LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, Inc.

Started in 2023, the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative group mental health practices serves queer, trans+, and gender-diverse clients, along with their families, partners, and allies. They provide individual therapy, group therapy, couples and relationship counseling, ADHD and Autism testing and assessment, and other services supporting the wide range of needs in the LGBT+ community throughout the DMV area. The collaborative consists of a team of psychotherapists and staff who identify on the queer, trans, or gender-diverse spectrum–each working to bring affirming and celebratory services to their clients. By creating a staff of therapists who have lived experience within the LGBT+ spectrum, their clients know that their therapists understand them and value them. They currently provide local in-person services, as well as telehealth and virtual services to clients throughout the country.

The vision for LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative is to grow and evolve alongside its growing staff, each bringing their own unique experience, knowledge, and vision. They also strive to become a teaching space in the LGBT+ community for pre-licensed therapists, interns, and residents. This stems from the shared experience of therapists who underwent residencies and internships, where they felt isolated in their identities or weren’t provided with training to work with individuals who share their identities. LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative wants to be a training center for therapists seeking this expertise.

The LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative is actively involved with community groups and local pride events, and additionally teams with a wide variety of nonprofits to be able to bring services and representation to the LGBT+ community. They seek to advocate for LGBT+ policy and rights and support the growth of LGBT+-centered spaces throughout the community. Additionally, the Collaborative just received the 2025 Best Business Award for Service by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, was recently awarded the Rainbow Shield award from the Modern Military Association of America, and has received accolades as a top mental health practice in Arlington and as one of the most LGBT+ friendly workspaces in the DC area from Arlington Magazine and the Washington Blade.

SC Nealy (they/she) is a DMV native and owner and Clinical Director of LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative. SC had an affinity for the region; born here originally they returned to the DMV for college and stayed ever since. Like many of the Collaborative staff, SC graduated from Marymount University and has worked as an adjunct with the university. SC is also an accomplished novelist with over 30 novels – most based in the DC area – written under their pen name, Sarah Robinson. 

SC realized the need for both LGBT+ therapists and clients in the area and decided to open LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative. They did not have a lot of experience in establishing a brick-and-mortar counseling clinic, but as a queer, gender-fluid person, they had struggled to find therapists who understood their lived experience and wanted to create a space that created a collaborative environment where the whole team understands each other’s identities and celebrates that.

SC and the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative team aim to continue providing educated, competent services to the community while also fostering greater understanding and cooperation. They look forward to providing a safe space for the LGBT+ community while also outwardly working to expand the number of LGBT+ spaces in Arlington, like bars, cafes, or community centers, which are essential for the social life of the queer community and sorely lacking in the Northern Virginia area currently. 

SC’s novels under the pseudonym Sarah Robinson