Elayne Smith

Elayne Smith, LMFT & Founder of CCHC

She/her/hers – what are personal pronouns and why do they matter?

Clients I work with: All adult individuals. I also provide specialized therapy for self-actualizers, high-functioners, overachievers, pursuers, leaders, entrepreneurs, therapists, clinical directors and supervisors, mental health practice owners, healers, first responders, teachers, the military, and those committed to purposeful growth.

Issues I work with:

Identifying and exploring the roots/origins of human struggle: Family of origin issues, childhood or attachment experiences, relational patterns, family dynamics, strategies of survival, adaptation, and protection, shadow drivers, unmet needs, limiting beliefs, identity formation, self-worth, healing trauma, attachment style, and intergenerational healing and cycle breaking.

Relationships: Adult love relationships, dating, commitment, emotional intimacy, pursue/withdraw patterns, boundaries, adult attachment, identifying emotional and relational needs, communication, trust, and family relationships in adulthood.

Patterns of Being: High functioning/performing, overachieving, overfunctioning, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, people pleasing, pursuing, meeting needs to get needs met, limiting beliefs about self and relationships, and hustling for self-worth.

Life Transitions: Life decisions and transitions, burnout, grief, loss and endings, relationship changes, spiritual crisis, career shifts, change in identity, periods of high or complex demand, and shifts in motivation, resources, direction, and/or purpose. 

Cultivating Potential: Post-traumatic growth, adult sense of self and identity, differentiation of self (balance between connection and separateness, belonging and individuality), fulfilling potential, personal growth and self-actualization, intentional life design, reclaiming shadow drivers, healthy resilience, connecting with body, nurturing instincts and intuition, reclaiming innate wholeness, spiritual integration, and expanding possibilities. 

I have been working with clients seeking to make sense of their struggles, heal issues at their root, and create lasting, meaningful change. I have been nurturing my skills as a therapist for over 20 years and engaged in my own profound journey of personal healing and growth for most of that time.

I specialize in the art of returning to a place of emotional calm, abundant self-worth, and the gentle sense of power that comes when you live in full connection with your whole self.

I support clients to become free from the baggage of the past, make friends with their emotional world, and create more secure connections with those they care about.

If you feel depressed, anxious, hopeless, helpless, guilty, or shameful, it’s time to reclaim your life. If you feel as though you constantly run on fumes, measure your worth through external sources, live from a place of fear, lack, and aloneness, or believe you have to hustle to get your needs met, there is another way.

I view emotional and physical symptoms as signs of a deeper struggle. I support clients to uncover and heal the roots of their pain, change their patterns or ‘maps’ for connecting with others, and return to the person they are meant to be. You deserve to make sense of your feelings, understand your behaviors, and feel worthy of getting your needs met.

Together, we will explore the ways you have been shaped by your life experiences and relationships with others. The answers to your struggles can often be found here. You can create the life you long for, the relationships you crave, and the peace you know is waiting for you.

I utilize evidence-based models that focus on creating lasting change, from the inside-out. My approach allows me to work with relationships, adult attachment, trauma, loss, sense of self, emotion regulation, trauma, shame, and guilt. I go beneath your surface thoughts and behaviors to help you find more satisfying ways of being yourself in the world. I look forward to being alongside you as you journey back to your whole self.

I also enjoy working with therapists looking to do their own work, entrepreneurs looking to reach their full potential, and those in front-line human services fields who need specific support for the demands of their chosen profession.

I enjoy working with individuals looking to create change in their relationships when a partner or family member is unwilling or unable to attend therapy.

Following an in-depth assessment, I tailor my work to meet your unique needs. I focus on the creation of lasting emotional, relational, and behavioral change. I offer free phone consultations so you discuss your needs and see if I might be a good fit for you.

I created The Center for Connection, Healing and Change as a place where skilled and passionate therapists can come together to offer high-quality therapy services to Woodbridge and Fairfax communities.

I enjoy investing in the people I work with and their ongoing personal and professional growth. We practice what we preach at CCHC by being committed to working through our own human struggles and investing in our relationships with each other.

Together, we offer a place that is safe, respectful, and human to those looking to get help with pain and disconnection. We are proud to serve our clients and be alongside them in their moments of struggle.

I am originally from England and moved here in 2009 to begin life with my husband, a now-retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief.  We have three precious children, one of whom is considered ‘twice exceptional’ in that he is highly gifted, and also navigating neurodivergence/high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.

When I first moved to the States, it quickly became apparent that my previous counseling training in England did not match the educational requirements for clinical practice here, so I went back to school to complete an MS in Marriage and Family Therapy, graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2011. This turned out to be a truly transformative and life-changing experience, personally and professionally. The systemic lens allowed me to make sense of my own struggles in a profound way just as much as it honed my skills as a therapist. It served as the foundation for providing therapy that is deep, human, and creates lasting change.

I engage in my own therapy as a way of living more authentically, intentionally, and joyfully. I have worked hard to deal with the pain of the past and relationship experiences that did not feel safe, respectful, or nurturing. It is my joy to walk alongside those who are committed to living in ways that are peaceful, powerful, and purposeful.