Hi, I’m Adrien
As a sex-positive therapist, I believe that all pleasurable sexual connections among consenting adults are healthy and worthy of respect. I feel privileged every day to have a rewarding job supporting others in pursuit of personal growth. I freely admit that I am an introvert who is bad at small talk, and I love connecting with people on a deep level about things that matter.
Several years ago, after working in various high-level management roles in both the private and public mental health sectors in Roanoke, Virginia for over a decade, I began to struggle with burnout. I was tired of politics and red tape. One Saturday afternoon, I fell asleep while getting a massage. When I woke up, I had the epiphany that I wanted to do work where I got to interact more authentically with people.
I believe that love and interpersonal connections bring joy and meaning to life. I realized I wanted to help people enhance these connections. I made the decision that weekend to become a certified sex therapist. I resigned from my job that Monday, and within a few months I was a full time therapist in a beautiful historic house near downtown Roanoke.
I have practiced yoga and mindfulness meditation for over 15 years and enjoy bringing these healing modalities into sessions.
I welcome the opportunity to work with all relationship styles, gender identities, and sexual orientations (LGBTQ+, heterosexuality, kink, BDSM, monogamy, consensual non-monogamy, etc.).
Education
Bachelor’s Degree in English, Syracuse University, 2001
Master’s Degree in Social Work, Syracuse University, 2005
Graduate Certificate in Public Administration, University of Virginia, 2017
Advanced Training
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Virginia, 2008
EMDR training completed through EMDR Consulting, 2023
Sex and Couples Therapist Certification completed through Modern Sex Therapy Institutes, 2024
AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) Certified Sex Therapist, 2024
Let’s get to work.
I can help you make sense of things.
Dealing with sex, relationships, and the emotional realm can feel out of control or irrational. Like, what is wrong with me and why do I keep thinking, feeling, or acting this way???
Let me assure you, everything you are doing is perfectly reasonable in the context of your life experience. You are not crazy. Your responses make sense. You are doing what you were taught to do, or what you saw others doing, or what helped you survive past situations.
Sometimes this context is obvious to you. Other times, we need to act as detectives together to find out where your reactions are coming from. You might be following unspoken rules and values that you don’t even remember agreeing to.
Once you have gained clarity, you can choose whether your rule book needs revisions. You are an adult and you have a wonderful opportunity to think for yourself.
I can help you connect with your guiding values and principles.
You can decide what makes sense for you now, in the life you are living today.
There will be homework.
Participation in therapy is temporary, whether short term or long term. But you’re going to live your life for the rest of your life. I’m going to help you identify specific actions you can take in between sessions that will help you make progress toward your goals. If you prioritize yourself by taking these actions, you will be much more satisfied with the results you achieve from therapy.
I am direct. I am not neutral.
Something is standing in the way of the changes you want to make in your life. Maybe memories of painful past experiences are holding you back. Perhaps you need better, more accurate information about sex and relationships. It is possible that the way you are viewing and interpreting interactions is keeping you stuck.
When I see you making choices that aren’t aligned with your desires, getting caught up in thought patterns that are more based in the past than the present, or being critical of yourself in a way that is destructive, I will tell you what I see. I will point out to you what you are doing, thinking, or telling yourself that isn’t working.
Gaining a better perspective on how you operate, where the operating manual came from, and how you want to revise it as you move forward, means you have more choices. When you stop doing things reflexively and automatically, and instead have time and space to make informed decisions, you experience more freedom.
You have hired me to help you make changes, we have clarified and outlined together what those changes might look like, and I want you to achieve your goals!
I am not a blank slate.
Some people prefer not to know anything about who their therapist is as a person. I respect this and try to minimize the amount of personal information I put out into the world. However, others feel more comfortable knowing some basic information about who they are confiding in, such as my age, gender identity, sexual orientation, where I grew up, whether I have children, or whether I am religious. While I avoid talking about myself for the most part, because I always want the focus of the session to be on you, I’m happy to share a little bit about my background in order to help you feel more comfortable opening up to me. I have lived in Roanoke, Virginia since 2005. I love the beauty of the mountains and the mild climate that allows me to spend time outdoors year round.