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Eleanor Whitaker, M. Ed., MSN
Resident in Counseling
License #0704-018928
Hello and welcome. Thanks for being here.
At its most basic level, therapy is about connection and expansion. My goal as a counselor is to build a collaborative relationship with you based on warmth, trust, safety, and hope. Each client, and each client’s story, is unique, and a psychodynamic approach is often useful.
What this means is that there are many modalities to help people feel better. Sometimes we have to take it in steps, calming the nervous system before we can understand why we think, and act, the way we do. The goal of therapy is to diminish suffering and improve coping skills. It's also ultimately intended to increase the joy you feel for, and in, your life.
Counseling should empower us, and I believe in de-pathologizing the client. In therapy, I gravitate towards emotion focused, trauma informed, strength based, and solution focused modalities. I am also interested in Internal Family Systems therapy, somatic therapy (including voice), polyvagal theory, and culturally sensitive therapy. I am a proponent of mindfulness and believe it is important to intentionally communicate with and nourish our nervous systems. I also believe in the importance of dreams.
Experience
Counseling is an evolution for me. I began my career as a nurse practitioner and learned quickly that patients' wellness is composed of many factors, including emotional, physical, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, etc., but there was never time to address all the concerns during a single, or even multiple, appointment. Despite the challenges of our healthcare system, it’s wonderful to see the progress of neuroscientific research that proves what we have long intuitively known—that emotional pain can be trapped in the body—and to simultaneously learn about what neuroplasticity can can mean for our lives. Neuroplasticity is innate and describes the brain's capacity to change and grow, and it offers all of us an additional way to address difficulties both past and present.
After the birth of my children, I became a teacher of first, preschool, then elementary, and finally middle school children and adolescents. When it comes to counseling children, I am committed to meeting children where they are and to child-centered play therapy. For both children and adults, I believe group work can be a powerful source of healing.
I obtained my Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the College of William & Mary. I hold a Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. from Centre College.
Interests
My counseling interests include grief and loss, trauma, women's issues, LGBTQIA+ matters, parenting, anxiety, depression, religious issues, and life transitions.
I received training in EMDR trauma-informed therapy through Thrive, and somatic training and mindfulness-based therapies through Linda Thai, LMSW. Linda continues to be an ongoing educational and inspirational resource for me.
Additional Interests
When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with family, friends, and animals, listening to music, reading and writing poetry, gardening, playing games, traveling, being outdoors (which sometimes means planting trees on the sly), and watching futbol.
Fees
Therapy is an investment in your well being. St. Aidan's Episcopal Church has been kind to offer me space to see clients in their library. I am grateful for this partnership. St. Aidan's is located at 8531 Riverside Rd., Alexandria, VA 22308.
Taproot & Little Leaf is an out of network provider.
55-minute session $150
45-minute session $125
If these fees are not in your budget, I am in the process of collaborating with Open Path Collective. If you believe you might qualify, please visit their website here for more information. I believe therapy should be available to everyone without barriers related to cost.
Supervision
Sharon Watson, LPC, LMFT, LSATP, NCC, ACS
License #: 0701-002169
I am a Resident in Counseling in the Commonwealth of Virginia under the supervision of Sharon Watson and working toward licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
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