Real Training. A Real Roadmap.
When the relationship you care about most is causing you pain, you deserve a therapist with specialized training and a clear plan to help. I'm certified in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and work with couples and individuals to rebuild connection and understanding.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Commonwealth of Virginia, License #0701003483
MA in Counseling, Marymount University (1996)
Certified EFT Couples Therapist, International Centre for Excellence in EFT (2018)
Level 2 Gottman Method Couples Therapy Training
You Need More Than Empathy. You Need a Plan.
Certified EFT couples therapy for couples and individuals, in person in Herndon and online across Virginia
I combine Emotionally Focused Therapy with family systems thinking and a genuine understanding of what it takes to repair trust, break unhelpful patterns, and build the connection you long for. Whether you're a couple in crisis, an individual working through grief or anxiety, or a mom who is stretched too thin, we'll work from a clear roadmap, at your pace.
How I Work
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
My primary approach for couples. EFT is a structured, evidence-based framework for understanding the emotional patterns underneath your conflicts and rebuilding connection. I am certified in EFT, and many couples come to me specifically because they've read about it and want a therapist with real training in it.
Family Systems
I draw on family systems theory to understand how patterns ripple across relationships and generations, from your family of origin to the family you're raising now.
An Insight-Oriented Approach
My clients tend to be curious, psychologically minded people who want to actually understand what's happening, not just manage symptoms. If you like connecting the dots, we will work well together.
Ready to strengthen your relationship?
If you're feeling stuck in the same patterns and want real change, I'm here to help. With specialized training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, I work with couples to rebuild connection and understanding.
About Janine
Janine Murphy-Neilson
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
When couples come to me, they are often at a breaking point. The same arguments cycle endlessly, and conversations that should bring you closer leave you feeling angry, sad, or misunderstood. I've sat with many couples in that exact place, and I can tell you there is a way through it and we don’t have to guess, I have a plan.
I am a certified EFT couples therapist. Emotionally Focused Therapy is a structured, well-researched approach that gives couples a real roadmap, and it's the heart of how I work. Many of my clients are insightful, psychologically minded people, often couples in their 30s through 60s, who come in already curious about EFT and wanting to understand their patterns, not just patch over them.
Alongside couples work, I support people moving through grief, a focus that grew out of losing my own mother in 2002, and women navigating the stress of early motherhood. I've been in private practice since 2003, after earning my MA in Counseling from Marymount University and training at The Women's Center in Vienna. Whether we meet in person in Herndon or online, my goal is the same: to help you get to a more peaceful place, in your relationships and within yourself.
Credentials
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Commonwealth of Virginia, License #0701003483
- MA in Counseling, Marymount University (1996)
- Certified EFT Couples Therapist, International Centre for Excellence in EFT (2018)
- Level 2 Gottman Method Couples Therapy Training
Let's talk about what you're going through
Whether you're navigating relationship challenges, grief, or the stress of early motherhood, I offer both in-person and online sessions in Herndon, VA. Individual sessions are $180 (45 minutes); couples sessions are $225 (60 minutes). Not sure where to start? I offer a free 15-minute consultation.