together, we find balance in our life.