Therapy can be for anyone. And therapy doesn’t have to be long-term. Sometimes, even 1-2 sessions can be helpful for a family. That being said, we offer a free 15 minute consultation to discuss whether our services are a good fit for what you’re looking for and to answer and questions you may have.

The fortunate yet complicated answer is that therapy sessions look different for everyone. Heartstrong Counseling believes in an individualize approach. That being said, the goal of therapy is to equip clients with the tools they need to thrive on their own, not rely on our sessions.

Most of the time, clients can benefit from 3-6 sessions. Heartstrong Counseling strives to quickly and efficiently impart the education and actionable steps that families need to create change quickly and confidently.

Sessions are 50 minutes total. Based on clinical best judgement and dialogue with parents, sessions can be with adults only, children only, entire family, or split (i.e. 30 minutes with parent and child and 20 minutes with child individually). We will work thoughtfully together to figure out how to structure our sessions together.

Yes. We can have sessions virtually in Maryland and Washington, DC. We know how hard it can be to add a therapy appointment into the weekly schedule for many families. Therefore, we are equipped to offer engaging and thoughtful virtual sessions. Read more about how we offer virtual appoinments here.

I work with many children who are selective eaters. Part of this is developmentally typical. And other times, this can be one part of a more complex developmental, behavioral, emotional, or neurological condition. I felt that nutrition was one part of the picture I wasn’t trained to attend to, so I completed a Masters in Nutrition Science. Now, I can take that education and understand better how to address the behavior around eating, assess and refer when necessary, and provide meaningful education to families when nutrition and behavioral, social, emotional, and mental health topics intersect.

Yes, our therapeutic services can include a more holistic understanding of child development, social-emotional well-being, and mental health if families desire that. We help families build positive, balanced, and sustainable approaches to food and mealtimes that support both physical and emotional health.

We can help families:

• Create healthy, flexible attitudes and behaviors around food, food rules, and mealtimes.

• Assess eating patterns and blood sugar balance to reduce energy crashes and mood imbalances.

• Evaluate daily nutrition and make personalized recommendations to meet both macro- and micronutrient needs.

• Develop simple strategies for easy breakfasts and well-rounded lunches that help children stay focused and energized for school.

• Incorporate food preparation tasks as opportunities to build children’s self-esteem, independence, fine motor skills, and parent–child connection.

• Address sensory sensitivities while expanding food choices for children with selective or restrictive diets.

• Support youth athletes in fueling well for performance, recovery, and overall health.

• Explore recipes and build a personalized family “recipe book” for busy days and varied taste preferences.

• Foster fun and joy in mealtimes, strengthening family connection around food.

While we can do dietary analysis, provide education and feedback to ensure families are meeting their nutritional needs and have the necessary knowledge to adjust nutrition to meet specific needs, we do not offer medical nutrition therapy or treat any illness with nutrition.

Our nutrition services are explained HERE.

You found the right place! Yes! Because we blend mental health counseling with nutrition counseling, we are uniquely equipped to attend to the emotional side of nutrition as well as the practical side of what to actually feed your family.

There can be so much stress, anxiety, and trauma around infant feeding, medical conditions, allergies, and all-things-nutrition. It can be hard to find support designed to actually process it and find peace of mind. If that speaks to you, we’re so glad you found us.

Absolutely. We work with all kinds of children and all kinds of families. We specialize in children 10 and under and are able to work with children with a range of diagnoses. Furthermore, a child does not need a diagnosis to benefit from therapy.

We believe that all children experiences the world differently. At Heartstrong Counseling, we honor sensory differences by providing a calm, adaptable environment where families can feel accepted and supported. If we feel that your child’s needs would best be attended to in a different setting or a different level of support, we will assess that fully and communicate our clinical judgement with you directly.

ABSOLULTELY. We are dedicated to welcoming all families who have the desire to treat their child with compassion.

At Heartstrong Counseling, we believe every child and family deserves a space where they can feel safe, accepted, and empowered to be themselves. We proudly support and affirm LGBTQIA+ identities and are committed to providing inclusive care.

Unfortunately, we conduct all sessions in English only at this time.

We are an out of network provider. We are happy to provide a superbill for families to submit to their insurance company if desired.

• In-person parent sessions are $225/50 min.

  • Virtual parent sessions are $205/50 minute session and $300/90 minute session

• In-person child sessions are $225/50 min.

  • Virtual child sessions are $205/50 minute session

• Home visits are $275/50 min (includes travel).

• Nutrition sessions are $175/50 minute appointment