Home | Tess Psychotherapy

Welcome. Bienvenue. Seeking therapy is a courageous step toward healing, growth, and living a more intentional life. Life’s challenges can often feel overwhelming, but you don't have to navigate them alone.

Hi! My name is Tess and I am a licensed clinical social worker in the state of MD. I started my career as a psychotherapist working in community mental health where I learned to treat a variety of presentations and populations with various levels of acuity. I have slowly grown into offering my own services in a private practice setting.

I grew up in Brussels, Belgium, where I earned my bachelor's degree in clinical psychology. I, then, moved to the US where I worked as the equestrian director for a non-profit in Poolesville, MD. Horses have my heart and I found the work of introducing kids to horses profoundly humbling and therapeutic. I earned my masters degree in clinical social work from the Catholic University of America. While I don't identify as affiliated to any religion in particular, the education was a good match for my growing family and my full time position.

I currently live with my husband, daughters, and dog, in Montgomery County, MD where I enjoy reading, being connected to nature, walking, and spending quality time with my horse.

Thank you for learning about me and I look forward to learning all about you.

Individual Therapy

I offer individual therapy to adults of all ages. I have had the privilege to be invited into individuals world coming from all paths of life. I use a client-centered approach that relied on a psychodynamic perspective which means that I like to explore internal dynamics and conflicts that have originated from the past to better understand the present and how to navigate life's challenges. I believe that there are no bad parts and therefor, no bad individuals. I think that seeking help is one of the most courageous things that you can do and together, I believe that we can work on finding more balance and peace in your life.

I use an integrative approach to psychotherapy where I combine traditional talk therapy that is inspired by training in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Dialectic Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy while using the psychodynamic approach combined. You can learn more about each approach below.

What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps the brain reprocess difficult memories and experiences that feel "stuck."

When we experience overwhelming stress or distress, the brain sometimes struggles to process the event fully. As a result, the feelings, bodily sensations, and negative self-beliefs tied to that moment can get frozen in time. EMDR uses rhythmic left-right stimulation—such as guided eye movements, gentle tapping, or tones—to stimulate both sides of the brain, similar to what happens naturally during REM sleep. This allows your brain to resume its natural healing process and file those experiences away as past events rather than active, present-day threats.

How EMDR Can Help You?

While EMDR is widely known for treating trauma and PTSD, its unique ability to unblock stuck emotional patterns makes it highly effective for a broad range of mental health challenges:

Anxiety and Panic Attacks: Desensitizes physical triggers and reduces the emotional intensity of anxiety, fear, and catastrophic thinking.
Depression and Low Self-Esteem: Helps target and reframe core negative beliefs (e.g., "I am not good enough" or "I am helpless") into positive, empowering perspectives.
Performance Anxiety and Fear of Failure: Clears past negative experiences or public speaking blunders to rebuild confidence in work, school, or sports.
Phobias and Fears: Safely targets the original source of intense fears (like flying, driving, or medical anxiety) so they no longer control your daily choices.
Chronic Pain and Illness: Reduces the neural distress associated with persistent physical discomfort and helps break the cycle between pain and stress.
Grief and Complex Loss: Assists in processing intense, lingering grief so you can move forward while holding memory with peace rather than overwhelming distress.

EMDR

ERP

What is ERP Therapy?

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialized, highly effective form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) designed to help individuals break free from cycles of anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and compulsive behaviors.

When faced with distressing thoughts or anxiety-provoking situations, it is natural to want to avoid them or use specific routines (compulsions or safety behaviors) to find immediate relief. However, these quick fixes inadvertently signal to the brain that the threat was real, keeping the cycle of anxiety alive. ERP works by gradually and safely exposing you to the thoughts, images, objects, or scenarios that trigger distress (Exposure) while guiding you to resist the urge to engage in temporary relief behaviors (Response Prevention). Over time, your brain learns through experience that anxiety naturally peaks and falls on its own—and that you can handle uncertainty without relying on safety rituals.

How ERP Can Help You

While ERP is widely considered the gold standard treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), its core framework is exceptionally powerful for treating a wide variety of anxiety-driven conditions:

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Targets intrusive thoughts, fears, and doubts while systematically reducing behavioral and mental compulsions.
Generalized Anxiety and Chronic Worry: Helps retrain the brain to tolerate uncertainty and sit with "what if" scenarios without spiraling into endless reassurance-seeking.
Social Anxiety Disorder: Gradually builds confidence in social or professional settings by dismantling safety behaviors like over-preparing, avoiding eye contact, or post-event ruminating.
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: Safely desensitizes uncomfortable bodily sensations (like heart racing or shortness of breath) so physical panic no longer leads to avoidance of places or activities.
Specific Phobias: Gently dismantles intense fears of specific triggers—such as driving, flying, needles, or vomiting—restoring day-to-day freedom.
Health Anxiety (Hypochondria): Reduces the impulse to compulsively research symptoms, check body signals, or seek constant medical reassurance.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD): Helps lessen intrusive worries about physical appearance by reducing compulsive mirror checking, grooming rituals, or camouflage behaviors.

ACT, DBT, CBT

In addition to traditional talk therapy, I integrate evidence-based approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to give you practical, real-world tools. CBT helps you examine and reframe unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors, while ACT encourages you to accept difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them control your actions, keeping you aligned with what truly matters to you. DBT builds on these principles by teaching concrete skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. Rather than forcing a rigid structure, I blend these modalities into our sessions naturally—helping you gain deep insight through traditional talk therapy while equipping you with hands-on strategies to handle life's challenges with greater balance, resilience, and clarity.

Billings, Fees & Forms

Investment & Payment

Navigating insurance and therapy fees should be as straightforward as possible. I aim to maintain complete transparency so you can focus on your care without unexpected financial surprises.

Initial Intake & Evaluation (60 minutes): $220 (non-insurance rate)
Individual Therapy Session (53+ minutes): $170 (non-insurance rate)

Insurance Information & Booking

I partner with Headway to handle insurance verification, billing, and scheduling seamlessly. Prospective clients can visit Headway to create an account, verify coverage, and schedule an initial consultation directly.

While several plans are currently pending full credentialing, I accept and am in-network with the following major insurance providers:

Aetna (including Aetna Medicare Advantage)
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Carelon Behavioral Health
Cigna
Horizon BlueCross BlueShield of New Jersey
Humana Medicare Advantage (pending)
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic (including Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Medicare Advantage)
Optum / UnitedHealthcare (UHC) / Oxford (including UHC Medicare Advantage)
Optum Medicaid VA (pending)
Providence Health Plan
Ascension (SmartHealth)

Note: Copays, deductibles, and co-insurance rates vary by individual plan. Your exact out-of-pocket cost will be verified prior to our first appointment via Headway.

Forms & Getting Started

To make your onboarding process as smooth as possible, all intake documentation—including clinical history forms, consent agreements, and payment info—is completed electronically through a secure, HIPAA-compliant client portal. Once your initial consultation is scheduled through Headway, you will receive an email link to access your client portal and complete these required forms prior to your first session.