Kathleen has been with LFA since 2013, but she and Laurel first met in 1995 in their marriage and family therapy graduate school program. Since then, Kathleen has parlayed her MFT skills into her own accounting business. At LFA, she handles all financial matters from associate payroll to client statements. If you have a question about your account, reimbursement, or statement, Kathleen is happy to help!

Maggie has been with LFA since 2016, and brings with her over three years in office management/administration, specializing in customer retention management. She initially joined the team as Laurel's executive assistant, but since then has added intake duties to her repertoire. If you reach out to LFA for an initial appointment, most likely Maggie will be your initial point of contact. She is highly efficient and knowledgeable, and she will ensure that your request for services is processed quickly and that your therapist is the best possible fit for you. Our clients regularly give us and Maggie outstanding feedback on her professionalism, efficiency, and thoroughness. Contact LFA today and let Maggie work her magic to find you the therapist you need.

Laurel Fay, M.S., LCMFT is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist and owner since 2001 of Laurel Fay and Associates, LLC, a multi-therapist private practice with offices in downtown Silver Spring and Bowie, Maryland. As a marriage and family therapist (MFT), Laurel is highly trained to work with families and couples, particularly around marital, communication and intimacy issues, and helping disconnected couples rediscover connection is her passion. Her other primary passion is spreading the word that MFTs are the best-trained and most-qualified mental health professionals to deal with couple and family issues. As the past President of the Middle Atlantic Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (madmft.org), she worked to advocate both for the public and MFTs in Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

Laurel has a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Child and Family Studies from Syracuse University, and a Masters of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland at College Park. She is an Approved Supervisor and Clinical Fellow of the AAMFT (aamft.org). She has given multiple workshops on couple and family relationships for several organizations, including the Pro Bono Counseling Project Annual Conference (Couples and The New Technology, 2010, available on slideshare.net). Laurel regularly presents on the topic of starting and growing a therapy practice, and she offers business consulting for private practitioners based on her decade-plus experience starting, managing and growing a profitable private practice.

Hourly Rate

• $180

Availability

• Wednesday 5-9pm and Saturdays 9-3pm in Silver Spring
• Mondays 6-9pm in Bowie

Specialities

• Trained in Prepare/Enrich

Specific Issues I Deal With

• Anxiety
• Infidelity
• Infertility
• Depression
• Communication Issues
• Intimacy Issues
• Life Transitions

Client Types I Work With

• Couples
• Individuals

Sometimes everyday life can start to feel hard and overwhelming, and you may feel stuck. As a Marriage and Family Therapist Haley believes in working in a collaborative setting free of judgment, where together you can find insight and understanding to free you of the struggles you are facing in your daily lives.

While Haley enjoys working with couples, families, and individuals, she looks forward to continuing to work with adolescents and young adults who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, peer relationships, self-esteem and other issues that may arise during this transitional time. While Haley’s therapeutic approach pulls from many different systemic models based on the client’s needs and strengths, she readily uses Cognitive Behavioral, Experiential, and Structural therapy models with her clients.

Haley is a Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist in Maryland (License # LGM607) who received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University and her Master of Science degree in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland College Park. Haley received the Jennifer Becker Carswell Memorial Award for her work in the graduate program at Maryland. Haley is also a trained PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator and is currently taking new premarital clients.

Hourly Rate

• $150

Availability

• Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5-9pm

Specialities

• Trained in Prepare/Enrich

Specific Issues I Deal With

• Communication Issues
• Life Transitions

Client Types I Work With

• Individuals
• Premarital Couples
• Families
• Adolescents
• Couples
• LGBTQ+
• Military Couples/Families

Jennifer is currently not accepting new clients. Please contact LFA and we would be happy to schedule you with one of our other relationship experts!

As humans, we experience pain, loss, or difficulties in our lives as individuals and in our family relationships. We try our best to cope, adapt or resolve these challenges on our own. But sometimes, we get stuck or they are too great to endure on our own. I believe the therapeutic relationship is a safe place, free of judgement, invested in exploring, understanding, connecting, learning, and growing. Jennifer likes to take a strength based, balanced approach to listening and actively engaging in the change process. Together, we can work on the interpersonal, emotional, psychological, and spiritual issues that hinder you and your relationships from reaching full potential.

Jennifer is happy to work with individuals, children, couples and families, while she specializes in couple’s issues. These issues may include communication, conflict, co-parenting, emotional and physical intimacy, premarital preparation, and/or separation/ divorce.

She draws her therapy techniques from researched and empirically supported theoretical approaches; predominantly, Cognitive Behavioral, Emotionally Focused, and Solution Focused Therapy approaches. Please feel free to let her know if you have any questions.

Jennifer is a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (LCM#572). She serves as a volunteer clinician for Probono Counseling. In addition to her clinical work, she teaches graduate seminars on counseling and human development as an adjunct professor. Jennifer earned her Masters degree in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland, College Park and received her Bachelors degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a lifespan option from Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Hourly Rate

• $150
• $252 for 90 minutes
• $280 for 100 minutes

Availability

• Mondays 10am-9pm
• Tuesdays 10am-9pm
• Wednesdays 10am-9pm
• Thursdays 10am-6pm
• Fridays 10am-6pm
• Saturdays 10am-2pm

Specialities

• Trained in Prepare/Enrich
• Speaks Mandarin

Specific Issues I Deal With

• Grief
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Trauma
• Self Esteem
• Affairs
• Christian clients
• Intercultural Issues
• Step Parenting

Client Types I Work With

• Younger Couples
• Elderly Couples
• Middle Age Women
• Military Couples / Families

Everyone has the desire for self-improvement and the capacity for positive change; however, the challenges we sometimes face in life can make us feel stuck, hopeless, and alone. Stefania has worked with couples and individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, as well as individuals who have experienced adversity and trauma. As a first-generation immigrant herself, Stefania looks forward to continuing to work with immigrants, as well as first and second-generation Americans.

Stefania values the healing and corrective experience of therapy and aims to empower clients through acceptance, understanding, empathy, and challenge. She uses a client-centered, curious, and collaborative approach to therapy in order to foster a safe, judgment-free environment for open and honest reflection and feedback.

Her work with individual clients is centered around making meaning of current and past lived experiences, navigating big life transitions, managing anxiety, depression, abandonment, and loss. Stefania works with couples at any stage of a relationship (dating, pre-marital, married, contemplating divorce/separation) and is passionate about helping partners re-build intimacy and trust after infidelity. Her therapeutic technique draws from various systemic models based on the client’s needs including: Cognitive-Behavioral, Emotionally-Focused, and Narrative Therapy.

Stefania is a Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist (LGM744). She earned her Bachelors degree in Psychology and French Studies from Smith College, and her Masters of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from University of Maryland, College Park. Stefania is a certified PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator, and is currently taking pre-marital clients as well as couples, and individuals.

At times, life can be difficult or unpredictable, and the situations it presents us with can make us feel sad, scared, or helpless. However, life can also be joyful, interesting, and fun. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, Emma aims to create a collaborative space with clients where, together, they can gain insights and skills that help them to face life’s challenges and cherish the parts of life that bring them joy. The therapy techniques Emma utilizes come from researched and empirically supported approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Structural Therapy, and Narrative Therapy.

Emma has experience with working with families, couples, and individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds. She particularly enjoys working with couples on issues such as communication, conflict resolution, co-parenting, infidelity, and emotional and physical intimacy. Another area of clinical interest for Emma are adolescents who are struggling with depression or anxiety and/or are part of the LGBTQ+ community, both in an individual and family context. Emma received her B.A. in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College, and her M.S. in MFT from UMCP, and she is a Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist (LGM745).