Kennedy Counseling Collective

02/20/2026

Why do therapists use play in children’s therapy?

As KCC therapist , LMSW, LGSW explains, play is often how children communicate.

Just like adults, children experience big emotions. The difference is that many kids don’t yet have the language to explain what they’re feeling or why. Play becomes their way of expressing thoughts, fears, and experiences that might be hard to put into words.

In therapy, play isn’t random or “just for fun.” It’s a developmentally appropriate way for therapists to understand a child’s emotional world and support them in learning skills to:

• Identify and express feelings
• Regulate emotions and stress
• Make sense of their experiences
• Build safety and trust

For many children, play is a core part of treatment and an important pathway to healing, growth, and emotional understanding.

If you’ve ever wondered what children’s therapy actually looks like, this is often at the heart of it.

Learn more about working with a KCC therapist for children and families through our matching process.

02/17/2026

✨ We've extended our fall internship deadline to March 1! ✨

If you're a graduate student looking for your next clinical training placement, we'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Here's what makes our internship different: we actually mean it when we say we prioritize supervision and support. Our team has real conversations about cases, creates space for questions, and believes that learning happens best when you have professional support.

You get to build your clinical skills in an environment that values thoughtful growth, collaborative learning, and the kind of supervision that sticks with you long after the internship ends.

We're looking for graduate students in counseling, social work, or related mental health fields who want hands-on experience within a values-driven practice, and who are ready to be part of a team that shows up for each other.

If that sounds like the kind of place you've been hoping to train at, take a look at the application. We'd be excited to meet you.

Deadline: March 1
🔗 Apply: kennedycounselingcollective.com/careers

02/13/2026

Your emotions aren’t confusing. You just weren’t taught the language. Most feelings are more layered and complex than simply “sad” or “angry.”

In our conversation with Danielle Marshall (Culture Principles ) on ‘Unpacked: Culture Chronicles’, we explore why naming emotions can be so hard and how paying attention to your body can reveal what’s happening beneath the surface. From kids learning social-emotional skills in school to Gen Z speaking more openly about anxiety and mental health, emotional literacy is shifting. And it starts with noticing yourself first.

When something feels off, what do you notice first: your thoughts, your body, or something else entirely?

02/10/2026

When was the last time you talked about money without feeling tense?

Financial stress doesn’t stay on paper. It shows up in our bodies, our sleep, our relationships, and our mental health.

If money feels like a constant source of anxiety, or keeps finding its way into arguments with your partner, this may be worth your time. Our friend Keina Newell (Wealth Over Now - WON LLC) is hosting an in-person event for anyone who’s tired of carrying that stress and ready to approach money differently.

Keina has presented to our therapists and truly understands how closely financial and emotional wellbeing are connected. We know firsthand how she creates space for honest, grounded conversations that actually feel supportive.

02/09/2026

Which camp are you as a couple in? Do you LOVE Valentine’s Day, dread it, or find yourself somewhere in the middle?

For some couples, it highlights closeness and connection. For others, it brings pressure, disappointment, or quiet reminders of what feels hard right now. And for many, it’s a mix of both.

What often goes unspoken is this: you don’t need to be “in crisis” for couples therapy to be helpful.

Many couples use therapy not because something is broken, but because they want more:

• Space to talk without defensiveness
• Support navigating recurring patterns
• Tools to communicate more clearly and with less guesswork
• Help strengthening connection before resentment builds

So, if Valentine’s Day feels tender, complicated, or even just a little bit off in your relationship, maybe it’s time to pay attention.

And exploring that with professional support shows you care, for yourself and for your relationship.

Curious about how couples therapy works, even when things are “mostly okay”? Learn more about working with a KCC couples therapist through our matching process.

02/05/2026

You’ve felt it. It’s part of living in a city like DC. Early mornings, long evenings, packed calendars, the pressure to always be “on.”

At some point, stress stops feeling like a problem and starts feeling like the cost of ambition and achievement.

What’s easier to miss is how little room there is to rest and recover. Your sleep gets disrupted, patience shortens, and tasks that once felt manageable begin to take more effort than they should. Even highly capable people can find themselves operating on empty.

In our latest blog, we explore why stress feels so unavoidable in DC — and how building resilience and recovery helps you keep moving forward without burning out.

Sometimes the goal isn’t eliminating stress altogether. It’s learning how to recover from it.

💬 What helps you destress during your week?

Living in Washington DC can make stress feel unavoidable. Learn how to build resilience, support your nervous system, and recover sustainably.

02/02/2026

It’s never too early to start thinking about your fall internship.

Applications are now open for Fall mental health therapy internships at Kennedy Counseling Collective!

This opportunity is designed for graduate-level students in counseling, social work, or related mental health fields who want hands-on clinical experience within a supportive, values-driven group practice. We prioritize thoughtful supervision, real conversations, and learning environments where growth happens without pressure to be perfect.

Applications are open through February 9, 2025.

If you’re exploring your next step in training as a mental health therapist, we invite you to check out this opportunity and apply.

01/29/2026

Some conversations stay with you long after you hit “stop recording.” This was one of those.

We recently sat down with our dear friend Danielle Marshall (Culture Principles) on 'Unpacked: Culture Chronicles', and it felt less like a podcast interview and more like the kind of honest, curious conversation you have with someone who really sees you and cares.

We talked about the role curiosity plays in navigating identity and therapy, especially when you’re trying to find care that actually reflects who you are. We unpacked what culturally responsive therapy really means, the quiet challenges clients face when searching for identity-affirming support, and how therapists can stay grounded while holding space for others. We even touched on the real-world tension between honoring culture and maintaining confidentiality.

Why listen? If you’ve ever wondered:
‣How do I find a therapist who truly gets me?
‣Why does identity matter so much in the therapy room?
‣What does culturally responsive care look like in practice, not just as a buzzword?

This episode is for you.

We’re so excited to share this conversation and hope it helps you feel a little more seen, and a little more confident in finding the right therapeutic fit.

Danielle, thank you for creating such a thoughtful, heartfelt space for this dialogue.

01/26/2026

Welcome Our New Couples Therapist, Morgan!

We’re thrilled to introduce the newest member of the family, who will be supporting couples in navigating challenges, deepening connection, and growing together.

As part of our approach, we focus on helping couples address unresolved issues, communicate more effectively, and build stronger, healthier relationships.

Join us in welcoming her to the KCC family!

01/23/2026

Contrary to the saying, time doesn’t heal all wounds. Repair does.

When past hurts go unspoken, they don’t just disappear. No, they hide and settle into the nervous system, quietly shaping trust, safety, and intimacy. That’s often why couples feel stuck in the same arguments or emotional distance, even years later.

Healing isn’t about forgetting, minimizing, or “just moving on.” It’s about understanding what happened, and intentionally rebuilding together.

In couples therapy, we often guide partners through 4 phases of repair:

1️⃣ Reflect — Each partner shares their experience and feels genuinely heard.
2️⃣ Responsibility — Both acknowledge impact, not just intent, and take ownership.
3️⃣ Remember — Reconnect with what brought you together and what still matters.
4️⃣ Rebuild — Create new patterns that feel safer, more aligned, and more connected.

The goal isn’t to erase the past. It’s to change your relationship to it, so old wounds no longer run the relationship.

If this sounds familiar, it may be a sign that the pain isn’t the problem, avoidance is. And the right support can help couples slow things down, understand what’s underneath, and learn how to repair in real time.

01/21/2026

What actually keeps people healthier, longer?

The answer might surprise you.

It’s strong, supportive friendships.

And the data backs that up. Research consistently shows that close, supportive friendships can lower mortality risk by up to 45% — more than many lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, or even sleep.

And still, when life gets full, friendships are usually the first thing to slip.
Not because we don’t care, but because meaningful connection takes effort, time, transparency, and repair.

In this piece, Heidi Vanderwerff explores what actually sustains adult friendships:

✅ Honest conversations that build trust instead of quiet resentment
✅ Boundaries that protect the relationship, not push people away
✅ Why giving (time, attention, care) deepens connection more than we expect

So as you step into the new year, consider this your gentle nudge to:

🔹 Nurture the friendships you have
🔹 Repair the ones that matter
🔹 Make space for new connection

You don’t have to overhaul your life to begin. Start small. Send the text. Make the call. Plan the coffee date. Say the thing you’ve been holding.

And if you notice a pattern — difficulty trusting, avoiding conflict, or feeling stuck in the same relational dynamics — therapy can be a supportive place to explore that, at your own pace.

Read the full post for practical ways to nurture and build your friendships:
https://kennedycounselingcollective.com/how-to-make-and-keep-friends/

01/14/2026

If you’ve decided to take your mental health seriously this year, you’ve probably asked: “How long is this going to take?”

It’s one of the most common questions we hear.

Here’s the honest answer from : There isn’t a one-size-fits-all timeline.

Therapy looks different for everyone. It depends on:
• What you’re working through
• The goals you want to focus on
• The approach that fits you best

Unfortunately, many of the things we carry didn’t happen overnight, and they don’t heal overnight either.

Therapy isn’t a quick fix. It’s a process. And for many people, it becomes a meaningful, life-changing one.

Not because everything suddenly feels easy but because when your mind feels more supported, other parts of life often start to shift for the better: your energy, your relationships, your focus, and your sense of direction.

If this question has been holding you back, consider this a gentle reframe:
Progress doesn’t come from rushing the process. It comes from starting it.

Ready to make your wellbeing a priority this year? We’re here to help you take that next step, at your own pace.