LGBT therapists in Arlington, VA

When was the last time you felt truly heard? Life can feel as though you're stuck in a maze without a map or sense of purpose. You may feel broken, alone, or depressed, but you're not. I've successfully helped clients work through challenges, learn effective coping skills, and view life in a realistic, positive way. I've helped clients with chronic illness maximize their quality of life. We'll set up a plan that meets your current needs, then empower you to reach your goals, together.

Making the decision to start therapy is a profound investment of your time, energy, and vulnerability. If you are looking for a blank-slate clinician who simply nods and listens, we might not be the best fit. I offer a highly engaged, malleable, and unflinching partnership.

My approach is rooted in the belief that while the work of untangling our lives is deeply structural, the room itself doesn't always have to feel heavy. I bring a grounded warmth to my practice—which means knowing how to sit quietly in the gravity of a difficult truth, but also knowing when to break the tension, exhale, and find the light in the sheer complexity of being human. I won’t just sit in silence while you do all the heavy lifting; I am an active collaborator who adapts to exactly where you are.

I have been a counselor for more than 30 years. I remain passionate about making a difference in the lives of others and believe that genuine caring is an essential element to an effective counseling relationship. Over the years I have worked with clients with significant trauma and loss. I consider it a privilege to stand with another individual as he or she resolves great pain. I specialize in treating clients with trauma, relationship issues, and borderline personality disorder.

Dr. Rivera employs an integrative style that focuses on the individual's sleep, diet, physical and mental fitness. He enjoys working in particular with weight loss, men's wellness, de-prescription from psychotropic medications, and detox from long-term substance use: tobacco, alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines. Furthermore, he specializes in the diagnosis and management of attention, mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders.

I am committed to making clients feel safe and heard while focusing on progress. I have extensive experience with black and brown women, trauma, family challenges and LGBTQ+ communities

I apply a holistic and person-centered approach to therapy. I recognize that by creating a safe, supportive, and collaborative therapeutic environment, clients can learn to redefine dysfunctional boundaries, to reconnect with a sense of meaning for their lives, and to ultimately make lasting changes in their lives and relationships. I have experience working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families in navigating life transitions, grief, depression, anxiety, gender identity, sexual identity, trauma, OCD, narcissistic abuse, adult children of emotionally immature parents, and relationship strain.

You don't have to carry grief, a breakup, or relationship pain alone. Maybe you're needing help with an important decision or need creative solutions to challenges. In therapy we can make sense of what's happening.

I'm licensed in Virginia and Florida. I have advanced training in Parts Work, trauma treatment, EMDR and couples counseling. I bring a thoughtful, creative, and collaborative approach to therapy. I speak Spanish fluently. También hablo español.

I strive to be inclusive and affirming of diverse identities and experiences, and have over 13 years of experience in mental health. If you’re looking for a therapist who will meet you with warmth, depth, and respect, and work alongside you toward resonance, healing and growth, I invite you to reach out.