My name is April Schlau and I am a Licensed Masters-Level Social Worker (a Supervisee in Social Work) who is accumulating hours though the Virginia Board of Social Work for licensure as a clinical social worker.  I am eligible to take the licensure test at the beginning of 2024. I have training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Grief Counseling, specializing in Prolonged Grief Disorder.  I have completed my Foundational Dialectical Behavior Therapy certificate through the Linehan Institute at Behaviorial Tech. I also provide couples counseling through the DBT lens and currently am a Gottman Level 2 clinician.  I am a Clinical Assistant at Beach Therapy & Consulting, which means that I also have had and continue to have the privilege to speak with many our new patients during the intake process.

I enjoy working with people across the lifespan and have experience working with children, teens, adults, families, and couples.  I have worked in a clinical setting with active-duty military and their families on a base Behavioral Health Clinic as well as with in a therapeutic foster care setting. I have experience in working with clients with anxiety, ADHD, autism, depression, life transitions, grief and loss, PTSD, emotional dysregulation, parenting, and marriage.  

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, life as we know it, has changed. For some, these changes have been much larger and much more traumatic than others. Depression, anxiety, self-harming behaviors, and suicide attempts are just a few of mental health concerns that are on the rise in our country. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, and fear in children and adults have become unfortunate byproducts of the pandemic. At times we may feel powerless or even hopeless. It is my hope to help those who may be feeling this way find ways to cope and reengage in their life.  Engaging in therapy from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy perspective (CBT) can give one the tools and skills needed to navigate this unprecedented time and help manage life’s stressors in a healthy, safe, and proactive manner. 

We all deserve the opportunity to be our best selves. I believe that therapy is a place where clients can rediscover who they are while making attainable goals for themselves to set them on the path to living their best lives. I have chosen the field of clinical social work because I believe in the power of positive behavioral changes through examination of our own cognitive processes and thought patterns.  Because I believe in the importance of the relationship between client and clinician, it is my goal to provide a space that is safe, honest, and non-judgmental where families, couples, and individuals can work toward their mental health goals.

• Adolescents (ages 12 and up) and adults 
• Anxiety including phobia, panic, and generalized anxiety
• Mood disorders including depression and bi polar
• ADHD including parent coaching
• Life transitions including military and military affiliated patients
• Grief and loss including complicated loss
• Emotional dysregulation
• Autism Spectrum with ages 13 and up
• Marital concerns and couples issues including communication and infidelity