Anxiety and depression therapists and psychiatrists in McLean, VA

Hi there! I'm Dr Esmie, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and PhD, Research Psychologist with more than three decades of professional and lived experience. I've lived much of my life in England and California and now currently reside in the DMV state of Virginia. I bring a broad multicultural perspective to my work.serving individuals, couples, and families from diverse cultural, social, and spiritual backgrounds.

My clinical practice integrates evidence-based approaches, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and strengths-based interventions. I have worked extensively with clients navigating trauma, life transitions, relational conflict, stress, and emotional challenges, helping them move toward healing and personal growth.

I believe meaningful change occurs when people feel genuinely seen, heard, and respected. I strive to create a safe, supportive therapeutic environment where clients can explore their experiences without judgment. Through collaboration, practical tools, and compassionate guidance, I help clients develop insight, strengthen resilience, and build healthier patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior.

Above all, I value human dignity and authentic connection. I believe credentials may open doors, but character, empathy, and genuine care sustain lasting transformation.

I have been an LPC since 2017. I am married and have 2 children. I am family oriented and if not hanging out with my family cooking, you would also find me outdoors enjoying the sun, drawing, and reading. We are also dachshund fanatics having had them part of our family since 2003. Currently I have 2 long haired dachshunds.

I am a licensed clinical social worker, and I've been working in mental health for the past decade. I specialize in trauma, grief, anger, and communication.

Partner 1: “I reach for you, but it feels like you’re already gone.” I’m left wondering if I matter to you at all.” Partner 2: “When you come close, I feel the pressure to be perfect, so I pull back to protect us both.” These unspoken messages leave couples lonely and stuck. I help break this anxious–avoidant cycle so partners feel safe, seen, and deeply connected again.

“I don’t understand why I want closeness so badly, yet feel disappointed when I have it. Why do I feel lonelier than others, even when I’m not alone?” Or: “I care deeply, but people say I’m distant or hard to read. When emotions get intense, I shut down—not because I don’t feel, but because it feels like too much.”

These quiet tensions live beneath awareness for many people. Longing and self-protection pull in opposite directions. Needs feel confusing, emotions feel overwhelming or unsafe, and core beliefs quietly form—I’m too much, I’m not enough, connection costs me something.

I help people loosen these patterns, reconcile the Self with more truthful and adaptive beliefs, and move toward self-acceptance and interdependence—where connection no longer threatens safety, but deepens it.

After nine years serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, I realized my deepest fulfillment came not from fixing systems, but from walking with people. Leaving the military was not a departure from service—it was a continuation of it. I pursued social work and theological training to better support people in their most important relationships. Today, my practice is devoted to couples counseling and trauma-informed care. Drawing primarily from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and EMDR, I help couples slow conflict, understand what drives disconnection, and emotional safety. As a veteran and seminary-trained therapist, I bring structure, compassion, and steady hope—meeting clients with respect, grace, and a belief in lasting change.