12751 Marblestone Dr, Suite 200, Woodbridge, VA 22192 | 3930 Walnut St, Suite 250, Fairfax, VA 22030 | 
info@thecenterforconnection.com | (703) 878-3290 |

Restore your loving connection

Elayne Smith

Elayne Smith LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist The Center for Connection Healing and Change

Elayne Smith, LMFT and Founder of CCHC

She/her/hers – what are personal pronouns and why do they matter?

Clients I work with: Individuals and couples

Issues I work with: Self-worth, relationships, family of origin issues, boundaries, emotional dysregulation, trust, chronic illness, adverse childhood experiences, substance use, spirituality, attachment, grief, loss, anxiety, depression, trauma, communication, emotional intimacy, recurring disagreements, and sexual issues.

I have been working with individuals and couples to deepen emotional intimacy, heal relationship hurts, and improve communication for 18 years.

Want to feel whole and at peace? I specialize in the art of returning to a place of emotional calm, abundant self-worth, and the gentle sense of power that comes when you live in full connection with your whole self.

I support clients to become free from the baggage of the past, make friends with their emotional world, and create more secure connections with those they care about.

If you feel depressed, anxious, hopeless, helpless, guilty, or shameful, it’s time to reclaim your life. If you feel as though you constantly run on fumes, measure your worth through external sources, live in fear, or that you have to hustle to get your needs met, there is another way.

I view emotional and physical symptoms as signs of a deeper struggle. I support clients to uncover and heal the roots of their pain, change their patterns or ‘maps’ for connecting with others, and return to the person they are meant to be. You deserve to make sense of your feelings, understand your behaviors, and feel worthy of getting your needs met.

Together, we will explore the ways you have been shaped by your life experiences and relationships with others. The answers to your struggles can often be found here. You can create the life you long for, the relationships you crave, and the peace you know is waiting for you.

I utilize evidence-based models that focus on creating lasting change, from the inside-out. My approach allows me to work with relationships, adult attachment, trauma, loss, sense of self, emotion regulation, trauma, shame, and guilt. I go beneath your surface thoughts and behaviors to help you find more satisfying ways of being yourself in the world. I look forward to being alongside you as you journey back to your whole self.

I also enjoy working with therapists looking to do their own work, entrepreneurs looking to reach their full potential, and those committed to their own personal growth.

In my work with couples, I utilize  Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, a model proven to create lasting change in couple relationships.

This model believes that couples tend to find themselves in the same old ‘dance’ or ways of relating that leave them vulnerable to conflict or distance. Over time, this dance creates real distress in the relationship. One partner ‘pursuing’ for connection, the other ‘withdrawing’ to reduce the tension.

I work with couples to identify and calm their dance. Then we go below this pattern, to start talking about the hurts, needs, and longings that have been the real issues. Couples are supported to talk more openly and vulnerably about what they need from each in their moments of need. Where there have been fractures in trust or security, we repair these hurts and rebuild the emotional bond. Couples leave therapy feeling more understood and supported, clear on how to meet the needs of their partner, and more emotionally connected to one another.

I particularly enjoy working with couples who are experiencing substance use or process addiction issues. I also enjoy working with military couples, I am a military spouse myself, and offer discounts to those who have either served or are currently serving in the military or those who are a military spouse or partner.

I enjoy working with individuals looking to create change in their relationships when a partner or family member is unwilling or unable to attend therapy.

Following an in-depth assessment, I tailor my work to meet your unique needs. I focus on the creation of lasting emotional, relational, and behavioral change. I offer free phone consultations so you discuss your needs and see if I might be a good fit for you.

I created The Center for Connection, Healing and Change as a place where skilled and passionate therapists can come together to offer high-quality therapy services to Woodbridge and Fairfax communities.

I enjoy investing in the people I work with and their ongoing personal and professional growth. We practice what we preach at CCHC by being committed to working through our own struggles and investing in our relationships with each other.

Together, we offer a place that is safe, respectful, and human to those looking to get help with pain and disconnection. We are proud to serve our clients and be alongside them in their moments of struggle.

I am originally from England and moved here in 2009 to begin life with my military partner.  My counseling training in England did not match the requirements for practice here so I went back to school to complete an MS in Marriage and Family Therapy, graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2011. It was a life-changing experience and allowed me to cultivate a clear clinical identity and make sense of my own struggles in a profound way. I have engaged in my own therapy on many occasions as a way of returning to my authentic, whole, and peaceful self. I have worked hard to deal with the pain of the past and relationship experiences that did not feel safe, respectful, or nurturing. It is my joy to walk alongside those who are committed to living in ways that are peaceful, powerful, and purposeful.