About
Elizabeth Scott LCPC
With nearly fifteen years of clinical experience, I have adopted a holistic approach which blends experiential work in therapy with the latest advances in neuroscience, the power of mindfulness and embodiment, and the wisdom of your intuition and internal world.
Although I’d almost always known deep down I’d become a therapist, initially it seemed like there would be a lot of pressure to figure things out for clients that would lead to their understanding and “breakthroughs”, which felt like it would be an immense burden. To my great relief (and to the very good fortune of future clients everywhere), I learned that this was not the case, and even that having insight into a problem doesn’t translate to healing it.
Instead, what has unfolded over the course of the last fifteen years of my clinical path is the discovery that we are all inherently whole with exactly what we need inside to return to a true sense of well-being and balance.
My own journey in discovering this truth emerged not only from my clinical training in many modalities, but in my own therapy and healing practices. I believe I can only take my clients as far as I’ve been myself and have been deeply committed to my own inner work from the beginning of my training.
After years of talk therapy, which gave me supportive therapeutic relationships and incredible perspective, I found that I was still stuck on some of the same things despite all of my insight. As much as I had figured things out, I still felt the same inside around certain issues. Then I found Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), which took me to an embodied and transformative level in my healing I had not yet experienced, answering the question is it really possible to feel differently inside. I knew I had to add this powerful approach to my way of providing therapy to clients and immediately pursued as much training and experience as possible. It is my absolute joy to share this potent healing modality with you and to partner with you in connecting to your innate wisdom and well-being, uncovering your unique gifts and strengths along the way.
My Approach
Do you have lots of intellectual insight about what’s happening for you but still keep feeling the same way inside? Maybe you’ve had therapy before and it’s been helpful, and you’re wondering if it’s possible to feel differently or not be triggered in the same ways. Or you’re completely new to therapy and are curious about how much is really possible.
Whether struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship dissatisfaction or patterns that feel stuck, we can use what you are currently experiencing as a trailhead to what most needs attention and then engage with those symptoms in a way that really helps.
Talk therapy can be enormously helpful and may be exactly what you need, and my background in Psychodynamic and Interpersonal Process therapy informs the relational approach I take with clients. In some cases, talk therapy might not be enough to bring the tangible results and healing you are looking for. Using a foundation of Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) and a customized approach that may include nervous system support and right-brained experiences, I join with you in a process that is an exact fit for you, supporting you in living the life of value that you deserve. I love being able to offer IFS because it’s non-pathologizing, creates more self compassion and calm, and over time can become a practice you can do yourself, giving you increasing confidence in your ability to respond to whatever is showing up in your life when you’re outside of therapy or when our work together ends. I have also witnessed the power of the mind-body-spirit connection and am available to explore how complementary modalities like Reiki might support your path to well-being.
Learn more about my services here or contact me for a free fifteen minute phone consultation to discuss what might be possible in working together. We can decide where the best place to start for you might be.
Credentials
Maryland Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, License # LC6480
National Board for Certified Counselors National Certified Counselor, 2015, NCC #282458
Certified Nature Informed Therapist, Certificate # 48421625467645
Safe and Sound Protocol Certified Provider
Karuna Reiki Master Practitioner
Education
Johns Hopkins University, M.S. in Clinical Community Counseling, 2011
Furman University, B.A. in English, 2005
Professional Memberships
Maryland Licensed Professional Counselor
American Counseling Association
American College Counseling Association
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”
— Carl Rogers
I believe
Your feelings and reactions make sense and require understanding, compassion and acceptance.
You are the expert on your experience. Together we can make sense of your story in a way that can create relief and greater ease.
Therapy is most effective when it is a collaboration and a partnership, deciding together what works best for you.
You are already whole and an immense capacity for wisdom and healing exists within you.
Having a strong sense of self-worth is your birthright.
As a therapist, I am in this human experience with you and am walking the path alongside you.
Approaching your symptoms and difficulties with curiosity and compassion is key in discovering the root. The way you are feeling activated, distressed or tender is a guidepost that can lead us in the direction of what needs healing and attention. We aim to understand and follow those signs as a part of our work together.
One of the most important elements of effective therapy is the development of a safe, trusting relationship between therapist and client. Through genuine and respectful connection, we create the environment in which true healing can occur.
Learning is a lifelong process, and I’m always in search of new ways to help my clients.
Healing is holistic. It involves the body, movement, nutrition, creativity, connecting with nature and with others as well as psychotherapy. Complementary modalities like acupuncture, yoga, bodywork and more and support the journey to greater health and ease, and I’m happy to help you explore options that may enhance your inner work.