Find a Therapist in Oakton, Virginia.

Many clients feel comfortable discussing their issues and working together with me to rethinking how they would like to change make changes in their lives. While we cannot stop thoughts, we can develop a plan to change negative thoughts into positive thoughts. I use talk therapy and mindfulness to help clients identify negative habits and develop new healthy and effective habits.

I am honored to work with individuals and couples from many different walks of life. My approach is rooted in respect, authenticity, and collaboration — always holding you as the expert in your own story. In our work together, I strive to create a space that feels safe, supportive, and genuinely affirming, where you can explore challenges honestly and move toward healing, growth, and deeper connection.

I work collaboratively with individuals to set goals and articulate areas of growth. I use cognitive and psychodynamic approaches to help you to: Understand and process the sources of distress, and Develop coping styles and behaviors to better manage that distress. Some issues benefit not only from talk therapy but also medication. I may recommend this combined approach of both psychotherapy and medication to help lessen distress. I have working relationships with area psychiatrists making this combined approach easier for the patient.

Psychotherapy is sacred work, and I hold a very safe and honest space for people to show up authentically. I use different modalities, but the most important factor is to have deep compassion and let the person know you care. Humor is essential, and there is as much laughing as crying in my office. I have been doing this work for nearly 30 years, and I am still in awe of the capacity people have to change.

I use an evidence-based approach to therapy. This means that the techniques I use are proven to help you overcome your challenges, whether it be depression, anxiety, relationship issues, or life transitions. Together we will create a space where you can feel safe talking openly about your challenges, learning and practicing new skills, and getting genuine feedback. In our work together, I will help you untangle the confusing, complex emotions you may be feeling. We will explore and confront the fears, doubts, self-criticisms, and other thoughts that keep you up at night. No matter what you’re struggling with, we'll work together to help you feel better.

Psychotherapy is a time each week to focus on yourself. The process of having another person demonstrate an investment in you and your growth increases curiosity about yourself, which enhance a sense of knowing yourself and your patterns. This knowledge allows for a greater sense of freedom in the choices you make, a stronger voice, and more rewarding relationships.

Robyn E. Brickel, M.A., LMFT, LLC works with clients on a range of issues and concerns and has experience with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and belief systems. The foundation of effective therapy is a safe, trusting and collaborative relationship. We will work with you to develop a plan that is tailored to your goals and needs. Robyn's treatment style is active and supportive. Robyn's goal is to help you uncover your true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges in your life.

While each of us brings somewhat different training to psychotherapy, we are united in providing respectful, effective, caring and collaborative treatment to our clients. We have varying specialties, but we all help explore people’s inner worlds and emotions, relationships, and sense of self. We believe that all people have the capacity to heal and the ability to become more loving to themselves and the people in their lives. Among us, we are trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, CBT, EMDR, Sand-play, Family Therapy, Child Centered Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Psycho-dyamic theories.

I work with individuals and couples to provide the right therapy for each person who comes to see me. Through a variety of approaches, we work to find the causes of issues and concerns, develop responses and strategies to address them, and practice these new coping mechanisms to work through (or around) the issues, and turn negative thoughts into positive ones. Through a variety of therapeutic approaches, including emotionally focused couples therapy, family attachment therapy, grief therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis, we can work together to help you get to a happier place.

Life can present you with difficult situations which are hard to process and move past. These challenges are not on your timeline and affect everything. Having worked in many healthcare settings, I am familiar navigating life-changing events and grief. I understand the territory of encountering loss, coping with trauma, the complexity of the medical system and living with illness. These issues can have ripple effects on your relationships, sense of self and perceptions of the world. I know how complex things can get, and I will support you during this process.

We are complex beings, shaped in all sorts of ways by our past and present relationships and experiences. We all need people in our life who can help us better understand ourselves, who we are, where we have come from, and where we want to go. I would be honored to have that role in your life, and to help you become more whole, more free, more yourself. You don't have to be stuck--our brains are built with the ability to grow and heal, and I would love to help you experience that.

My first task in psychotherapy is to provide a safe and secure environment. I provide my clients with care, calmness, respect and stability to help address life challenges in new ways. Being non-judgmental, open-minded, empathetic and listening with respect helps set the stage for the deeper work that needs to be done. I help my clients evaluate whether their present life choices are providing what he or she wants. I also help my clients become aware of and transform the mental, emotional, interpersonal and/or behavioral strategies that cause his/her suffering. My approach to psychotherapy is to help clients become what he/she wants to become, to be better equipped to deal with life’s challenges, and to be in a greater state of health and harmony.

Psychotherapy can mean different things for different professionals. For me, it's another word for therapy or counseling - the process of sitting down with a warm and skilled professional to figure out how to achieve your life goals. and improve your relationships. Don't let the word "psychotherapy" scare you away from what can often be a powerful tool for improving your life. Trust your instinct about who to choose, and don't hesitate to stop therapy if you don't feel a connection with your therapist. The truth is that unless you really believe your therapist cares about your life, sophisticated therapy interventions and techniques are worthless. Remember to look for that connection!