THE VILLAGE
If your inherent vibration is that of the cycle breaker, the eternal caretaker, the tough one, the people-pleaser, the scapegoat, or the one who just can’t quite get it “right” in this world, we suspect this may be the space for you.​
For all female-identifying persons looking for a space to heal and recover from the exhaustion, isolation, separation, and debilitating expectations that our society relentlessly promotes, we offer this group.
Because we’ve learned that it’s often not the girl/woman that’s the issue, but the world around her. And if it is your stuff that’s at play, we’ll help you see and heal that, too. For all too often, our “stuff” is a complex mesh of an old adaptation gone wrong, social or relational expectations that don’t align with who we are, or emotions that we can’t manage for very good reasons that make a lot of sense when examined.
This bi-weekly psychotherapy group was inspired by The Village, a monthly support group for women that was started in early 2023 by clinical social workers Lisa Kays and Paula D. Atkinson.
The Village was later re-conceptualized as an in-person women’s writing salon and this online psychotherapy group. The ethos of The Village to be carried into this group has developed organically as a space for women to connect and combat the messages of our patriarchal, individualistic and capitalist culture that would rather divide us, encourage us to compete with each other and deny one another support.
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Our Hope
This group will encourage women to gather, hold space for each other, and allow radical permission to exist in our full authenticity, as complex as that may be, amongst one another. The Village is meant to be a salve for the injuries inflicted by our current culture, and a revolutionary return to women’s inherent abilities to love and be loved.
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Please join us!
Whatever your trauma or troubles, our belief is that the most powerful healing happens in a communal space that is shame-free, nonjudgmental, validating, and fun. This online psychotherapy group will address and help you heal all of your “stuff,” and more.
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Our Therapists:
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Lisa Kays, LICSW, LCSW, LCSW-C
Lisa Kays is a psychotherapist in private practice serving Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Lisa works with adults to strengthen relationships​ whether it be with oneself, a partner, kids, work, a substance, family-of-origin​, or the world. She works with individuals and couples, and is a seasoned group therapist with over a decade of experience witnessing the reality that while our individualistic society believes one-on-one therapy is superior, really group therapy is where it’s at: cheaper, more efficient, more healing, and yes, even more fun.
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Paula D. Atkinson, LICSW, LCSW, ERYT500
Paula D. Atkinson is a psychotherapist in private practice based in California. For over a decade, she has helped clients heal from depression and anxiety, relationship strife, self doubt, and the despair that results from living in a society that worships perfection, productivity, and restriction. Paula’s passion is working with those who suffer from years of dieting, disordered eating, food obsession, internalized weight stigma, and body hatred. Paula works with young people, adults, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, couples, and anyone hoping to get some freedom from that which does not resonate with them.
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