Alaina Skloff MS, LCSW-C
Psychotherapist
Adolescents, Young Adults & Adults
Alaina studied social work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, with a focus on clinical behavioral health. Alaina draws from various therapeutic modalities to tailor her approach to each client's needs and preferences. She skillfully utilizes values work, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), dialectics, and validation techniques to facilitate growth and positive change. By incorporating these methods into her practice, Alaina ensures that her clients' goals and interests play a central role in guiding the therapeutic process.
Having experienced therapy both as a clinician and a client, Alaina recognizes the profound impact of the therapeutic relationship on personal growth and self-discovery. She places great emphasis on building a strong and trusting connection with her clients, knowing that this foundation is instrumental in fostering meaningful change.
Areas of Expertise
Identity Exploration, Coming Out, Coping with Discrimination, Gender and Sexual Minorities, Improving Relational Patterns, Anxiety and Procrastination Cycles, Grief and Trauma Work, Social Media Dynamics
Currently Accepting New Patients
In-Person / Virtual
Adolescents & Young Adults
Alaina is a dedicated therapist with a passion for helping her clients improve their relational patterns, tackle anxiety and procrastination cycles, and process grief and trauma. Her specialization in working with adolescents allows her to address the unique challenges and concerns that young individuals face during this critical stage of life. In her work with teens, Alaina has gained valuable insights into the complexities of social substance use, sexual behaviors, and the intricate dynamics of social media.
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A Non-Judgmental Approach
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In her practice, Alaina emphasizes the importance of maintaining a non-judgmental stance. She firmly believes in creating a safe and accepting environment where her clients feel comfortable exploring their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without fear of reprimand or criticism. Alaina understands that everyone's journey is unique, and she respects her clients' individual paths.
LGBTQIA+
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Alaina is a dedicated therapist with a deep passion for supporting gender and sexual minorities on their unique journeys. She firmly believes in creating an inclusive and affirming space where individuals from diverse backgrounds can explore their identities and experiences without fear of judgment or discrimination.
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Navigating Identity Exploration
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For those who are embarking on a journey of identity exploration, Alaina offers a safe and compassionate environment to explore their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. She understands the challenges that come with discovering one's authentic self and guides her clients through this process with sensitivity and care.
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Coming Out Support
Coming out can be an emotionally charged and vulnerable experience. Alaina is committed to providing unwavering support to individuals as they navigate this pivotal moment in their lives. She offers practical tools and coping strategies to help her clients build resilience and confidence throughout this process.
Cultivating Resilience and Empowerment
Empowerment lies at the core of Alaina's therapeutic practice. She works collaboratively with her clients to identify their strengths, cultivate resilience, and foster a sense of empowerment. Through this process, individuals gain the confidence to embrace their true selves and thrive in all aspects of their lives.
Grief Counseling
Understanding that the path of grief is challenging, but no one has to navigate it alone. With empathy, Alaina supports individuals in honoring and remembering their loved ones, guiding them toward rebuilding a life filled with meaning and joy. She acknowledges the range of emotions during mourning, assuring clients that it's okay to feel angry, isolated, or like nothing will be okay again. She gently emphasizes that healing doesn't mean going back in time but involves reconnecting with cherished memories and finding enduring connections with the departed.
DBT
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Prior to joining A Step Forward, Alaina worked in a full DBT program and has received extensive training in dialectics as well as emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. During her time as a DBT clinician, Alaina effectively treated self-harm, chronic suicidality, eating disorders, and relational trauma.
Using DBT, Alaina provided skills-based training as well as insight-oriented therapy to support clients as they expanded their repertoire of ways to response to distress and dysregulation.
A Message from Alaina
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“My work is so meaningful to me because I get to build real relationships with my clients -- that means they get to see me and my personality, so it doesn't feel like a medical appointment I'm very confident working with higher risk teens coming from hospitalizations or managing suicidal ideation or self harm.
I've helped countless young people build lives worth living -- whatever that means to them. It's so important to me that therapy is an individualized experience to the client, led by what matters to them. Depending on the client and their needs, I like to infuse humor and lighthearted moments in the therapy room.
And as always, I am especially excited to work with queer youth. With the right support, identity exploration and community building for young queer people can be incredibly empowering. I love being able to provide a consistently affirming space while extending advocacy through parent education and other routes.”