what a great team!

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Cynthia (Cathy) Clay is the Practice Director and a Licensed Professional Counselor. Cynthia conducts individual and group therapy with youth and adults.  She also serves as the Practice Director for Rawles Psychological Services. Cynthia has obtained her certification as a National Certified Counselor (NCC), which is the national licensing credential for the counseling profession.

Cynthia received her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from South University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a CACREP accredited program. She received her bachelor’s degree from Arcadia University.  During her time at Arcadia University, Cynthia lived and studied abroad in Sicily, completing her thesis on the immigration challenges facing the nation of Italy and the EU, with an emphasis on unaccompanied minors. 

This experience inspired Cynthia’s interest and passion for serving and advocating for vulnerable communities and individuals impacted by trauma.  It also provided Cynthia with a global, multicultural perspective, which continues to inform her work as a counselor.  

Cynthia is passionate about helping youth and young adults heal from various traumas and life challenges. Out of this passion, Cynthia founded the Next Generation Youth Empowerment Group for young men and women ages 7-17. Also, Cynthia served from 2014-2017 as a Court Advocate Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer for Virginia Beach.  

Currently, Cynthia is pursuing her Ph.D. in Transformative Social Change to further her understanding of capacity building, advocacy, and social justice and its relevancy to helping vulnerable communities.

Before pursuing a Master’s degree in counseling, Cynthia worked many years in corporate America for one of the major insurance companies in the United States. This experience provided Cynthia with the leadership and management skills that she continues to utilize in her counseling career and advocacy work. 

I am passionate about working with children, adolescents, and individuals seeking to fulfill their personal goals. My goal is to create a safe and nonjudgmental environment to support healing, encouragement, and growth. 

Everyone has unique strengths that can we can build upon to handle challenging life circumstances such as depression, anxiety, trauma/loss, anger, and sexual violence. I value the relationship connections developed through the counseling process and I am passionate about empowering my clients to identify and build upon their strengths to reach their fullest potential. 

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor that enjoys using a Person-Centered approach with other evidence-based therapeutic techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness techniques to meet my clients’ needs. 

I also have experience working with adolescents/teens, college students, and adults in both individual, group, and family settings. Sometimes in life we may experience pain and challenges that are too difficult to navigate alone. 

I am an empathetic listener committed to understanding my client’s needs and building a strong relationship so that we can collaboratively work together to bring clarity, healing, and growth. No issue is too big or too small to discuss.

BIO IS COMING....

BIO IS COMING

I am a Masters level Resident in Counseling and my goal is to provide culturally sensitive, trauma-informed and evidence-based counseling.  I am trilingual in Arabic, English and Tigrinya (Eritrean) and  I have experience providing therapy to individuals coping with Trauma, Depression, Anger Management, Anxiety, and Transitional Life Changes. 

I work with clients who are dealing with upsetting events such as Grief, Domestic Violence (Victim and Abuser), Verbal/Sexual/Physical Abuse, War, Divorce, Immigration, and Prison. Counseling is a safe space for the client to explore their feelings, thoughts and their biggest fears. 

I have experience providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Integration (EMI), ABC-Talk, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Person-Centered Therapy.  

My mission is to ensure your mental and emotional well-being needs are met and flourishing. All sessions focus on the client’s current needs.

BIO IS COMING.....

BIO IS COMING.....