Our Team
Our therapists are a diverse group of professionals with extensive experience and training. Our in-person sessions are based in Arlington but we offer telehealth in the whole DMV area. Need guidance choosing a therapist? Call 703-740-9840 or schedule a free meeting.
Matt Levine, LCSW, founder and lead therapist
Matt Levine, LCSW, is an Arlington-based relationship repair specialist who helps couples, families, and individuals break painful patterns, repair emotional injuries, and build more secure and connected relationships.
He is a certified Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) therapist specializing in couples, individual, and family therapy. His approach focuses on understanding what happens beneath conflict—helping clients recognize emotional patterns, communicate their deeper needs, and create meaningful and lasting change in their relationships.
Matt received training at the University of Virginia, University of Connecticut, and Yale University School of Medicine’s Child Study Center. He is a certified social work supervisor and an EFT supervisor-in-training.
He provides therapy in English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese and sees clients in-person and online.
Rachel Townes, LPC
Rachel Townes, M.S., LPC, is a Virginia-licensed professional counselor who works with children, adolescents, and adults navigating emotional, behavioral, and relational challenges.
Rachel takes a collaborative, strengths-based, and relational approach, helping clients better understand their emotions, recognize patterns that may be keeping them stuck, and develop healthier ways of responding to themselves and the people around them. She draws from evidence-based approaches including CBT, TF-CBT, and psychodynamic therapy, tailoring treatment to each client's unique needs and goals.
Rachel works with concerns including anxiety, depression, mood and behavioral challenges, grief, self-esteem, and relationship difficulties. She believes that meaningful change begins with a safe, trusting therapeutic relationship where clients feel understood, supported, and empowered to discover their own strengths.
“It is a privilege to work alongside clients as they discover their strengths, navigate challenges, and develop greater resilience. My hope is that through our work together, clients feel more understood and equipped to create meaningful change in their lives and relationships.”
Rachel sees clients only online.
Mahlet Mekonnen, LCSW
Mahlet, LCSW, is a Virginia-licensed clinical social worker with more than 15 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, and families across community, outpatient, school, foster care, preschool, and hospital settings. Her diverse clinical background has given her a deep understanding of how relationships, family dynamics, development, and life circumstances shape emotional wellbeing.
Mahlet takes a collaborative, strengths-based, and relational approach, meeting each client and family where they are and taking time to understand the broader context of their experiences. She helps clients recognize emotional and behavioral patterns, build greater emotional regulation, and develop healthier ways of relating to themselves and others.
Her clinical training includes CBT, DBT, TF-CBT, Infant Mental Health, and EMDR, allowing her to tailor treatment to each client's individual needs. She has particular experience working with children and families navigating trauma, behavioral challenges, emotional difficulties, family transitions, and relationship concerns.
“There is no one recipe for living that fits all cases.”
Mahlet is bilingual in English and Amharic and sees clients in person and online.
Joao Perosa, Ph.D.
Dr. João Perosa has more than 20 years of experience helping adolescents, adults, and families navigate emotional and relational challenges. His work is grounded in the belief that understanding ourselves often begins with understanding the relationships, experiences, and patterns that have shaped us.
Originally from Brazil, João worked as a professor, researcher, and clinician at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. Since moving to the United States in 2018, he has provided mental health services in Virginia and Colorado. He is a lecturer at the University of Colorado, Boulder and The Front Range Community College.
João uses a collaborative and relational approach, drawing from psychoanalytic and behavioral therapies to help clients develop greater self-understanding, emotional awareness, and healthier ways of relating to themselves and others. He works collaboratively with each client to understand the larger picture rather than reducing their experience to a diagnosis or single problem.
João provides therapy in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and sees clients exclusively online.