Deanna Nash

Hi, I’m Deanna. I specialize in working with anxiety, depression, identity exploration, relationship challenges, and supporting neurodivergent clients. Using both art therapy and counseling, I offer a creative, compassionate approach to care. I’m passionate about helping people feel understood, supported, and empowered in ways that honor their unique experiences. Before entering the mental health field, I worked in Special Education, which continues to shape my work today. I’m also an alum of George Washington University and have spent the past three years in private practice.

My therapeutic practice heavily emphasizes a person-centered approach, with influences from existential, narrative, and Gestalt therapies. This means that above all, I believe client empowerment and meaning-making play crucial roles in the therapeutic process and help support long-term growth.

A huge part of this means that fostering an environment of equality to help you feel safe and supported in the therapeutic space. Though each individual will have different needs, I focus on self-expression, storytelling, and embracing your authentic self. My goal is to create a welcoming environment to explore and process the more complicated aspects of your life.

While therapy is a serious matter, I believe that incorporating a bit of humor can give us a fresh perspective on complicated situations, especially when working with children and adolescents. Art-making also creates a wide range of opportunities and metaphors to reflect experiences, thoughts and feelings, and I look forward to examining them together. Regardless of your art-making preferences, it is my privilege to support you throughout all aspects of your therapeutic process.

A first session is a little atypical just because there's a lot to go over. I'll be asking more questions than usual in order to get a better idea of what you're going through. Of course, some time will be spent on the required housekeeping as well, but I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. Most importantly, I want to spend our first session getting to know you, any therapeutic preferences you may have, and figuring out how I can best support you.

That said, laying out all your emotional baggage, trauma, and life history to a complete stranger can be a little scary! While we're here to talk about you, I've found that sometimes letting you know a little about me can make things feel a little less sterile. Here's a few things about me:

1. I love to bake, and specialize in strange and unusual cookie recipes.
2. I have 3 cats: 2 old men, and one young foster fail.
3. I love long form podcasts about historical subjects and true crime. If you have any recommendations, please feel free to share!

While I will never bring my personal interests or preferences up in session, you are always welcome to ask me about any of the topics listed above.