Therapy for anxious minds and overloaded hearts.
I help you understand yourself with more accuracy and compassion.
There are real reasons
it feels so tough sometimes.
Somewhere along the way, all of your responsibilities have started leaving very little room for you. You’ve had to be so focused on keeping up with what needed to be done that you lost touch with what you needed too.
Many women come to therapy wondering if they’re failing. You believe you’re bad at coping, bad at boundaries, or just bad at keeping up with life. What’s usually true, though, is that there are deeper unseen patterns contributing to your anxiety, overwhelm, and self-criticism, and those patterns have called the shots for a long time.
One of the best parts of therapy is learning that these patterns developed for understandable reasons, and that they often continue behind the scenes long after they stop being helpful. Once we can see them clearly, we have far more freedom to choose what happens next.
You aren't meant to white-knuckle
your way through life.
Growth does not eliminate difficulty, healing does not erase vulnerability, and resilience still requires effort…
But.
When things begin to make more sense and new patterns start to fall into place, you can discover that you have more choices than you ever realized.
Hi, I'm Cheryl.
I live in Washington DC with my husband, our amazing teenage daughter, our cats, and a wild cardinal who comes when I call him. Outside of the office, you’ll usually find me reading, working in the garden, out hiking in the woods, or wandering through a museum.
Alongside more than twenty years of practice, I’ve also spent a lot of time feeding wild birds from my hand. I know that trust can’t be rushed and that sometimes being guarded can change into feeling safe enough to come a little closer.
Many of the people I work with are used to managing how they come across to others. One of the things I hear most is that they’re relieved to finally be able to stop performing.
What clients tell me they value most about working together is feeling genuinely cared about while we do the clinical work. Sometimes it feels like relief can only come from trying harder. More often, it begins with finally understanding what you’ve been up against.
Where The Heart & Mind Connect
Heart & Mind Insights was named for this work that we do together.
The ‘heart’ we care for is your emotional life: your nervous system, your relationships, the deeply human parts of you that feel, react, and carry experience.
The ‘mind’ is the part of you that reflects, interprets, and makes meaning of those experiences.
How Emotions & Thoughts Shape Your Life
Your thoughts and emotions. Your nervous system and behaviors. They are constantly interacting, and often on autopilot, so it can be difficult to notice any patterns objectively while you’re actively living within them.
The nagging “shoulds.” The internal rules and self-critical reactions. The way stress moves through your mind, body, relationships, and sense of self. They can all happen so automatically that you may not even notice them happening.
They can feel so familiar and frustrating that it’s easy to assume they’re just part of who you are. But actually, they are patterns, and patterns can change.
My work is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness practice, and somatic therapy, which can each help you better understand your patterns, build practical and lasting skills for change, and support your nervous system in doing what it was designed to do: heal.
As those patterns become easier to recognize, you have more choice in how you respond. Over time, the skills and perspectives that serve you best can become just as familiar as the patterns that once held you back.
Get started here
Complete the secure inquiry form below and I’ll personally respond within one business day. We’ll schedule a brief consultation call where you can share a general sense of what brings you to therapy, ask questions about my approach, and decide whether working together feels right for you.
Making Room for Something New to Emerge
The insights and skills you build in therapy don’t just stay in the session. They come with you: into your relationships, your work, your decisions, and the life you’re trying to build for yourself.
Your questions, answered
What issues do you specialize in?
I work with women who are used to being capable, responsible, and relied upon by others, often while privately feeling overwhelmed, emotionally depleted, or hard on themselves in ways few people fully see.
Do you accept insurance?
I work as an out-of-network provider and provide a monthly superbill for insurance reimbursement. Depending on your plan, many clients receive between 40–80% of their session costs back directly from their insurance company.
Do you offer a free consultation?
Yes – I offer a complimentary consultation call so we can briefly connect, answer questions, and see whether working together feels like a good fit. Whoever you ultimately choose to work with, my hope is that you find care that feels supportive, thoughtful, and right for you.