Grace Cleary

A trauma-informed, IFS & ACT therapist for anxiety, OCD, trauma, and personal growth in Maryland & Washington, D.C.

If you’re navigating anxiety, OCD, past trauma, complicated grief, or patterns that keep pulling you off-center, Grace brings grounded care and practical tools. Her style blends person-centered connection with evidence-based methods—so sessions feel human and supportive while also moving you toward real change. Grace offers secure teletherapy for clients located in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Clinical Focus

Grace works with clients managing anxiety and stress, trauma and PTSD, grief and loss, and relationship challenges (including trust, communication, and repair after infidelity). She is sex-positive and affirming, and offers knowledgeable support around intimacy, sexual health, and diverse relationship structures, including open relationships and non-monogamy.

At the heart of her work is a passion for helping people move through what may feel like the hardest parts of life, while fostering resilience, connection, and self-discovery. Grace frequently supports survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence, individuals navigating self-harm, suicidal ideation, or crisis escalation, and adolescents and adults processing complex trauma. She also works with clients coping with intrusive thoughts and OCD—using evidence-based Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to break the OCD cycle—as well as those struggling with body image and eating-related concerns.

Many of Grace’s clients come to therapy during pivotal life transitions—starting college, shifting careers, moving, or navigating breakups—and value having a therapist who can hold complexity while also offering practical coping skills for daily life. Whether clients are working through trauma or facing the challenges of change, Grace provides a compassionate, collaborative space to foster healing, resilience, and growth.

Therapeutic Approach

Grace’s approach is person-centered and trauma-informed. Clinically, she draws from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help you increase self-understanding, unhook from rigid thoughts, and take values-aligned steps in daily life. She integrates mindfulness to widen the pause between feeling and reacting, and somatic techniques to safely reconnect with the body, release tension, and rebuild a felt sense of safety.

You’ll always be the expert in your experience. Grace won’t “fix” you—because you’re not broken. Instead, she’ll walk alongside you, weaving insight with actionable skills so you leave sessions with clarity, language for what you’re facing, and a plan you can use between sessions.

Background, Education & Experience

Grace earned her M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from William & Mary’s School of Education, where she specialized in Military & Veterans’ Counseling, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Mississippi. During her internship in a group practice, she worked with a wide range of ages and concerns, strengthening a flexible, client-centered style.

She has served as a bereavement case manager—supporting individuals and families through the emotional and practical realities of loss—and as a care coach in an intensive outpatient program for adolescents with high-acuity needs, including sexual trauma, crisis escalation, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. These roles deepened her expertise in crisis response, grief work, and trauma-informed care—skills she brings into every session.