Helping People Unlearn Obsession, Rewrite Their Stories, and Build Love That Feels Grounded, Conscious, and True
MEET OLYMPIA in NY and Falls Church, VA
Areas of Focus & Approach
Clinical depth, trauma-informed care, and an integrative mind–body lens
I specialize in supporting individuals navigating:
● Attachment wounds (anxious, avoidant, dismissive, disorganized attachment styles)
● Career, graduate school planning & finding purpose
● Life Transitions (transitional life stressors like career, school, life changes)
● Anxiety
● Relationship issues
● Trauma & Complex Relational Trauma
● Adjustment Disorder
● Existential Concerns: Death Anxiety, Loss of Freedom, Isolation, Meaning & Identity
● Fantasy Connections like limerence & love addiction
● Infidelity & Betrayal trauma
● Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD (obsessive thoughts and rumination)
● Breakup grief & relational withdrawal
● Dark Triad abuse (narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellian patterns)
My therapeutic approach integrates evidence-based modalities with depth-oriented insight work, including:
Attachment Theory, CBT, ACT, IFS, Existential Therapy, Narrative Therapy, EMDR, Jungian Shadow Work, and Ketamine/Oxytocin-assisted therapy (where clinically appropriate).
More than symptom reduction, I focus on identity reconstruction — helping you reclaim the parts of yourself that relationships, trauma, or chaos have fragmented.
LEARN ABOUT MY MAIN THEORETICAL THERAPY APPROACHES
What is Adlerian Therapy? The goal of Adlerian therapy is based on 5 Adlerian Life Tasks: Relating to others (building friendships), making a contribution (through work or service), achieving intimacy (romantic relationships as well as through friends), a good relationship with the self (transitioning feelings of inferiority to superiority), and developing our spiritual dimension (religion, etc.). Adlerians, like Person-Centered counselors, do not decide for their clients what they should change or what their goals should be. However, Adlerian therapy possesses some locus of control, for this life task framework has a purpose: all tasks must be completed for someone to lead a fulfilling life where their personal goals are consistent with social interest. According to Adler, failure to do so results in neurosis or in individuals with disorders, increased isolation, and dysfunction in the life tasks. Maladjustment occurs when the person strives for personal superiority without regard for the wellbeing of others.
What is Cognitive Emotive Therapy? Since Adlerian therapy does not focus on techniques thoroughly yet has a lot to do with reframing one’s state of mind, REBT (based on Adler’s ideas) would be helpful to employ alongside Adlerian therapy. Cognitive Emotive Behavioral Therapy interventions usefully integrate into Adlerian therapy: such as A (activating event) assessing clients irrational or maladaptive thoughts and inner dialogue, B (beliefs about activating event) helping clients learn more rational and adaptive ways of thinking and behaviors, and C (emotional and behavioral consequences). REBT and Adlerian therapy adopt an active-directive approach to helping clients solve their own problems.
What is Existential Therapy? Existential therapy, like Adlerian therapy, is a way of thinking that assumes we are free to choose. Since humans are aware of their own mortality, they have responsibility to decide what to do with their lives. Existential therapy believes that all problems can be reduced to the same four essential issues: death, meaningless, isolation, and loss of freedom. These essential issues have a chain reaction where they influence common issues Adlerian therapy focuses on such as belonging, social relevance, and purpose. For instance, an existential fear e.g. fear of death, rather than the acceptance of death, could paralyze someone to the point where they self-soothe with trivial indulgences instead of finding a purpose to make life fruitful. I address client existential anxieties such as aging/running out of time/fear of approaching death because these anxieties can hold one back from becoming who they want to become. Once an Adlerian counselor uses an Existential approach to uncover and heal such existential anxieties, they create an open space for the client to explore poignant Adlerian questions such as “What kind of impact do I want to make on the world?” Existential therapy guides clients towards finding meaning in their life (even if that meaning is just to seek pleasure and not add to society or just raise children who don’t contribute to society) while Adlerian therapy asserts all human behavior has a purpose and strives toward a specific non-self-absorbed goal that aids society in some way. Adlerian therapy works under the assumption that people can only be fulfilled if they have a purpose in life. Adlerian therapy may be limiting to people who see seeking pleasure in life as purpose or do not find one of the life tasks, such as loving romantic relationships, as necessary for self-growth and fulfillment. Therefore, I utilize Existential therapy with Adlerian therapy to add greater acceptance of my client’s paths. If I strictly applied Adlerian therapy, I would be following equality—applying the 5 Adlerian Life Tasks to each client so they may lead full, healthy lives, whereas if I view clients as a case by case basis, I would be following equity—striving to understand and give clients what they individually need to enjoy full, healthy lives.
