Quarterlife Center - Counseling for Young Adults

Are you pregnant and feeling more anxious than normal? Do you and your partner find yourselves feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, down, and irritable after the birth of your baby? Is your struggle with infertility taking over your life and your finances? Do you blame yourself? Do you blame your partner? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions,  perinatal   counseling may be a good fit for you. Maternal and paternal mental health is important for you, your relationship, and your baby. One of the best ways to cope with these feelings is to talk about the ups and downs of trying to get pregnant, preparing for the birth of your baby, and bringing a baby into your family. QLC provides mental health support for women and partners trying to navigate fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum life. Adding a baby to your family is a huge life transition that introduces new challenges and new joys. At QLC, we understand how stressful it can be preparing for the birth of your baby and adj...

Are you pregnant and feeling more anxious than normal? Do you and your partner find yourselves feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, down, and irritable after the birth of your baby? Is your struggle with infertility taking over your life and your finances? Do you blame yourself? Do you blame your partner? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, perinatal counseling may be a good fit for you. Maternal and paternal mental health is important for you, your relationship, and your baby. One of the best ways to cope with these feelings is to talk about the ups and downs of trying to get pregnant, preparing for the birth of your baby, and bringing a baby into your family. QLC provides mental health support for women and partners trying to navigate fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum life. Adding a baby to your family is a huge life transition that introduces new challenges and new joys. At QLC, we understand how stressful it can be preparing for the birth of your baby and adjusting to li...

Life transitions that occur in your twenties and thirties can be exciting for couples, but they are also stressful. Building a life together is a wonderful thing, but it also can create significant tension and anxiety. As couples consider taking their relationships to the next level, whether it’s moving in together, planning for marriage or having a baby, they often experience increased conflict and miscommunication, decreased sexual intimacy, and even doubts about their compatibility. At QLC, we understand how these transitions affect couples, and we are here to help you work together as a couple to navigate these challenging times. These are some of the areas our couples counselors can help you with: Communication skills Empathy and understanding Effective conflict resolution Anger and Resentment Decision-making as a couple Emotional Connection Sexual Intimacy Infidelity Trust Conflict about Finances If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment or you’d like more information, pl...

Meet Joanna Strait! Pronouns: she/her Joanna is experienced in providing individual and group therapy to those struggling with grief and loss, perinatal mood disorders, and those struggling to overcome anxiety and depression. She is passionate about empowering her clients so that they feel they are able to overcome quarter-life challenges and can lead fulfilling, healthy lives. Joanna’s approach is very collaborative, and she provides a calm, safe and empathic space for clients to explore possibilities for healing and growth. In addition to her work, Joanna enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and reading true crime. Education: MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University BA in Biological Anthropology, Scripps College Advanced Training Perinatal Mental Health – Postpartum Support International Maternal Reproductive Mental Health Grief & Loss (Including Infertility and Pregnancy Loss) Hospice & Palliative Care Licenses Licensed Clinical Social Worker Washington, D.C., LICSW...

Are you pregnant and feeling more anxious than normal? Do you and your partner find yourselves feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, down, and irritable after the birth of your baby? Is your struggle with infertility taking over your life and your finances? Do you blame yourself? Do you blame your partner? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are not alone. And we are here to help. Maternal and paternal mental health is important for you, for your relationship, and for your baby. One of the best ways to cope with these feelings is to talk about the ups and downs of trying to get pregnant and giving birth to a baby. QLC provides mental health support for women and families trying to navigate fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum life. Adding a baby to your family is a huge life transition that introduces new challenges and new joys. At QLC, we understand how stressful it can be preparing for the birth of your baby and adjusting to life after your baby is born. Perinatal & p...

Are you pregnant and feeling more anxious than normal? Do you and your partner find yourselves feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, down, and irritable after the birth of your baby? Is your struggle with infertility taking over your life and your finances? Do you blame yourself? Do you blame your partner? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are not alone. And we are here to help. Maternal and paternal mental health is important for you, for your relationship, and for your baby. One of the best ways to cope with these feelings is to talk about the ups and downs of trying to get pregnant and giving birth to a baby. QLC provides mental health support for women and families trying to navigate fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum life. Adding a baby to your family is a huge life transition that introduces new challenges and new joys. At QLC, we understand how stressful it can be preparing for the birth of your baby and adjusting to life after your baby is born. Perinatal & p...

“The experience of pregnancy and the postpartum period can feel overwhelming and isolating, even in the best circumstances. Pregnant and postpartum moms are now even more likely to experience mental health challenges as they try to navigate huge life adjustments during a global pandemic. Family and friends that were once able to offer support might be unable to, places that once offered opportunities for socialization and self-care (gym, yoga studios, restaurants, movie theatres etc.) are closed, and new moms are concerned about their health and the health of their babies. While we are certainly living in an unprecedented time, here are a few tips for making this time a little more bearable. If you have older kids at home,  click here   for some tips on parenting during the pandemic .” 1. Connect with Others While options for in-person socialization might be limited, there are lots of ways to remain connected virtually with family and friends. Try to talk with at least 2 diffe...

What is Remote Therapy? You may have heard it called any of these things: telemental health therapy, video therapy, online therapy, Internet-based therapy, remote counseling, virtual therapy, or e-therapy…but what is it exactly? Remote therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which a professional therapist provides counseling services via phone, video, or sometimes even text, rather than conventional in-person therapy. At QLC, we offer remote therapy for our clients in order to ensure continuity of care, even when clients are unable to come into the office for in-person appointments. We understand how busy our clients are, and we are committed to making therapy accessible and convenient. Research has found that remote counseling is becoming increasingly popular and effective, especially among young adults in their twenties and thirties. As our lives are becoming busier, there is an increasing need for mental health support and even less time to schedule in-person office appoin...

Christine, Founder and Director of the Quarterlife Center, is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience working with quarterlife clients. At age 24, she experienced her own quarterlife crisis. It motivated her to closely examine who she was and how she could create a fulfilling life for herself and be a positive influence on her loved ones and community. This journey inspired her to help others successfully navigate the changes, challenges, and exciting experiences of young adulthood. She enjoys helping quarterlifers thrive and live more intentionally as they make important choices about relationships, careers, and their place in the world. In addition to helping her clients, Christine enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, playing tennis, and taking a good power nap. Personally Speaking-  "Changes that result from life transitions are an inevitable part of life, and much of our happiness depends on how we navigate these times of transition. W...

Are you pregnant and feeling more anxious than normal? Do you and your partner find yourselves feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, down, and irritable after the birth of your baby? Is your struggle with infertility taking over your life and your finances? Do you blame yourself? Do you blame your partner? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are not alone. And we are here to help. Maternal and paternal mental health is important for you, for your relationship, and for your baby. One of the best ways to cope with these feelings is to talk about the ups and downs of trying to get pregnant and giving birth to a baby. QLC provides mental health support for women and families trying to navigate fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum life. Adding a baby to your family is a huge life transition that introduces new challenges and new joys. At QLC, we understand how stressful it can be preparing for the birth of your baby and adjusting to life after your baby is born. Perinat...

Are you in your twenties or thirties and grieving the death of a loved one? If you are, you already know that this is a particularly difficult time of life to grieve the loss of someone you love. Grieving a loss as a young adult is challenging for several reasons: 1) Experiencing grief during the quarterlife phase of life is an “off-time” life event, meaning that it is not expected to occur during that phase of life. We do not expect that young adults will have to experience the death of a friend or sibling, so it’s a non-normative event. It is expected, however, that a quarterlifer would experience the death of a grandparent, and this expected event is called an “on-time” or normative event. Off-time events have been found to be harder to cope with because they often feel unjust and unexpected. Because grief during the quarterlife stage of life is non-normative, quarterlifers who are mourning are likely to feel alone because peers don’t share and understand their experience. ...