bex niner, LCPC

“When we can see ourselves as we truly are and accept ourselves, we build the necessary foundation for self-love…whether we learn how to love ourselves and others will depend on the presence of a loving environment. Self love cannot flourish in isolation.” – bell hooks

HEALING WORK

Therapy with me: Therapy with me is entering into a relationship grounded in safety and mutual empathy so that full authenticity can unfold for both the clients and therapist. I have a very open “call me out” policy, which welcomes feedback and input from clients on the therapeutic process. I use humor and a great deal of gentleness when working with clients to create an atmosphere of comfort and understanding in which healing can take place. Therapy is a process by which a person can come home to themselves. In couples/relationship therapy, people can come home to find a refuge in each other.

My impacting identities: I am a white, non-binary, middle-class, queer person who grew up in Annapolis, attending both public and private schools. My identity consists of many roles, including parent, child, partner, therapist, friend, and community member. I have a personal history of recovery from substance addiction. My beliefs are grounded in Buddhist thought, emphasizing equally the pursuits of both wisdom and compassion.

I work best with clients who: are willing to show up within the therapeutic relationship and engage in the uncomfortability of changing patterns of reaction that are no longer serving them. People who are ready to heal histories of shame and trauma, explore their identities, and learn how to be in relationship with themselves, others, and the world at large. In couples/relationship therapy, I work well with all relationship structures, orientations, and expressions of gender, and I am a kink–friendly therapist. I am a neurodivergent-affirming trauma therapist.

I am not a good clinical fit for these clients: Clients who are not self-motivated to be in therapy, clients experiencing strictly clinical depression unrelated to trauma or stressful life events, or those who are looking for a therapist who is an expert that will give them the answers. Therapy with me is a relational process in which client agency is at the forefront. I will meet you exactly where you are.

I am a unique therapist because: I work from a Relational-Cultural lens, which means that I look at how trauma, stress, and shame are impacted by systems of oppression, cultural expectations, familial patterns, disconnection, and the lived experiences in our bodies. In couple/relationship therapy, I lean on Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT), which is grounded in attachment theory and helps clients understand, and change, their cycles of interaction that keep them stuck. I have found both of these approaches to be highly successful because of their mutual focus on our capacities for connection. Transparency and authenticity are foundational to my style of therapy. I combine compassion with a breadth of knowledge to assist you in your healing.

LEARNING AND GROWING

My career-long focus has been on learning to practice through the Relational-Cultural lens, which includes training and ongoing work to understand my implicit biases and gain understanding of how colonization has impacted my worldview so that I can shift to a model of mutual empathy and intersectionality. I have become trained as a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) which has influenced my practice to become more focused on how trauma affects the brain and the body, and how to heal using somatic approaches. I have completed trainings in Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS), and an externship in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT). My future trainings will be focused on increasing competency in EFCT and pursuing sex therapy certification.

The remainder of training in recent years has been focused on building competency on working with transgender and gender expansive folks, as well as the rest of the alphabet mafia (LGBTQIAP+). I believe firmly that the personal is political, and thus my actions in my personal life and as a community member reflect my goals as a therapist.

FUN FACTS/RESILIENCE BUILDING

Nature is awesome and I love being submerged in it. My home and my people are the most important things in my life and I guard the time and space that I have for them fiercely. Cooking for people is my love language. I am constantly in a state of learning and unlearning, growing, and moving more and more towards authenticity and interconnectedness. My style of therapy reflects my firm and deep belief that connection is the wellspring of life.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

BS in Psychology from University of Maryland Global Campus

MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University

Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) training

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) training

Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) training