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Who do we see?
At PlayfulLeigh Psyched, we see individual adults, children, and families
in Maryland, Florida, Missouri, Virginia and counting! ​Our clinicians use
English, Mandarin, and American Sign Language (ASL).
How do we help?
We believe that humans need water, too. Much like plants need water to thrive, people need a safe space to express and manage their emotions. Seeking counseling is an act of giving yourself or your child what you need, like quenching thirst. Through judgement free compassion, therapists can support emotional regulation and join patients on their journey towards healing.
Is it important for patients to know that all feelings are valid.
Anger. Joyful. Scared. Sadness. Curiosity... All emotions are welcome in our therapy space inclusive of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, ability etc. because we aim to promote the understanding and expression of emotions. This can be a unique experience for patients from marginalized backgrounds because not everyone has been allowed to safely express certain feelings in public spaces. When patients attempt to mask feelings or apologize for them, we might respond with, "I can handle and hold any emotion that you bring to me. You are safe right now."
Continue exploring.
The buttons below will take you to various sections of our site to allow you to learn more or to submit an inquiry form. Explore our site and find the service or article that allows you to pour into yourself. You are worthy of safety, support, and space.
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Teletherapy or Online Counseling has been used for over a decade with people of all ages.
At PlayfulLeigh Psyched, we provide individual, parent-child, and occasional group therapy via a HIPAA secure video platform to Maryland, Florida, Missouri, and Virginia. Our practice has been engaging in 100% online therapy since 2018. Therefore, you can trust that our policies and skill in this area was not simply reactionary due to the global pandemic. Rather, we understand that while in-person therapy has tremendous benefits, it also comes with some barriers. We wanted to remove the transportation barrier from patients, allow you to have family session with members in other states, and explore healing from your home. Teletherapy has been shown just as effective, and in some cases, more effective than in-person therapy. There are a few therapy approaches or patient needs where in-person therapy may be the better option. In those instances, PlayfulLeigh Psyched would not be a good fit.
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What does the first session look like? In our first session together we aim to help you feel safe.
We reserve 75 minutes for our first session. This allows ample time to review consent forms, related intake paperwork, as well as discuss what brings you to therapy. Let's review what you can expect at the first session.
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Verify identification, address, and review polices and agreements.
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Mental healthcare is still healthcare. We need to verify your identity with a picture ID (e.g., work, school, government ID, etc). You will also need to verify your location during the session. Our mental health services are only for people currently in DC, Maryland,Virginia, Florida, Missouri, and California. ​
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Discuss your screeners and intake paperwork.
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​Usually within two days of you registering in our patient portal. We will add the forms for you to complete your intake packet and brief screeners. Our most common screeners are for anxiety, depression (including postpartum when applicable), childhood trauma, and adult trauma. This will help us establish a baseline that we'll refer to throughout treatment. It will also guide us in exploring the main issues that bring you or your family to therapy. This will help us navigate to a larger conversation about your health and mental health background, family history, and social support systems.
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Explore what's currently bringing you to therapy (for child therapy: explore the parent-child relationship)
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This is where we set out to understand how your concerns are impacting your life and relationships. ​
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Establish goals
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We want to make sure that we are on the same page and being clear about your goals and objectives. ​
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Confirm scheduling agreements
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Therapy is less about the length of the session and more about the number of times you connect with your therapist. Therefore, it is important that you agree to ​attending sessions weekly or at least twice per month.
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Supervision for DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Missouri Licensed Graduate Professional Counselors (LGPC).
Dr. Dowtin is a Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists Approved Supervisor. Among many state and national credentials, she has the licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) license in Maryland. Dr. Dowtin has completed extensive training and has years of experience supervising mental health trainees. Since the board requires that LGPCs complete at least half of their supervision hours with a board approved LCPC and Maryland allows for telesupervision (e.g., face-to-face supervision using video), continue learning about telesupervision with Dr. Dowtin. For more information about Maryland supervision requirements please visit their website. Click here for Maryland LGPC supervision requirements.
You can verify Dr. Dowtin's license by clicking here and then entering her last name in the search.
