Alyson Davis

Hi! I am Alyson Davis, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I am a millennial and military brat that grew up in Northern Virginia. Currently, I reside in Maryland and have licenses in both Maryland and Virginia. I am taking clients in both states via telehealth. For undergrad, I attended the University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE!) and for my graduate education and clinical training I practiced at Valdosta State University. I am not a trained Christian therapist, but I do identify as a Christian, and enjoy using all religion and spirituality in my practice, but it is not required. I am LGBTQ-IA+ affirming and believe in honoring and creating space for all identities in session. A personal joy of mine is working with Black clients who are first-timers in therapy to work on destigmatizing mental health and healing the impacts of white supremacy. More specifically, I prioritize supporting Black clients who grew up in predominantly White spaces who did not feel "Black enough." My favorite problem to work with is when someone says "I'm stuck," to help a client not only get moving but move in a healthy direction. In my personal life, I am married, am a sickle cell warrior mom to my amazing son, have a wonderful bonus-daughter and dog-son. That being said, I have an appreciation for working with blended families and exploring dating post-divorce. For self-care I enjoy writing fiction, listening to 90's and 2000s R&B, and watching romcoms. Looking forward to helping your healing journey.

The therapeutic modality I use the most often is Narrative Therapy. Using Narrative Therapy, I help clients change the problem stories in their heads to preferred stories to improve their behaviors, relationships, and life outlook. With this practice, I enjoy using journal prompts, metaphors, and media.

In the first session clients can expect rapport building. My interest is to understand clients meaning behind the problem and their beliefs about it. What I would like to know is-- why now? What does a client think therapy is, who is it for, and what do they expect from me as the therapist? Do they perceive their issues are long-term problems? How do they know the problem is the problem? What is their perception of change, and the possibility that the problem can decrease and/or be eliminated.