Licensed Telehealth Psychologist for Maryland & Washington, DC
Call Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst at (301) 578-8760 to schedule your MD & DC telehealth session.
If you’re seeking Internal Family Systems Therapy in DC and Maryland, I offer secure, online sessions to help you explore your inner world, reduce emotional conflict, and reconnect with your core Self. I’m Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst, a licensed psychologist with over 30 years of experience using IFS to support trauma recovery, emotional regulation, and personal growth.
IFS is a transformative, evidence-based model that views the mind as a system of “parts”, each with its own voice, emotion, and protective role. These parts are not flaws; they are adaptive responses to life experiences. Therapy helps you understand and heal these parts so you can live with more clarity, compassion, and confidence.
The goal of IFS therapy is to help you:
- Unblend from reactive parts
- Build trust with protective parts
- Heal wounded exiles
- Restore internal harmony and self-leadership
I integrate evidence-based practices into my treatment plan to ensure meaningful progress. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS is based on the idea that we all have multiple sub-personalities or “parts” that interact like members of an internal family. These parts often fall into three categories:
Try to keep life under control and prevent emotional pain
Carry wounds, shame, or trauma from the past
React impulsively to distract from emotional overwhelm
At the center of this system is the Self. A calm, compassionate, and wise inner presence that can lead the system with clarity and care. My Internal Family Systems Therapy in DC and Maryland will help you get there.
IFS is especially effective for clients navigating:
- Trauma and PTSD
- Anxiety, panic, or emotional overwhelm
- Depression or chronic self-criticism
- Perfectionism and burnout
- Identity confusion or inner conflict
- Relationship challenges and attachment wounds
- Grief, loss, or unresolved emotional pain
IFS is also helpful for clients who feel “stuck” in therapy or who want to go beyond symptom management to explore the deeper emotional roots of their distress. For those clients, I offer virtual Internal Family Systems Therapy in DC and Maryland. I provide secure, HIPAA-compliant online therapy and telehealth for individuals, couples, and families.
In our sessions, we work collaboratively to:
- Identify the parts of you that are active in your thoughts, emotions, or behaviors
- Understand the roles these parts play and what they’re trying to protect
- Create space for your Self to lead with compassion and curiosity
- Gently unburden parts that carry pain, fear, or shame
- Build internal trust, clarity, and emotional resilience
IFS is a non-pathologizing, strengths-based model. It honors your internal system and supports healing from the inside out.
Online therapy offers flexibility, privacy, and consistent access to care, especially helpful when working with vulnerable emotional material. I provide HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions to clients across:
- Maryland: Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Rockville, Potomac, Gaithersburg
- Washington, DC: Capitol Hill, Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Navy Yard, Northwest DC
Many clients find that online IFS allows them to feel more grounded and open, especially when exploring sensitive inner experiences.
I provide Internal Family Systems Therapy in DC and Maryland to:
- Adults navigating trauma, anxiety, or emotional dysregulation
- Individuals exploring identity, purpose, or inner conflict
- Clients with a history of childhood trauma or attachment wounds
- High performers managing burnout, perfectionism, or self-criticism
- Couples seeking to understand emotional reactivity and deepen connection
You don’t need to have a diagnosis to begin. If you’re feeling emotionally fragmented, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself, IFS can help you reconnect with your inner clarity and strength.
Get Started With Internal Family Systems Therapy in DC and Maryland
You are more than your symptoms. You are a system of parts, each with a story, a purpose, and a desire to be heard. If you’re ready to explore Internal Family Systems Therapy in DC and Maryland, I’m here to support your healing.