Gesina Charles , LPC

Gesina Charles is a licensed professional counselor in Virginia who helps people manage stress, anxiety, anger, and low self-esteem. She speaks English and Haitian Creole and works with clients on depression, motivation, addiction concerns, and grief. She also focuses on issues many women face, including feelings of emptiness and social anxiety.

Her approach is practical and person-centered. Sessions begin by listening to what matters most to the client and shaping goals together. She combines client-centered methods with tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to address thoughts, behaviors, and emotional regulation.

Mindfulness and motivational interviewing are woven into her work when they fit a client’s needs. That might look like short grounding practices during a session or helping someone find reasons to stick with change between meetings. The aim is small, useful steps rather than big, overwhelming plans.

Gesina tailors the pace and techniques to each person's situation. She pays attention to communication problems, isolation, and trauma-related concerns and helps clients build clearer boundaries and healthier habits. People who prefer talking in Haitian Creole or English can work with her.

For practical matters she offers a range of online formats. She uses sessions to help people cope with life changes and to rebuild confidence in day-to-day life. The first session focuses on what the client wants to change and how to get there.

Therapeutic approaches and online sessions

Gesina commonly combines client-centered work with cognitive behavioral therapy to help people make concrete changes. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and building goals together, while CBT looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical ways to shift unhelpful patterns.

She also uses dialectical behavior therapy skills for emotion regulation and interpersonal stress. DBT techniques include short skills practice for managing intense emotions and improving communication, which can be helpful for anger, anxiety, and relationship friction.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. She collaborates with each client to decide which methods fit their goals and comfort level, and adjusts plans as progress is made. The therapist and client try things out and pick what helps most.

Online formats she uses include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video works well for fuller conversations and skills practice. Phone sessions can be easier on low bandwidth days or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, homework review, or when a shorter interaction fits a busy schedule. These options help make therapy more flexible and easier to fit into daily life.