About

Dr Rahel Schwartz earned her undergraduate degree from Bar Ilan University and PhD from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Rahel’s work has focused on addressing trauma, occupational stress, chronic health conditions and anxiety. Over the years, she has become increasingly interested in the mind body connection.

 In addition to private practice, Rahel has worked in a teaching hospital, outpatient mental health and nonprofit settings.  As clinical director of a nonprofit agency, she has supervised graduate interns and clinicians for advanced licensure. She is a recipient of the Henry Gleim award from the state of Maryland for providing services to victims of crime and those that serve them. She is an EMDRIA approved consultant and trainer. Rahel is trained in a wide range of therapeutic techniques including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization & reprocessing (EMDR),somatic experiencing (SE), mindfulness, acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT) and insight oriented approaches. Rahel is a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia and New York.

Elyse Kaplan earned her undergraduate degree from Northeastern University and her Masters degree in Social Work from Boston University.  Elyse also completed a post masters certificate in psychodynamic psychotherapy from the Washington School of  Psychiatry. Elyse is a Maryland state accredited Social Work supervisor, allowing her to supervise newly licensed social workers working towards their independent licensure. Elyse is a Patient Advisory Board Member (PAB) of Dysautonomia International. She is a past volunteer of the crisis mental health team of the American Red Cross, becoming certified shortly after 9/11.

With over twenty years of clinical experience, Elyse has worked in a variety of clinical and academic settings , including inner city psychiatric emergency rooms, academic teaching hospitals, out patient mental health clinics where she was the clinical supervisor. Elyse has extensive experience with crisis intervention and management and has been able to use those skills in the out patient setting.

In therapy, Elyse draws from a psychodynamic approach and utilizes behavioral techniques, including CBT. She is an EMDRIA certified EMDR therapist. Her practice is trauma informed and works with clients who are experiencing depression, anxiety and life transitions. Elyse takes a special interest in those recently diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction, in particular  postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). 

Brendan Carroll is a Licensed Masters Social Worker in Maryland and Virginia and obtained a Master of Social Work from Catholic University here in DC. He enjoys working with teens, adults and has a wide variety of experience working with clients with anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, self-harm/ suicidal ideation, and domestic abuse. He enjoys working with LGBTQ+ clients. Brendan has experience in group work, crisis intervention, working with survivors of sexual assault and is in the process of becoming a certified EMDR practitioner. He utilizes techniques from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), EMDR, and a strength-based approach. Brendan sees the client as the true “expert” in their own life and he sees himself as a guide and mentor along the way. He prefers to be genuine, authentic and takes a humanistic approach in the therapy process.

Welcome! My name is Andrea, and I have over 7 years of experience in the field. One of my passions is working collaboratively with individuals to bring more healing into their lives. I believe that with the right support, people can lean into their natural resiliency, and ability to live empowered lives. I specialize in working with and addressing life stressors of those with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and CPTSD in a trauma-informed way. I have also worked with people who have experienced intimate partner violence, stalking, sexual assault, and various other life traumas. 

Whether one has endured repeated trauma or experienced a single distressing event, I use somatic-based tools to invite individuals back to themselves. I primarily use Parts Work, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing to ensure we can find a way to live more embodied lives with a sense of wholeness, hope, and curiosity. 

I work to create an affirming place for the LGBTQIA+ community, and with cultural humility to make our therapy space welcoming to anyone no matter what race, socioeconomic status, gender or gender non-conforming, religious affiliation, or other identity/background. I also specialize in assisting people who have been in long term recovery from substances and are looking to dive deeper in trauma resolution and embodiment. Somatic work is interwoven into my practice, as I believe we can find so much healing when we include the body