April Akers

There's a version of therapy that leaves you dependent on weekly sessions indefinitely. That's not what I do. My goal — and I'll tell you this upfront — is to help you understand yourself well enough that you eventually don't need me. I work as much teacher as therapist: I'll give you frameworks, patterns to notice in your own thinking, and tools you can actually use between sessions, not just in them. I'm a licensed professional counselor and PhD-level clinician with ten years of experience working with adults across Virginia on everything from depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder to substance use, trauma, and major life transitions. I also support clients navigating end-of-life concerns — an area most therapists step around, but one I believe deserves real, direct attention. I'm proudly LGBTQ+ affirming. I know the difference between a provider who says that and one who lives it — and I take the latter seriously. My virtual practice means I can see clients across the entire state of Virginia, mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Wherever you are, and whatever brought you here, the work can start now.

I think emotions are data — not problems to eliminate, but signals trying to tell you something. Most people I work with arrive having spent years trying to manage, suppress, or outrun what they feel. My job is to help you get curious about it instead. My approach draws primarily from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness — grounded, evidence-based methods that tend to work well for the kinds of patterns that drive depression, anxiety, and substance use. I also draw from Emotion-Focused Therapy and use specialized training in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing when working with trauma. I'm trained in substance use treatment at a specialist level, which means I understand addiction not as a character flaw but as a learned response to pain — and I approach it accordingly. Across whatever we're working on, I adapt my style to you. Some clients want structured tools and homework. Others need space to process. I'll follow your lead while bringing structure when it helps.

The first session is mostly mine to ask and yours to share — or not share — at whatever pace feels right. I'm not going to push you into places you're not ready for on day one. What I'm doing is listening for the fuller picture: what brought you here, what you've already tried, what's getting in the way, and what actually matters to you — not just clinically, but in your life. By the end of that first hour, I'll share what I noticed and what I think we could work on together. You'll have a sense of whether the fit feels right. I take fit seriously — if I'm not the right person for what you need, I'll tell you and help you find someone who is. I see clients virtually across Virginia, with morning, afternoon, and evening availability. If you've been on the fence about starting, I'd encourage you to reach out — the first step is usually the hardest, and I make it as low-pressure as I can.