Online Therapy Across Maryland, Virginia, & D.C.
About erin reddinger
When you’re the capable one, the driven one, the one everyone relies on — it’s hard to admit when you’re struggling.
On the outside, your life may look steady. You show up. You handle what needs to be handled. People rely on you, and you rarely drop the ball. But on the inside, it can feel very different. You’re constantly “on,” bracing for the next demand. Small things trigger reactions that feel bigger than they should. You replay conversations long after they end, wondering if you said the wrong thing. Even rest can feel uncomfortable, and sometimes even unsafe.
Most of the women I work with aren’t falling apart. They’re holding it together beautifully. And they’re exhausted.
What Makes My Work Different
Your nervous system doesn’t care how insightful you are. It responds to perceived threat (not logic).
So even when you know you’re safe…
Even when you understand where the reaction comes from…
Even when you’ve talked it through before…
Your body can still brace, shut down, people-please, or spiral. It’s not due to lack of trying. It’s a system that hasn’t updated yet. You can understand your anxiety and still feel your chest tighten. You can recognize a people-pleasing pattern and still hear yourself say yes. You can trace the overwhelm back to childhood and still feel your nervous system go into overdrive. Insight is important. But insight alone doesn’t retrain a nervous system.
That’s where my work is different. I don’t just help you understand your story, I help your body update it. Using EMDR, DBT-informed skills, and nervous system regulation work, we target the emotional and physiological responses that keep you stuck. We process unresolved experiences at their root. We build practical tools you can use in real time — in conversations, in conflict, in moments of stress.
This means you’re not just more self-aware. You’re steadier. Clearer. More in control of your reactions. Lasting change isn’t about thinking differently.
It’s about your system finally feeling safe enough to respond differently.
How change Happens here
Change doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in stages — each one building on the last.
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Phase 1: Understand the Pattern
We identify the specific moments your system goes into overdrive — conflict, feedback, boundaries, parenting stress. Then we map what happens in your body and the belief driving it.
Clarity reduces confusion. Naming the pattern reduces shame.
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Phase 2: Update the Root
When reactions are tied to unresolved experiences, we use EMDR to process them directly.
We target the source, so your nervous system no longer responds as if the past is still happening.
This is where survival mode begins to soften.
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Phase 3: Practice New Responses
Insight isn’t enough. We build skills you can use in real time.
Regulation. Communication. Boundaries that hold.
You don’t just understand your patterns.
You respond differently inside them.
My Professional Background
I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work and am licensed to practice in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
My clinical training began 14 years ago in high-acuity settings, where I worked with individuals navigating trauma, mood disorders, and complex family dynamics. That early experience shaped how I approach therapy today — structured, steady, and focused on building real capacity rather than short-term relief.
I completed advanced training in EMDR and continue to pursue consultation to deepen my trauma processing work. My approach is also informed by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), attachment theory, and family systems frameworks. These models are not layered on top of each other. They are integrated intentionally, depending on what will create the most movement for you.
I maintain a focused caseload so I can provide thoughtful, attentive work to each client. This is private-pay therapy designed for depth, precision, and measurable change.
License: DC Health Office of Health Professional Licensing Boards: LC200003109 / 2024
License: Virginia Department of Health Professions: 0904016230 / 2024
License: State of Maryland / 22542
If You’re Ready for Therapy That Moves Forward
If you’re looking for structured, active therapy that creates measurable change, we should talk.
This work is focused and intentional. It requires willingness, consistency, and honesty. In return, many clients begin to feel steadier, clearer, and more in control of how they respond to stress and relationships.
If that’s what you’re looking for, schedule a consultation. Let’s determine whether this is the right fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Many clients come in because of anxiety, burnout, relationship stress, or difficulty regulating emotions. Sometimes trauma is part of the picture. Sometimes it isn’t. We assess what’s driving the reactivity and target that directly.
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No. EMDR is one tool — used strategically when unresolved experiences are fueling present-day reactions. I also integrate DBT-informed skills and structured regulation work. The approach depends on what will create measurable change for you.
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That’s often helpful. Insight gives us language. But we focus on translating insight into different responses under stress. The work is less about understanding more and more — and more about responding differently when it matters.
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It depends on your goals and the complexity of what we’re addressing. Some clients work in focused blocks targeting specific patterns. Others choose longer-term work to deepen relational and emotional shifts. We revisit goals regularly and adjust intentionally.
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Yes. You don’t need prior experience. You do need willingness to engage actively in the work. Sessions are structured and collaborative, and we move at a pace that supports progress without overwhelm.