Hi, I’m Elana!
I can’t wait to meet you.
I’m a licensed therapist, clinical supervisor, and educator who believes therapy should be a space where you do not have to shrink, perform, or explain away who you are. Our work will be grounded in authenticity, culture, autonomy, and the belief that healing can hold both softness and strength.
I specialize in working with adults navigating anxiety, trauma, racial trauma, family-of-origin concerns, ADHD, identity exploration, gender-affirming care, and LGBTQ+ related concerns. I am especially passionate about supporting women of color and individuals who are learning to grow beyond the expectations, roles, and survival patterns imposed on them. In our work together, I aim to create a space where you can be honest about what hurts, reconnect with your power, and move toward clarity and wholeness in a way that feels true to you.
In addition to my work as a therapist, I am an educator and licensed clinical supervisor. I have experience across forensic, residential, inpatient, outpatient, and private practice settings, working with children, teens, and adults with a wide range of concerns. As a clinical supervisor, I am committed to training future therapists with intention, cultural humility, and strong clinical skills.
Above all, I want you to feel free to show up as yourself. All parts of your identity are welcome in this space.
What’s Different About Working With MeI’m a Black woman. First-generation. An eldest daughter. A mom.
I know what it can feel like to carry responsibility early, to become the dependable one, and to learn how to anticipate what everyone else needs before asking yourself what you need. I also understand how family, culture, race, and identity can shape the way we understand ourselves, the choices we make, and the expectations we carry.
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that can come from holding it all. When you are used to being capable, dependable, and needed, balance can start to feel less like balance and more like constantly deciding which part of yourself can wait. I understand how easy it is to keep functioning while quietly feeling stretched thin.
You do not have to explain or defend those complexities with me. You can bring the parts of yourself that feel proud, conflicted, angry, tired, ambitious, uncertain, or somewhere in between. My role is not to tell you what you should want or who you should become. It is to create space for you to understand yourself more deeply, to separate your own voice from the expectations around you, and to build a life that honors both where you come from and where you want to go.
What My Clients are Usually Struggling WithMost of my clients are overly-functioning and often used to being the person who gets things done. But underneath that, they may be carrying the effects of trauma, navigating ADHD in a world that rewards constant productivity, managing the weight of racial stress, or feeling exhausted by the pressure to keep achieving. They’re tired of holding it all together, tired of pushing through, and ready for a space where they don’t have to perform, prove, or keep pretending everything is fine.
They May be Navigating
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Carrying experiences that continue to shape how you see yourself, your relationships, or the world around you.
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Feeling caught in worry, uncertainty, overthinking, or a mind that rarely seems to fully settle.
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Navigating differences in focus, motivation, organization, follow-through, or the way your brain manages everyday demands.
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Carrying the emotional impact of racism, bias, discrimination, or repeatedly having to navigate spaces where your identity matters.
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Feeling worn down by ongoing pressure, responsibility, or the expectation to keep functioning even when you’re running low.
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Navigating the emotional, relational, and identity shifts that can come with caring for others while still trying to hold onto yourself.
My Approach
At the heart of my work I want Black women, people of color, and those historically underserved in mental health care to feel fully seen, supported, and empowered. You deserve care that honors your strength, your story, and your truth. I welcome clients of all identities, experiences, and backgrounds, and I would be honored to walk with you as you reclaim your power and reconnect with the parts of yourself that have been waiting to be acknowledged and cared for.
My clinical approach is collaborative, direct, and deeply relational. I draw from Cognitive Processing Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Reality Therapy, psychoanalytic techniques, and trauma-informed care to help clients better understand their patterns, emotions, relationships, and sense of self. I am also an ADHD-Certified Clinical Service Provider and especially enjoy supporting clients who benefit from a behavioral, practical, or more structured approach.
I believe therapy is about coming home to yourself with more compassion, choice, and freedom. This work is personal to me. It is about creating a space where care feels intentional, healing feels possible, and you are invited to return to yourself without leaving any part of who you are behind.
Modalities
I draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Reality Therapy/Choice Theory and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).
Education
I received my Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Towson University and my Master of Science in Clinical Professional Counseling from Loyola University Maryland.
Certifications
I hold a certification as an ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider.
Quotes that move me
“Don’t stop until you’re insanely proud of yourself." — Gary Vaynerchuk
"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." — Carl Rogers
"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still." — Chinese Proverb