About Carmen Riley, LPC, LCMHC, NCC, ACS
From the outside, your life looks successful. But inside, you’re exhausted. You’re constantly wondering if you’ve disappointed someone, overthinking conversations, and trying to keep everyone happy.
You give more than you receive in relationships, yet somehow you keep attracting the same partner with a different name. No matter how much you accomplish, it never feels like enough.
You’re your own toughest critic, and deep down, you worry that if you stop striving, people may stop choosing you. If this feels familiar, you don’t need to try harder. You need a different way forward.
Hi, I’m Carmen Riley.
For more than 20 years, I’ve helped high-achieving women break free from people-pleasing, perfectionism, anxiety, self-doubt, and unhealthy relationship patterns. Together, we’ll uncover the beliefs that keep you stuck, heal the experiences that shaped them, and help you build healthier relationships with others and with yourself.
My approach is warm, practical, and collaborative. My goal is to help you stop living for everyone else’s approval and start living with confidence, peace, and a secure sense of who you are. You don’t have to earn love. You don’t have to earn your worth. And you don’t have to do this alone.
Areas of Focus
I primarily work with adult women experiencing:
- Relationship Anxiety
- Insecure Attachment
- Anxiety & Chronic Overthinking
- Self-Esteem & Confidence
- Perimenopause & Menopause
- Life Transitions
- Stress & Burnout
What You Can Expect
Therapy is more than talking about what happened during your week. It’s a place where you can finally stop pretending, you’re okay.
My goal is to provide a warm, supportive, and honest space where you feel heard, understood, and gently challenged to grow. Together, we’ll identify the patterns that keep showing up in your life, understand where they come from, and develop healthier ways of responding.
Over time, you’ll learn to trust yourself more, communicate your needs with greater confidence, establish healthier boundaries, and experience relationships that feel more secure and fulfilling. Most importantly, you’ll discover that you don’t have to stay stuck—you can move forward with greater confidence, clarity, and peace.
My Therapeutic Approach
I tailor therapy to each client’s unique needs by integrating:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Why I Became a Therapist
Growing up, I witnessed firsthand how untreated mental health challenges shaped the lives of individuals, families, and entire communities. I saw anxiety become substance use, unresolved trauma contribute to unhealthy relationships, and too many women remain in situations where they felt unseen, unheard, or unsafe.
Those experiences ignited a passion to become a therapist and dedicate my career to helping people heal; not just for themselves, but for future generations.
Insurance Accepted
- CareFirst
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Self-Pay
- GEHA
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re looking for specialized support for relationship anxiety, insecure attachment, life transitions, or the emotional changes that can accompany perimenopause and menopause, I’d be honored to walk alongside you. If another therapist on our team is a better fit for your needs, we’re committed to helping you find the right clinician so you receive the care that best supports your goals.
Book A FREE 15-Minute Consult
