Hello! My name is Danielle and I’m a clinical social worker in Woodbine, MD (Western Howard County). I have a small animal-assisted therapy practice on my private farm and I work with children and adults. While I can provide telehealth services, my practice is predominantly in-person as I enjoy working directly with clients in nature and incorporating animals, play, nature, and art into sessions. We sometimes make buttons or necklaces, or forage for food for the farm animals, or teach an animal to do a trick. I try to take the pressure out of therapy and make the session something to look forward to each week, although I can also be direct and gently challenge clients to address topics that need to be addressed in therapy.

I do my best to offer patient care that is accepting of who my client is, not who others want them to be. I grew up in a situation where there were distinct male/female gender roles, and I didn’t find that experience allowed me to be true to who I am/was.

I like to work with clients in a way that helps them discover, decide, and outline who they are, and how they want to live their life. After figuring that out, I like to help clients work on building a support system, coping skills, and life planning that allows them to live a happy life.

I offer more general therapy for LGBTQ+ individuals as my practice is too small at this stage to offer group support. I have taken a few inclusiveness type trainings (particularly as I’m a social worker), but nothing that feels worth mentioning as being particularly meaningful. I find culture to be so specific to the individual so I prefer to approach clients like individuals, not as some generalized group.