MY APPROACH
Online therapy for sensitive, anxious women & couples in Maryland and Virginia.
You might be doing pretty darn well on paper, and still spending way too much energy overthinking, second guessing yourself, managing everyone’s feelings, or trying not to get overwhelmed.
Hi! I’m Ellie Miller, LCSW-C, a therapist specializing in anxiety, high sensitivity, overthinking, emotional overwhelm, and relationship stress. I provide online individual and couples therapy for clients throughout Maryland and Virginia.
WHO I WORK WITH
Highly Sensitive Women with Anxiety & Overthinking
Maybe you feel things deeply, notice everything, and have a brain that really likes to think things through (and then think them through again.)
I work with women who struggle with anxiety, overthinking, emotional overwhelm, perfectionism, people pleasing and self-criticism. Many of my clients identify as highly sensitive people (HSPs); others just know they’re easily overstimulated, deeply affected by the people around them, or tired of spending so much energy trying to get everything right.
Couples Therapy for Better Communication & Connection
You love each other, heck, you probably even like each other. But somehow the dishes, the text that didn’t get answered, bedtime, money, sex, or whose mother is visiting turns into something much bigger.
I work with couples dealing with communication problems, recurring conflict, disconnection, resentment, parenting stress, and the mental load of everyday life. Couples therapy can help you understand what’s actually happening underneath the fight, get unstuck from the pattern you keep falling into, and feel more like you’re on the same team again.
WHAT I HELP WITH
Therapy for Anxiety, Overthinking, High Sensitivity & Relationship Stress
Therapy with me tends to focus less on “What’s wrong with me?” and more on “How do I want to handle this differently?” Here are some of the things we might work on together:
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Anxiety & Overthinking
Your brain replays what happened, worries about what might happen, and would really prefer a 100% guarantee before making any decisions.
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High Sensitivity & Overwhelm
You feel things deeply, notice subtle shifts other people miss, and can get overstimulated or emotionally maxed out faster than you'd like.
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Perfectionism & Self Criticism
You put a lot of pressure on yourself to get things right and can be pretty brutal with yourself when you don't.
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People Pleasing & Boundaries
You're great at noticing what everyone else needs. Figuring out what you need (and being okay with someone not loving it) is much harder.
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Couples Communication & Conflict
The same arguments keep showing up in different outfits. We'll work on understanding the pattern underneath them and communicating in ways that actually get you somewhere.
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Connection & Relationship Stress
You want to feel like partners again- not coworkers managing a household, parenting team members, or two people carefully trying not to start that fight.
MY APROACH TO THERAPY
Therapy for Anxiety, Overthinking, High Sensitivity & Relationship Stress
I’m less interested in helping you win an argument with your brain and more interested in helping you stop letting it run the whole darn show.
My approach is warm, collaborative, and practical. I primarily use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), along with mindfulness and self-compassion practices. In couples therapy, I draw from evidence-based relationship approaches to help partners understand the patterns they get stuck in and respond to each other differently.
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Acceptance and Committment Therapy (ACT)
ACT isn’t about getting rid of anxiety or learning how to think positively. We’ll practice getting less tangled up in difficult thoughts and feelings, making room for discomfort, and putting more of your energy toward the life and relationships that actually matter to you.
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Mindfulness & Self Compassion
If your inner voice can be kind of an asshole, we’ll work on that too.
Mindfulness helps you notice what’s happening without immediately getting swept up in it; self-compassion helps you meet the hard stuff without piling judgment on top.
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Gottman Method & Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Couples therapy with me draws from both the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). We’ll look at both how you communicate and what’s happening underneath the conflict. That way you can understand the pattern you keep getting pulled into, communicate more effectively, and feel more connected and secure with each other.
BEHIND THE SCENES
A Therapist you Can Feel Comfortable with + Tools You Can Actually Use
Therapy with me isn’t just a place to talk. Sure, there’s plenty of room to process, be messy, not totally know what you’re trying to say yet, and figure things out together, but I’ll bring things in too! Whether that’s something I’m noticing, another way of looking at what’s happening, an experiential exercise, or a practical tool that might actually be useful outside of therapy.
Sometimes we might slow things down and pay attention to what’s happening right there in the moment, or practice working with an anxious thought differently instead of just talking about how much you overthink. I want the things we do together to make their way into your actual life, especially in those moments when your brain is spiraling, you’re second-guessing yourself, or you can feel yourself getting pulled into the same old pattern again.
A LIL ABOUT ME
Licensed Therapist for Women & Couples in Maryland + Virginia
CREDENTIALS & TRAINING
Master of Social Work (MSW) — University of Maryland, Baltimore, 2014
Maryland Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) — License #20386
Virginia Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) — License #0904014756
12 Years of clinical experience
40+ hours of specialized training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Gottman Method Couples Therapy - Level 1
Training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples
Ongoing study and practice of mindfulness meditation and self-compassion since 2012, including multiple week-long meditation retreats
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Do you work with highly sensitive people (HSPs)?
Yes. Many of my individual therapy clients identify as highly sensitive people or simply know that they feel things deeply, notice subtle changes around them, and get overwhelmed or overstimulated more easily. I work with highly sensitive women who are also dealing with anxiety, overthinking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or self-criticism.
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Can therapy help me stop overthinking and feeling so anxious?
Anxiety and overthinking are two of the main things I work with. I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you get less caught up in anxious thoughts, respond differently when they show up, and feel more able to do what matters even when your brain is being loud.
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Do you offer couples therapy?
Yes. I provide online couples therapy in Maryland and Virginia using approaches including the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). I often work with couples who want better communication, more connection, and help getting unstuck from recurring conflict.
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Do we have to be in crisis to start couples therapy?
Nope. A lot of the couples I work with actually have a lot that's good in their relationship, they're just tired of getting pulled into the same frustrating patterns.
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Do you offer online therapy in Maryland and Virginia?
Yes. My practice is fully virtual, and I’m licensed to provide therapy to clients located in Maryland and Virginia.
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Do you accept insurance?
I’m an out-of-network provider, which means I don’t bill insurance directly. I can provide you with a superbill that you’re welcome to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. Because out-of-network benefits vary quite a bit from plan to plan, I recommend calling your insurer ahead of time to ask what they’ll reimburse for out-of-network mental health services. You can also use your HSA card to pay for therapy!
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How much does therapy cost?
Sessions are $225 for 50 minutes. Payment is due at the time of your session, and I can provide a superbill if you’d like to use your out-of-network insurance benefits.
