I’m honored to share that I’ve been elected President-Elect of the Virginia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (VAMFT). Many people assume I became a Marriage and Family Therapist because I wanted to work with couples. I didn’t. I became an MFT because I wanted to help adoptive families. As an adoptive parent myself, I knew the challenges rarely belonged to one person. They lived in the relationships between parents and children, between siblings, within family histories, and in the...

This Fourth of July marks a milestone unlike any other in our lifetimes: America's 250th birthday. Across the country, communities are planning celebrations, fireworks, parades, and gatherings to honor two and a half centuries of history. At Heart & Mind RVA, we find ourselves thinking about independence on a different scale too. Not just the independence of a nation, but the personal independence so many of our clients are working toward every day. What Does Independence Mean for the Nervous...

As Pride Month comes to a close, it’s worth remembering that beneath the celebrations and conversations is something deeply human: every person has a need to belong. At Heart & Mind, we often talk about how our nervous systems are wired for connection. We all do better when we experience relationships where we feel safe, welcomed, and valued. A sense of belonging isn’t simply a nice thing to have—it helps create the conditions where healing, growth, and self-understanding become possible. For...