Alpha Omega Clinic

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Fairfax, VA
Alpha Omega Clinic

Catholic Therapists in VA & MD

The Alpha Omega Clinic Provides:
- A team of professionals faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church
- Catholic psychologists, social workers, and marriage & family therapists working in outpatient settings
- Testing and full diagnostic evaluations for children and adults
- Mental health services on a sliding fee scale

11/12/2025

Many people are skeptical of therapy because they feel that it will be overwhelming to relive painful experiences or that just “talking about it” won’t help them “move on.” However, good therapy actually addresses both of these concerns. We have openings. Make an appointment at aoclinic.org Information posted on our website or social media accounts is not intended to be medical advice, nor is it intended to replace consultation with a qualified physician or other healthcare provider.

11/06/2025

It’s an all too familiar story: a couple meets, falls in love, gets married, the honeymoon period ends, and then a set of troubling thoughts and emotions start popping up. Suddenly, both partners might start behaving differently as they struggle to adjust.

Where did these emotions come from? Why do we feel this way? What happened to us? Why are we acting this way with one another? This can go on for years and with varying degrees of relational distress.

Attachment theory provides us with a key to understanding this familiar story. As we get closer to our partners, they begin to (often unintentionally) evoke our raw spots or wounds. When this happens, our brain tries to protect us from further pain by pushing us into a survival stance with our partner. Unfortunately, this tends to evoke their raw spots and away we go, lost in a cycle of mutual pain and self-protection. Escaping this cycle together is part of the “surgery” for our hearts.

Marriage is the place where we learn to bear our pain together. If we can learn to share our raw spots and respond to each other with tenderness, we can shrink those wounds and heal together. Feeling loved in the place where we feel the most vulnerable is a powerful healing agent.

As we heal, our capacity to love expands and suddenly, new possibilities emerge in all our relationships (God, children, family, friends). This is the gift of marriage. It may be painful at times, but it can also change us for the better.

* The information provided is for self-enrichment and not intended to replace any necessary mental health treatment.⁣

Want to support our work? Visit aoclinic.org/donate

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive this content directly to your inbox. Link in bio (newsletter sign up on main page). ⁣

10/31/2025

🕯Hallowtide & The Human Psyche

(All Hallows’ Eve • All Saints’ Day • All Souls’ Day)

Hallowtide is the Church’s three-day meditation on death, holiness, and the mystery of what lies beyond this life. It’s a sacred pause in the liturgical year that invites us to face what modern life often tries to numb: mortality, grief, and our deep longing for meaning or purpose.

From a psychological perspective, this period mirrors an essential part of mental health—our capacity to face loss, pain, and fear without turning away. Avoidance, while understandable and so very human, keeps us stuck in the grip of our emotions. Remember, emotions are wonderful messengers but terrible masters. In the Church’s wisdom, she understands the need to help us break free from these patterns and provides us with repeated opportunities to face these existential realities throughout the liturgical year.

Our tradition seeks to sanctify that which overwhelms us. It teaches us that remembering the dead, praying for souls, and reflecting on our own finitude can orient us toward humility, gratitude, and hope. What we fear becomes less intense when we give it reverent attention and seek support to process this together.

For many, however, this season stirs anxiety—fear of death, fear of being alone, or the resurfacing of unprocessed grief. Coping begins not by suppressing these feelings, but by witnessing them with gentleness. Lighting a candle, journaling, or sitting in quiet prayer allows the body to metabolize fear without judgment. Spiritual practices like the Rosary or meditating on the Communion of Saints remind us we are never isolated; the living and the dead remain mysteriously connected in love. Facing fear through ritual can transform it into peace.

* The information provided is for self-enrichment and not intended to replace any necessary mental health treatment.⁣

Want to support our work? Visit aoclinic.org/donate

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive this content directly to your inbox. Link in bio (newsletter sign up on main page). ⁣

10/29/2025

Did you know that therapy can help you think more rationally? We have openings! Make an appointment today at aoclinic.org Information posted on our website or social media accounts is not intended to be medical advice, nor is it intended to replace consultation with a qualified physician or other healthcare provider.

10/23/2025

I first heard this statement in a training many years ago. When asked about how to help clients avoid feeling shameful about their limitations of coping, the lead trainer said, “No one tells us that our coping strategies have an expiration date”. I thought this was a beautiful way to honor the pain that comes with self discovery. It really hurts to experience the limits of our skills (what we know how to do doesn’t work anymore), especially when we are working very hard and have very good intentions. This reframe can help soften the blow and turn a perceived failure into an opportunity for growth. It’s a way of saying, “Of course you got stuck! No one told you that you would need to update your coping strategies along the way. I know that’s a hard realization so let’s find some new ways to deal with life that fit better for you”.

Humans are not static; we grow and change automatically throughout our lives. Getting stuck relating to the world around us with the same template, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, is what makes things feel static. When this happens, making some adjustments to that template can suddenly help you move through the places you feel stuck. There’s no shame in needing help or finding new resources to better navigate your current needs. Take the wheel from the automatic (and subconscious) adaptation process and consciously chart a new path for yourself.

* The information provided is for self-enrichment and not intended to replace any necessary mental health treatment.⁣

Want to support our work? Visit aoclinic.org/donate

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive this content directly to your inbox. Link in bio (newsletter sign up on main page). ⁣

10/17/2025

Alpha Omega Clinic is excited to announce that we are now accepting clients at our new location in Sterling, VA. Situated on the campus of Divine Mercy University, we are grateful to bring our services to Loudoun County. If you or someone you know is interested, please call our main office at (301) 767-1733 or email us at info@aoclinic.org. Spots are limited so contact us today!

Want to support our work? Visit aoclinic.org/donate

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive this content directly to your inbox. Link in bio (newsletter sign up on main page). ⁣

10/14/2025

This quote speaks to the essential work of integration—the process of becoming aware of the parts of ourselves we’d rather disown. Our negative impulses, judgments, and emotional reactions often reveal what we have yet to process or work through within ourselves. When we deny the existence of these parts, they don’t disappear; they operate unconsciously, shaping how we see and treat ourselves and others.

Committing to this self type of self discovery is an act of humility. To know our darkness is to recognize that we, too, are capable of what we react to in others, and that our need for mercy is shared. From this awareness, empathy becomes possible. It is the ground from which genuine compassion grows—not sympathy from a distance, but understanding from within.

Catholic theology mirrors this in its understanding of sin and grace. The Cross is not a symbol of avoidance, but of descent. Christ enters fully into human suffering and shadow—not to affirm it, but to redeem it. This is the incarnational divine pattern: transformation happens not through denial or repression, but through bearing our wounds to the source of healing.

In this light, self-knowledge becomes a spiritual practice. Examining our hearts, confessing our faults, and turning toward grace are not acts of shame—they are acts of courage. To face one’s darkness honestly is to make space for light to enter.

What parts of yourself do you struggle with or are not proud of? Where do you need mercy and compassion? How could you grant this to others while you work together with God to grow?

* The information provided is for self-enrichment and not intended to replace any necessary mental health treatment.⁣

Want to support our work? Visit aoclinic.org/donate

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive this content directly to your inbox. Link in bio (newsletter sign up on main page). ⁣

10/09/2025

Alpha Omega Clinic is pleased to announce the opening of a new office location in Sterling, Virginia, on November 1 2025, situated on the campus of Divine Mercy University (DMU). In partnership with DMU we will be welcoming the clinicians and clients of the IPS Center for Psychological Services as they transition their operations to Alpha Omega Clinic. This exciting expansion will enhance our presence within the Arlington Diocese and enable us to better serve individuals and families in Loudoun County.

Founded by some of the original professors at the Institute for Psychological Sciences (now IPS at DMU), Alpha Omega Clinic has long shared a close relationship with the school. Over the years, many graduates of their counseling and doctoral programs have joined our team, serving clients with a model that integrates faith and psychology to support healing of the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.

With the opening of this new office, Alpha Omega Clinic will expand to four locations within the DMV area where we continue to provide mental health services rooted in the fullness of the Catholic faith. We are grateful for the opportunity to deepen our collaboration with Divine Mercy University and look forward to supporting the wellbeing and flourishing of individuals and families throughout Loudoun County.

Looking forward to serving you,

Ann Samperio
Executive Director

10/07/2025

Most of our conversations start at the surface — about schedules, frustrations, daily life.
But beneath almost every comment is a quiet invitation: see me, hear me, know me.

When we respond too quickly, we often answer the words, not the feeling.
Slowing down — even for a breath — lets us tune into the emotional signal being sent.

In therapy, this is called attunement: meeting someone where they are before moving them anywhere else.
It’s how conflict softens, intimacy deepens, and trust slowly rebuilds.

Try this: next time you’re about to respond, pause for a moment.
Notice what’s underneath the words.
Ask yourself, What is this person really needing right now?

That’s where the deeper conversation begins.

* The information provided is for self-enrichment and not intended to replace any necessary mental health treatment.⁣

Want to support our work? Visit aoclinic.org/donate

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive this content directly to your inbox. Link in bio (newsletter sign up on main page). ⁣

09/30/2025

Like most things about being human, healing does not require perfection. It is less about “arriving” at a final destination and more about a gradual shift—from overwhelm to relief, from the unbearable to the manageable. Healing doesn’t mean living without pain; it means reaching a place where our pain feels more tolerable, where it no longer controls us. This process involves both working to lessen the impact of difficult experiences and learning to seek support in healthy, sustainable ways.

Signs you may be healing:

🕰️ You respond to reminders of past pain with less reactivity.

🕊️ You feel more peace and joy in places that once held tension.

🧠 Your mind feels lighter, and you extend more compassion to yourself and others.

🚫 You use boundaries to protect your wellbeing without guilt.

🤍 When pain resurfaces, you allow yourself to seek comfort and reassurance.

❤️‍🩹 You can share your painful experiences with less distress—and they occupy less space in your daily thoughts.

* The information provided is for self-enrichment and not intended to replace any necessary mental health treatment.⁣

Want to support our work? Visit aoclinic.org/donate

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive this content directly to your inbox. Link in bio (newsletter sign up on main page). ⁣

Address

9677 Main Street
Fairfax, VA
22031

Telephone

+13017671733

Website

http://www.aoclinic.org/

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