About Claire Connolly, LICSW
Hello, I’m Claire Connolly, a psychodynamic therapist and trauma specialist for individuals and couples in DC
“Psychodynamic” means that my approach focuses on addressing the why behind your current challenges, understanding the impact of early experiences.
I’m compassionate, warm, and patient, and here to help you become the person you want to be.
I offer in-person individual and couples therapy in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC, and online therapy for residents of DC, Maryland and Virginia.
What therapy with me is like
Who I work with best
Ambitious DC professionals, new parents, and couples with issues around relationships, self-esteem, trauma, or loss.
Often my clients work in high-stress, high-visibility DC environments like political, government, nonprofit, and international development positions.
Which modalities I use most
My approach combines elements of psychodynamic, existential, attachment-based, relational psychotherapy, family systems, parts work, mindfulness-based, ACT and DBT.
What I’m like in session
Depth-oriented, nonjudgmental, and sometimes funny. I listen patiently, ask thoughtful questions, and offer insights when you’re ready.
Who I am as a person
When I am not working with clients, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, being in nature, traveling, reading, trying new restaurants, and experiencing comedy and art.
Credentials
10+ years of experience
LICSW
Graduate studies at New York University
Previous work: Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City
Post graduate training from the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis and the Washington School of Psychiatry, among other institutes
Memberships
American Academy of Psychotherapists (AAP)
Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis (WBCP)
Washington School of Psychiatry (WSP)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work (GWSCSW)
National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM)
Together, I’ll help you:
1
Understand how you were shaped by your past experiences.
2
Release the self-blame and shame, increase self-acceptance, self-compassion, confidence and calm.
3
Transcend your history, so you can get into the driver’s seat of your life, and start to live in alignment with your true values and wishes.
“Claire is a gifted psychodynamic clinician with a rare combination of depth, warmth, and rigor. She has a genuine gift for helping clients slow down and understand the roots of their patterns rather than just managing symptoms. Clients come to trust her deeply and experience lasting change from working with her—she's the kind of colleague I'd send my own family to.”
Liza Chapkovsky, LICSW
Modalities at a glance
Psychodynamic
Understanding how your past shapes your present
Psychoanalytic
Making the unconscious conscious
Trauma therapy
Processing painful experiences to heal
Mindfulness-based
Building awareness and acceptance of thoughts and feelings
Attachment-based
Healing old wounds through our safe connection
ACT and DBT
Building skills to manage difficult emotions
Family systems
Seeing the patterns that started in your family
Parts work
Understanding the different parts of you
Existential
Finding meaning and purpose in your life
The Meaning of August Harbor
An August harbor brings to mind still water in the late summer sunset
Water represents the unconscious, everything that happens under the surface. Harbors represent peace and safety, where ships come in to shelter from the world. August represents that magical time away from our “real life” — right before school or work begins in earnest — where the only thing that exists is the present moment.
Together, August Harbor Therapy means a place set aside from the chaos to safely navigate the waters of your unconscious and create a sense of undisturbed peace inside of yourself.
You’re brave for doing this work, and I’m honored to guide you through it.
I am profoundly inspired by my clients. They are my greatest teachers.
I am grateful to each person who has entrusted me to support them in their process of healing, self-discovery, and change.
I’m looking forward to meeting you — please use the button below to book a complimentary consultation to determine fit.