Off trail · Stafford & Fredericksburg
Now accepting new clients · evening and weekend hours available
Therapy for adults in Stafford and Fredericksburg
The southern end of the corridor, where the commute is longest and the nearest specialist is usually an hour north. Dr. Thaxter sees adults across Stafford and Fredericksburg by telehealth, which means the nearest good psychologist is wherever you are sitting, and she is currently accepting new clients.
What people come in with
A general practice for adults, by telehealth.
This area brings people who have carried too much for too long: years of managing anxiety or a hard past alone, new parents a long way from support, and chronic pain, which is one of Dr. Thaxter’s research areas and one of the most under-treated things in the region. If a waitlist has been the barrier, this is another door.
Anxiety and depression
Including the kind that has gone on so long it feels normal, and the burnout a demanding job leaves behind.
Trauma and PTSD
Something that happened, and the years spent building a life around not looking at it. Cognitive Processing Therapy, from a listed provider on the national CPT roster. Trauma and PTSD therapy →
The postpartum year
The worry that will not switch off, the thoughts that arrive uninvited, and the loneliness of being told you should be happy.
Sleep and chronic pain
CBT for insomnia, and pain psychology from a clinician whose doctoral research was chronic pain.
Grief and hard stretches
A loss, a marriage under strain, a career that stopped fitting, a move, a diagnosis. Not everything worth therapy is a disorder.
Emotion regulation
DBT skills for the feeling that arrives faster than the thinking, and the patterns that have stopped serving you.
If you serve, served, or hold a clearance
Dr. Thaxter trained in the VA system, and military, Veteran, and cleared clients are familiar ground. Seeking care is common in those communities and generally seen as a sign of good judgment. Everyone is welcome here, and nothing about the practice is limited to them.
Telehealth, here
No office. No waiting room. No drive.
Nobody in Stafford or Fredericksburg should have to drive to Arlington for a psychologist. Sessions run from home, from a parked car, or from a private office by telehealth, and the only rule is that you are physically in Virginia at the time. Down here, that is never in question.
Every approach used here is evidence-based: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy. The plan comes out of a full intake. There’s no separate step to get through first: one button books a free consultation, an intake for individual therapy, or a place in a group, and it takes about two minutes. How therapy works here →
Common questions
Things people ask before the first call.
What happens in a consult?
You meet Dr. Thaxter live over telehealth for 15 minutes. You say what is going on, she asks a few questions, and she tells you plainly what she thinks would help. If this looks like the right place, the two of you sketch a plan of care: individual therapy or a group, what the work would focus on, and roughly how many sessions it tends to take. You leave knowing what the next step is. Whether to take it is up to you.
Can I use my insurance?
Sessions are private pay, and a monthly superbill is provided that you can submit to your insurer for out-of-network reimbursement. Many plans in this area reimburse a meaningful share once the out-of-network deductible is met. Dr. Thaxter will help you check your benefits and work out a way to receive care before you commit to anything.
How soon can I start?
Usually within a week or two for the intake appointment. The calendar shows real openings, so you can see what is available rather than guessing.
When are appointments available?
Daytime, weekday evenings until 9 pm Eastern, and Saturday and Sunday. Intakes are usually available within a week or two, and the calendar shows real openings, so you can pick a time that fits around work or family rather than guessing.
Do I have to be in Virginia?
Yes, physically, at the time of each session. Dr. Thaxter holds a Virginia license, and licensing follows where you are sitting rather than where you live on paper. Working in DC and living in Virginia is fine as long as you join from Virginia.
Does telehealth work as well as in person?
For the treatments used here, yes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy by telehealth have been studied extensively, including across the VA system, with outcomes on par with in-person care. You need a private room, a device with a camera, and a reasonable connection. There is nothing to install.
You don’t have to have it figured out to start.
Not sure where to start? Book a free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Thaxter: a short, live call over telehealth about what is going on and whether this is the right place, with no paperwork and no charge. When you are ready, the same button lets you book an intake for individual therapy or enroll in a group. Everything runs through the secure client portal, and the first step takes about two minutes. If you would rather talk first, call (571) 206-0096 or send a message.