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Meet Our Clinicians

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Olya Rich, MA, LCPC

Clinical Director,  Psychotherapist, Board Approved Supervisor

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Hi, my name is Olya and I’m very excited and grateful you decided to take the journey toward healing yourself. While the therapeutic process may seem scary and uncomfortable,  I’m going to be right here with you offering the tools, practical tips, and exercises that will help you along the way to make the healing process easier and more effective. I ask for one thing in return... be open to healing and growth. 

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My job is my passion and I put my heart and my soul into what I do. Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to help others and here I am living my dream!

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Born and raised in Russia, I witnessed  a lot of stigma towards mental health and people shying away from getting professional help. Now, I’m a huge advocate for mental health and always share my own journey with others.

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My whole life I’ve struggled with Attention Deficit Disorder as well as situational anxiety. Using the skills that I learned during my training over the years helped me tremendously with reducing my symptoms and now I can’t wait to help you to enhance your life and love yourself. 

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I received a BA in Psychology from Catholic University of America and an MA in Community Counseling from Argosy University.  

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I enjoy utilizing hypnotherapy, NLP, Emotional Freedom Techniques, Internal Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as well as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. I like working with young adults and parents who need coaching with parenting skills. Meditation and mindfulness take a special place in my practice and be prepared to meditate when you come to see me. I truly believe that we hold all the answers within ourselves. 

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​I live in Gaithersburg with my loving and supportive family and my cat Lilly.  I love electronic dance music, shuffle dancing, going to music festivals, gardening, practicing yoga and pilates, taking trips to the beach, and studying energy work. 

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​Love, Olya

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Tori Fayard, MA, LGPC

Psychotherapist

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My goal is to help you on your path to recovering the happiness and emotional health you deserve. It is common to assume that therapy is only for those who are incapable of helping themselves, or that therapy is a last resort in the life of a struggling individual. In reality, therapy is for everyone, whether you struggle with extreme grief, anxiety, depression, or simply need to share how you are feeling with an unbiased set of ears. Our shared intent will be to create a safe space in which to help you achieve emotional empowerment. We will use that foundation to discuss any problem, no matter how seemingly great or small.

 

I completed my BA in psychology at UMBC with a focus on human services. After discovering my passion for connecting with others while offering support and compassion, I then went on to complete my MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Johns Hopkins University. I have a special interest in working with adolescent and young adult females to promote self-esteem and self-acceptance. I also work with adults to overcome any personal struggles, including grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, and life changes. My approach to counseling is eclectic, as I incorporate different techniques to meet the unique need of each client. I emphasize a Cognitive Behavioral perspective and find value in working from a strengths-based approach, accentuating resilience and past success. Creating a safe and comfortable space for my clients to process internal struggles is prioritized in my work, and I aim to encourage and promote a greater sense of self-love and self-efficacy each step of the way. If you are ready to start on the path to finding a happier and healthier you, I am here and excited to help facilitate that part of your journey. 

 

In my spare time, I enjoy Zumba, reading fantasy/mystery novels, catching up on my favorite TV shows with my cat, Hamilton. I am also an avid horseback rider and appreciate time in nature to reset and relax. 

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Brianna Sanders, MA, LGPC

Psychotherapist

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If you are searching for a gentle, non-judgmental, holistic help from a well-informed, caring, naturalistic counselor, you have come to the right place. Brianna prides herself on providing a client-centered, holistic approach to counseling. Current research suggests that the mind is not the only contributor to our mental health, so she prefers to approach mental health through a mind-body-spirit approach with a focus on the nervous system and gut health. She does so with the knowledge in mind that you, her client, have all the tools you need in order to balance and optimize your mental health. She is simply here to help you extract and learn to use those tools in the way that works for you. 

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The main techniques that she uses are mindfulness, psychoeducation, and CBT. Brianna works with children, adolescents, and adults of all gender identities and sexual orientations. She specializes in working with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and PTSD. Complex trauma is also an area of her specialization. She sees clients in-office, via Skype, or via phone. 

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Brianna enjoys her free time by reading, writing, painting, and playing ukulele. She loves spending time with her family, friends, cat, and turtle. She has had a passion and curiosity for helping people for as long as she can remember, and has found her calling as a counselor.

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Chelsea Fry, MA, LMSW

Psychotherapist

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Hello! I’m Chelsea and I’m glad you’re here. 

 

Personally, I’m a Midwestern transplant who will probably have a glass of sweet tea with you in session. I’m also an alum of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I received both my BSW and MSW. I (lovingly) fled the cornfields 3 years ago and have been thoroughly enjoying Old Bay ever since.

 

Like most counselors, what drove my interest to becoming a therapist was a combination of lived experiences and learned statistics. More specifically, witnessing the lack of actual sexual education in high school sex ed is what pivoted me to my role of “someone needs to be real about this” as well as “ok, but what about education for all the not straight people?”. LGBTQ and sexual health matters dominate my clinical focus, however, I still take pride in helping people navigate unrelated anxiety and depression type disorders.

 

Professionally, I consider my career an honor. While I enjoy being “comfortable with the uncomfortable”, it’s important to recognize that turning to someone for support in any vulnerable area of life as sacred. 

 

By working through a CBT lens, I can help you build more effective communication skills, a more robust self confidence, and healthier boundaries. I also enjoy utilizing mindfulness practices to help you achieve your most centered and grounded self.

 

Baby steps are still steps, progress is relative, and mess still has substance. Together we’re able to navigate through anything. Welcome to you choosing you!

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Robert Flanary, MA, LGPC

Psychotherapist

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Maybe this is your first time considering therapy. Maybe this is another attempt at attending counseling. Either way, I am proud of you. Taking the time to invest in yourself is never easy and takes a lot of courage. Increasing self-awareness takes bravery. This process can be difficult, but it can also be extremely rewarding. 

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It is important for me to establish a safe and supportive environment to promote healthy and effective communication. Family, work, school, relationships, self-awareness and addiction. All these areas can be impacted by symptoms of mental health. Hopefully, through the therapeutic process, we can help develop feelings of empowerment that allow you to become the master of your symptoms. We will utilize a variety of strategies and techniques from various counseling approaches to address issues. My goal as your therapist is to help you. 

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I was born and raised in Maryland. I attended my graduate program at McDaniel College and undergraduate from Towson University. I consider it a privilege to be able to help the communities through mental health counseling. If you are interested in a straight-forward approach to counseling, call or email me! 

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Michael Shifter, MA, LCPC

Psychotherapist

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We all carry unique life experiences that hold equally varied simple and complex points of wisdom woven into each. As such, our wisdom is meant to be carried with us in the present and on to the future to guide decisions, conversations, and ultimately our relationships with one another. This approach has helped my clients and I bring meaning and value to painful experiences leaving behind negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make living in today difficult. 

 

Life threw me a lot of curveballs starting at a young age and I have thrown a few back that didn't turn out so well. Those experiences consistently help me to begin to relate to those I work with as we un-blend past reactions to create healthy healed responses for the present. I work with clients to create a sense of internal safety and peace of mind 

 

After growing up in the DMV area, I received my undergraduate degree in Dallas, Texas in Business Leadership and my graduate degree in Clinical Counseling in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Throughout that time, I have enjoyed various jobs where I have found opportunities to connect to others from diverse backgrounds. I enjoy providing psychoeducation and skills to my clients as we pursue goals that treat core issues as they are ready. 

 

I look forward to meeting each of my clients where they are at, clarifying issues, and discovering with them what their full life looks like. 

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Caitlin Weese, MA, LMSW, 200 RYT

Psychotherapist, Registered Yoga Teacher

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Caitlin strives to create a warm, non-judgmental and safe environment to allow clients the space to work through struggles and transitions in their life. Caitlin believes that everyone has the strength and resilience to work through challenges in life and her job is simply to hold space for your exploration and walk alongside you on your journey. 

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Caitlin received her Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work. There she specialized in Clinical -Behavioral Health and was selected to be a part of a cohort of students that received federally funded specialized training in integrated behavioral health and interdisciplinary social work. In addition to her Masters, she is also a 200-Hour Registered Yoga teacher with an additional certification in Trauma-Informed Yoga. 

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Her passions include individuals struggling with substance use issues, anxiety, depression, survivors of trauma, eating disorders, and couples. Caitlin utilizes a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach that integrates CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, Emotional Freedom Technique, Internal Family Systems, Intuitive Eating and Mindfulness. 

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When Caitlin is not working she enjoys spending time with her pets, working with her Cricut, practicing yoga, and spending time outside in nature. 

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Olya Rich, MA, LCPC

Clinical Director,  Psychotherapist, Board Approved Supervisor

Email me!

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Tori Fayard, MA, LGPC

Psychotherapist

Email me!

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Brianna Sanders, MA, LGPC

Psychotherapist

Email me!

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Chelsea Fry, MA, LMSW

Psychotherapist

Email me!

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Robert Flanary, MA, LGPC

Psychotherapist

Email me!

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Michael Shifter, MA, LCPC

Psychotherapist

Email me!

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Caitlin Weese, MA, LMSW, 200 RYT

Psychotherapist, Registered Yoga Teacher

Email me!

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Caitlin Weese, MA, LMSW, 200 RYT

Psychotherapist, Registered Yoga Teacher

Email me!

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