Briana Sinden, M.Ed.

Are your relationships creating emotional strain on your day-to-day life? Is communicating, setting personal boundaries, and managing your mood an ongoing difficulty? Or maybe COVID has left you feeling a disconnect with who you are and where you’re going. My counseling space can support you through these challenges and more as you grow, reflect, and become more empowered to live the life you desire.

My clinical populations of interest include woman as well as LGBTQ+, Latinx, and neurodivergent individuals. I integrate attachment theory with acceptance-based and client-centered therapy. Our sessions will prioritize you as the expert on your life. My training and clinical experience involves trauma work, relationship conflict, and substance misuse, as well as specialized education in consensual non-monogamy, emotional regulation, and body image work (with a focus on body neutrality and deconstructing diet culture).

I grew up within a Cuban family amongst Latinx values and cultural norms, while also navigating how they interact with American culture. I have experience supporting clients as their cultural background uniquely intersects with gender and sexuality, religion, parental expectations, and generational trauma. Clients with immigrant families and those from and within non-American cultural backgrounds can find support, validation, and understanding with me.

I also have experience working at a substance use clinic at the college of William & Mary. Utilizing a motivational interviewing lens, I worked with undergraduate and graduate students as they navigated their relationship with substance use alongside their working toward academic and personal goals. I have also worked at a community clinic in Williamsburg, in both group and individual settings, to support clients of all ages facing higher-need substance use challenges.

I’m passionate about supporting you and validating your experiences, both as you navigate your current challenges and as you process the impact of your past. In our time together, I strive to develop your sense of strength, self-understanding, and self-compassion. This may look like reflecting on and processing past trauma, and learning how you can best advocate for yourself with improved insight. It could also look like practicing boundary-setting and managing the expectations you place on yourself or others.

MORE ABOUT ME:

• In my downtime, I love playing video games and going second-hand shopping around Richmond.
• I also throw on the pottery wheel and think it’s a great hands-on lesson in mindfulness and letting go.
• I’m a strong believer in the soothing power of being in a clean room, with ambient lighting, and a favorite blanket.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

• Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Addictions from The College of William and Mary
• Clinical experience in a college clinic for substance misuse
• Clinical experience with relationship trauma including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse
• Focused training in trauma treatment (Eye Movement Integration-EMI)

SUPERVISED BY:

Steffanie Kelshaw, LPC, CSAC

CREDENTIALS:

Resident in Counseling

PRELICENSE:

VA 0704014236