Dr. Lisa Kruger, Therapist in Alexandria, VA, smiling with long, wavy, reddish-brown hair wearing a white top, outdoors with blurred green background.

Meet Dr. Lisa, PhD, LPC

Therapy that's compassionate enough to support you—and direct enough to create real change.

For more than 20 years, I’ve helped adults move beyond surface-level coping, understand what’s driving their struggles, and make changes that extend beyond the therapy room.

Based in Alexandria, VA and online throughout Virginia and DC.

Schedule a consultation

Holding it together gets you through the day. It doesn’t change what’s wearing you down.

When you’re constantly running on fumes, even the basics can feel like too much. Routines slip, relationships feel strained, and taking care of yourself starts to fall by the wayside. You’ve tried everything you can think of (and then some), but nothing really changes.

Over the past 20+ years, I’ve learned that real change doesn’t come from simply talking about your struggles or collecting more coping skills. It comes from understanding what’s driving them and learning how to respond differently.

If you’re looking for therapy that balances compassion, honesty, and practical change, you’re in the right place.

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In our sessions, you can expect:

A therapist who’s engaged, present, and honest—not someone who simply sits back and nods
A balance of warmth and honesty, so you feel both supported and challenged when you need it.
Space to explore the beliefs, experiences, and patterns that still influence how you move through the world.
Practical tools you can take with you and use in real life—not just in the therapy room
A collaborative process—I won’t tell you what to do, but I also won’t leave you high and dry

Schedule A Consultation

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It’s not your first time at the therapy rodeo—but maybe the first time it could actually work for you.

You’ve read self-help books. You’ve journaled, reflected, followed the social media accounts promising “five steps” to fix whatever you’re struggling with. Maybe you’ve even done therapy before. You know how to label your feelings and recognize your patterns—but nothing really changed. At least, not in a lasting way.

You don’t need another list of coping skills, a therapist who just nods and waits for you to fill the silence, or more advice from wellness influencers who oversimplify what meaningful change actually takes You need someone who gets what it’s like to hit a wall, even when you know all the things—and who’s equipped to help you move through it.

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Together, we’ll go beyond talking it through. We’ll connect the dots between your past and present, notice the beliefs and reactions shaping what happens now, and practice responding in ways that better reflect who you are and what you need.

Your experiences, personality, strengths, and goals are unique. Therapy should reflect that. There's no script, checklist, or one-size-fits-all formula. We'll focus on what matters most to you, adjusting the work to your needs.

Schedule a Consultation

my Specialties

Therapy for Anxiety

Therapy for Depression

Relationship Therapy

Trauma Therapy

Therapy for Grief, Loss, and Life Transitions

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What Guides My Work

Compassion + Accountability

You deserve a space where you feel understood and supported—while also being encouraged to look honestly at the thoughts, patterns, and coping strategies that may no longer be serving you. Meaningful growth often happens when compassion and honesty exist together.

Understanding the “why” behind your patterns

You may notice yourself feeling overwhelmed, shutting down, overthinking, avoiding, or responding in ways you don’t fully understand. Together, we’ll explore the experiences and beliefs beneath those reactions with curiosity instead of self-judgment.

Beyond Coping Skills

Knowing the “right” tools doesn’t always mean you can use them when you need them. We’ll look at what keeps getting in the way so you can do more than cope—you can respond differently.

Training & Experience

- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – Counselor Education and Supervision
- Masters of Science in Professional Counseling (MS)
- Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia (#0701005880) and the District of Columbia (PRC14247)
Certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- American Counseling Association
- Virginia Counseling Association

How I Work

CBT focuses on the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Together, we'll look at the thoughts and behaviors that may be contributing to anxiety, depression, overwhelm, or self-criticism and develop healthier, more balanced ways of responding.
CBT is often practical and goal-oriented, helping you notice how your thoughts and emotions affect the choices you make in everyday life.
TF-CBT is particularly helpful for processing traumatic experiences in a way that feels supportive, structured, and manageable. This approach can help reduce the emotional impact trauma continues to have on your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and sense of safety.
Our work may include developing coping tools, processing difficult experiences, and rebuilding confidence and a greater sense of stability.
DBT combines practical coping strategies with deeper emotional understanding. It can help you navigate intense emotions, manage stress more effectively, improve communication, and feel more grounded during difficult moments.
In sessions, we may focus on emotional regulation, boundaries, self-awareness, and learning how to respond rather than react.
EFT helps people better understand their emotions and the deeper needs underneath them. This approach can be especially helpful for people who feel disconnected, emotionally overwhelmed, caught in repetitive relationship dynamics, or unsure how to express what they’re feeling.
Rather than just talking about problems intellectually, EFT helps create deeper emotional understanding and connection.
An attachment-based approach explores how past experiences and relationships can shape the way you view yourself, manage emotions, and relate to others. Sometimes the ways we cope today developed as ways to protect ourselves earlier in life.
This work can help you better understand your emotional responses, build more secure relationships, and develop a stronger sense of self-awareness and trust in yourself.
The Gottman Method is a research-based approach to couples therapy focused on helping partners improve communication, navigate conflict more effectively, and strengthen emotional connection.
In our work together, we may focus on understanding recurring patterns, rebuilding trust, increasing emotional intimacy, and creating healthier ways of communicating and responding to one another.