LGBT therapists in District of Columbia

Dr. Shannon Howard is a highly sought-after professional counselor and CEO of SinClair McCoy, LLC. She serves as a sexual relationship specialist who focuses on assisting women and men with healing from childhood trauma surrounding sexual abuse.

Dr. Howard is also a a practitioner who focuses on the mental health care needs of first responders, law enforcement, healthcare workers, and government personnel.

Her extensive educational background consists of dual degrees in both Counseling and Clinical Psychology with a focus on Philosophy and Women’s Studies. She also possesses specialized training in trauma relating to the treatment of sex offenders and survivors of sexual assault.

She believes that every client is unique in their way and that each person’s story is different. This is the catalyst behind her coaching methodology. Using targeted strategies and personalized coaching approaches, she works with couples and individuals to help them transition from victim to victor.

Dr. Howard helps clients face their past trauma by uncovering and resolving the root issue, assessing desired outcomes, and implementing a plan of action that leads them toward living a more optimal life experience.

She is the author under the alias Sinclair McCoy of The Alternative book trilogy. She speaks nationally to the masses on a variety of topics including:

-Life After Sexual Abuse

-Finding Your Sexy After Sexual Abuse

-Regaining Your Body Trust

She is the owner of a private practice AND co-owner/ managing partner of a group practice in Maryland. She has been in the counseling field since 2002 and is passionate to serve a variety of clientele.

Her clients are located in the D. C. and MD states.

My name is Yolanda Cockerham, and I am currently based in Louisiana, but I also see patients in the D.C. area. I grew up in New Orleans. I completed my Post Master’s Degree at Southeastern Louisiana University and am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. I am skilled in assessing and treating a variety of mental health disorders, including Anxiety/PTSD, Major Depression, Bipolar/Mood Disorders, and Schizophrenia.

I enjoy connecting with clients by learning their individual stories. By understanding my clients, I can connect them to a specific modality for treatment. I am empathic and caring. My goal is to support each of my clients reflect on their lives and become emotionally strong.

I believe that no matter where you’re starting from — transformation is possible. Within the safety of a therapeutic relationship, I will work with you to develop new ways to respond to life's challenges. Therapy is most successful within the context of a strong therapeutic relationship. This means that, as your therapist, I work to build an atmosphere that’s rooted in safety, openness, and mutual respect, in which you feel heard and understood. I am currently completing training in EMDR through the Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy, an approach that can help reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic experiences over time.

Many of the adults I work with are deeply thoughtful and self-aware. You may understand your story, your patterns, and even the roots of your pain; yet still feel disconnected, stuck, or unable to feel the relief you’re longing for. Knowing isn’t always the same as feeling, and that gap can be incredibly frustrating. My work centers on helping you reconnect with your inner world and build a more compassionate relationship with yourself. I support clients who carry the impact of childhood trauma, relational wounds, grief, and loss, as well as those who feel disconnected from their bodies or emotions.

Therapy with me is paced, relational, and grounded in somatic and trauma-informed care, allowing space for all parts of you to be seen and tended. I have extensive experience supporting adults who have survived childhood abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault, and I specialize in grief counseling for those navigating the complexities of loss. I also offer equine-assisted psychotherapy in Central Florida. This experiential approach is so meaningful for those who struggle to access their emotions through words alone. If something in you feels ready to be met with care and curiosity, I would be honored to walk alongside you toward more ease and connection.

My focus is to help you heal, energize, and become aware of how you want to define yourself. This is achieved through providing a client-centered environment while creating a treatment plan to move you toward feeling more self-love. I utilize techniques from solution-focused, cognitive behavioral, and narrative therapies to help you feel more comfortable and capable in your own skin.

I explore a patient's need for external validation and identify old, negative motivators used to inspire achievement-based goals. I teach self-care and self-regulating practices while modeling healthy attunement. Together, we explore conflict-avoidant behaviors and healthy dependency. Being a highly sensitive person is not a weakness but an empathic strength. I explore the guilt, shame, and fear that cause "analysis paralysis." I analyze unhealthy habits and teach clients to build trust and reconnect with a traumatic body that no longer trusts. You are the expert and I am your guide.

Whether you are struggling with the far-reaching impact of past trauma, relationship challenges, anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other ongoing health issue or simply wanting to invest in a bit of self-exploration and growth, I am so glad that you have begun your search for the best facilitator in that journey. I believe in meeting people where they are and allowing you to set your own pace for healing. I look forward to assisting on your healing journey in any way that I can.

I am a licensed therapist and the founder of The F.L. Wolters Group, a therapy and wellness practice based in Washington DC. I bring more than 15 years of experience supporting adults navigating anxiety, life transitions, relationship challenges, trauma, and burnout.

Throughout my career I have worked with individuals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, including high achieving professionals, caregivers, and people managing significant life and career transitions. Many of my clients come to therapy feeling overwhelmed or carrying a great deal of responsibility in their personal and professional lives.

In addition to providing therapy, I developed the FLWG Way, an integrated model of care that blends high quality therapy with community based wellness programming grounded in the eight dimensions of wellness.

I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My expertise is helping people "get unstuck" from depression, anxiety, and often co-occurring, related life changes (for example, relationships, work, and loss). I'm also a mental health researcher focused on making mental health services more accessible to people around the world.