PlayfulLeigh Psyched is a play on words and sounds for the owner. In some circles, Dr. Dowtin uses her middle name, Leigh (like the name Lee). Among several other training areas and certifications, Dr. Dowtin is a registered play therapist supervisor (RPT-S) and has training in clinical psychology (psych). PlayfulLeigh (like, playfully) is a reminder for Dr. Dowtin and all of her patients to embody playfulness whenever possible. Psyched, reminds us that our mental health is important. While psychotherapy and counseling can be emotionally challenging, many people are excited to begin a journey of healing. Therefore, one meaning behind the company's name is - playfully excited. "Remember, we do not lose our ability to play as we grow older, we stifle our willingness to play." (Dr. Dowtin) Get ready to take back a piece of yourself and find a moment to play a little today. PlayfulLeigh, Dr. Dowtin

At PlayfulLeigh Psyched, we believe in the importance of prioritizing mental health. We provide highly effective, personalized psychotherapy, coaching, and counseling interventions by specialists in their fields. Insurance companies do not compensate mental health specialists. Therefore, instead of accepting insurance we talk you through how to bill your insurance. We provide you with a detailed invoice (Superbill), so that you can seek reimbursement from your insurance company if you choose. We qualify as an out-of-network provider, which means billing is the patient's responsibility. PlayfulLeigh Psyched does not communicate or contract with any insurance companies directly. Please check with your insurance company about out-of-network coverage for telemental/teletherapy. This allows us to focus 100% of our time on serving your needs with specialized care, instead of using time to negotiate with insurance companies or employers who do not value your mental health. Please visit our rates page to learn more about Good Faith Estimates.

At this time, we are not accepting new patients who have primary concerns about relationship issues with a romantic partner(s), people with previously diagnosed personality disorders, and people who are suicidal or who have recently had a plan for suicide within the past year. Contact us or visit our Services pages to find out if your concerns are a good fit for our services. Be sure to look at the drop down menu to see different options.

All services are provided via telehealth and virtual visits. You would need internet access through a laptop, tablet, or smart device to join video sessions. No apps needed. Phone sessions are also possible for select services.

Unfortunately, mental health laws are decades behind technology. Currently, our practitioners are licensed for telehealth counseling services in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, California, or Missouri, depending on the clinician. That means, you must be physically located in one of those states during live counseling sessions. However, PlayfulLeigh Psyched offers consultation, training, and coaching services to clinicians and companies all over the world! Additionally, we are hiring for clinicians throughout the country. Khamara Harris: Maryland; DC; Missouri Supervisor: Dr. Dowtin Dr. Dowtin: Maryland: LCPC #LC8553 Florida Registration: #TPMHC62 Missouri: LPC #2021026279 Virginia: LPC 0701011778 District of Columbia: PRC200001793 California Psychologist: 34407

Currently, we have therapists serving the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Missouri, and California.

PlayfulLeigh Psyched provides online early childhood classroom consultation and teacher/administrator coaching to infant and early care providers. The owner of PlayfulLeigh Psyched was a preschool and infant care teacher, and an Assistant Director or Center Director for over 11 years while learning and training in mental health. She worked as a mental health and behavioral consultant in a therapeutic preschool for children who had experienced trauma. The combination of these unique experiences means that Dr. Dowtin has not only education and training, but also real-life practical skills. She understands what it is like to be in a classroom with 20 preschoolers running around, or in an infant-care classroom with 6 babies crying, or running a center of 120+ children and families as much as she understand the therapy room because she lived it! Dr. Dowtin also provides consultation and supervision to new clinicians exploring telehealth for their private practice and supervision for LGPCs in the state of Maryland, Virginia and Missouri who need supervision hours from a Board-Approved LCPC. Finally, Dr. Dowtin personally selects all of our clinicians to ensure that they fit with the vision and mission of PlayfulLeigh Psyched. She even works to train some of them to help them enhance their specialties.

Great question. Our clinicians each have their own specialties and populations. Khamara is a cisgender Black woman who loves working with trauma survivors, children, and parents. She has vast experience in helping people through major life transitions, cultural identity development, anxiety, depression, and women' health concerns. Check out her profile to learn more and schedule with her. Dr. Dowtin is a straight Black cisgender woman who specializes in working with underserved and marginalized communities. Furthermore, she works to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, as she knows from an active civil rights perspective, how important it is to both advocate for oneself and have allies who stand firm when adversity presents. She attended a historically Black university (HBCU) for one graduate program where cultural identity development was infused in their existence. Then, she attended another university where many students, staff, and faculty identify as LGBTQ+. Her belief is that our practical and personal experiences immerse us in culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse communities. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in the states of Maryland and Missouri, and registered for teletherapy in Florida. Also, she has advanced degrees and training in school and clinical psychology (Ph.D.). She has worked with individuals and families for over ten years. Her practice is for individuals of most ages (conception through age 5 and then 24 years+). Her passion is working with people who have experienced trauma (including attachment trauma, childhood trauma, and PTSD), abuse/assault, anxiety, identity development, postpartum depression, and parenting difficulties. She has completed advanced training as a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder counselor. Therefore, she is highly qualified to work with individuals during the perinatal period (e.g., during pregnancy and for the first two years postpartum). This includes all genders and adoptive parents. Also, she has specialty training in parenting problems (e.g., parenting challenges related to infants and young children). Dr. Dowtin supervises many of our clinicians and clinicians at other practices.

From Dr. Dowtin: My therapeutic style is empathic and interactive. I believe in the gentle treatment of all humans. We move together on your journey as you head towards healing and wholeness. I lead with empathy and follow with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. When working with adults, my counseling approach combines humanistic and psychodynamic therapy. Depending on what brings you to counseling, we may explore the impact that certain early life experiences are having on you in the present to help you change your inner narrative. Based on your needs, I may invite you to engage in mindfulness practices or gently challenge the way that frame situations in your life. Regardless, we will work together to tailor our dialog and your treatment plan to meet your needs.

Verified comments from past patients: On Mar 18, 2020 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, self esteem, and career difficulties: Dr. Dowtin is great! What's been helping me the most in therapy is learning to view things in a different way. Dr. Dowtin is helping me to shift my perspective, she makes me feel heard, acknowledged, and safe. On Feb 09, 2020 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, and stress, anxiety: "Very friendly and professional!" On Jan 31, 2020 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 1 month on issues concerning depression, family conflicts, parenting issues, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue: "I have been [with working with counselors] for a few months now and I didn't originally get matched with Dr. Dowtin but I'm very grateful to have been fortunate enough to be matched with her on my second go around. She is absolutely amazing! She has helped me with things I have been struggling with for years through traditional therapy and for the first time I truly feel I am making progress! I can't wait to see what wonderful changes are instore for me as I continue to work with her." On Jan 12, 2020 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, career difficulties, and coping with life changes: "Dr. Dowtin is amazing at what she does. Speaking to her has really helped me work through a lot of the personal problems I have recently been going through." On Nov 13, 2019 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, eating disorders, self esteem, and anger management" "Dr Dowtin is patient, a great listener, and remembers what you said even when you forget (which is a good thing for accountability). She's great at cutting to the heart of the matter while being sympathetic and kind. I feel pretty lucky to be able to work with her." On Oct 27, 2019 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and intimacy-related issues: "[Dr. Dowtin] is a good listener." On Sep 26, 2019 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, and coping with life changes: "Dr. Dowtin - has been a wonderful counselor to work with. She displays a high level of patience, understanding and empathy each session. She is very attentive and asks the right questions to help steer the discussion in the right direction and assigns appropriate post-session "homework". I would recommend her to others." On Sep 24, 2019 after counseling with Dr. Dowtin for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes: "Dr. Dowtin is very kind and a great listener. She has really helped me figure out ways to cope and grow in a short time. I am very happy to get a chance to see her as a patient."

YES! Ms. Khamara uses play therapy and online play therapy under the training and supervision of Dr. Dowtin. She is currently pursuing advance certification in this area. Additionally, Ms. Khamara is training in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and is working towards final certification as a PCIT certified therapist. Dr. Dowtin is highly skilled in play therapy online play therapy with young children. First, a parent-only session would need to occur so that you and Dr. Dowtin could determine the appropriate set up and toys for the session. In some cases, Dr. Dowtin will guide parents to use play therapy techniques with their child to facilitate relationship enhancement for the parent-child relationship. This method also helps with decreasing challenging child behaviors. Dr. Dowtin is also certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) as both a therapist and trainer, Child Parent Psychotherapy as a therapist, and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy - Toddler version as a therapist, which all have success with teletherapy.

Young children need the presence and guidance of their caregivers to benefit from psychotherapeutic intervention. The infant-parent/child-parent relationship is the core system at play to help young children thrive. When working with parents of infants and young children who are experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges, we most commonly utilize the Circle of Security-Parenting (COS-P) and skills from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy-Toddlers (PCIT-T), depending on the needs of the parents. For children (birth to five years) who have experienced trauma, we use principles of Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP).