Dr. Rush brings direct experience and a therapeutic voice that supports older children and teenagers with compassion, empathy, and a grounded presence. She has training in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), an evidence-based practice that addresses many of the ways these clients seek to find healing and growth. For example, DBT strives to find balance between change and acceptance – a common theme for those surviving middle and high school. Dr. Rush also has developed her own therapeutic approaches specifically for older children and teens which integrate creativity with evidence-based practices in a way that honors these developmental stages as the complex tangle of factors that they are while providing a simplified structure through which to better understand oneself.
Dr. Rush has also specialized in working with adult clients on their parenting journey. She originally intended to support perinatal clients with her expertise in sexual health and empathy as a mother; however, she has been honored by clients from all stages in parenthood seeking time with her. She has worked with clients struggling with fertility, pregnant clients, postpartum clients, parents struggling with children’s diagnoses, parents struggling with new stages of their families’ journey, and couples re-learning their relationship in the wake of children and/or transitions. She has cultivated her own approach to supporting those on their parenting journey which includes mapping family systems, understanding personal needs, and fostering connection with oneself and one’s family. Dr. Rush has a passion for supporting parents with humility and grace as she herself has navigated pregnancies, learning what it means to be a parent, and adapting to the ever-changing days of three children.
Having been born and raised in Vienna, Dr. Rush holds her doctorate in mental health counseling from George Washington University. Her collegiate journey began at Georgetown University where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She then earned a master’s degree in ethics from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She served as an assistant professor of mental health counseling at Belmont University and has seen the power of education as a component of therapy as well.
When not sharing time with clients, Dr. Rush is spending time with her children and husband. Current family favorites are the zoo, walks in parks, and trying new recipes that her children will inevitably reject for macaroni and cheese. She is grateful for the honor of sharing time with clients and providing them the safe space that they need.
