Lucas Watling
Hi, I’m Lucas Watling (he/him). I’m a trauma-informed therapist who works with children and adolescents navigating anxiety, behavioral challenges, life transitions, and more. My approach to therapy is collaborative, supportive, and client-centered. I believe healing doesn’t come from being pushed to relive difficult experiences, but rather from building a sense of safety, understanding how those experiences show up in the present, and gradually working through them in a way that feels manageable. I aim to create a space where clients feel comfortable, understood, and empowered throughout the process.
About Lucas
I have experience supporting younger children with behavioral and emotional challenges, and I incorporate play therapy–informed approaches and family therapy to help children express themselves, build coping skills, strengthen family relationships, and feel more at ease in the therapeutic space. I also integrate evidence-based approaches including Trauma-Focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), EMDR, TheraPlay, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Motivational Interviewing to help clients process experiences, build emotional regulation skills, and feel more in control.
I earned my undergraduate degree in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University and am currently completing my MSW at George Mason University, with a specialization in Children, Youth, and Families. I will graduate in August and begin accepting clients toward the end of that month. I will be an MSW Supervisee in Social Work, practicing under clinical supervision. I have specialized training in trauma-focused care through my clinical work at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress. During my time there, I also completed the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) training program, further strengthening my work with neurodivergent children and families. I also draw from my experience supporting middle school and elementary school students as a school social work intern at Loudoun County Public Schools. I approach therapy from a lens that is both neurodivergent-affirming and LGBTQ+-affirming, recognizing and supporting each client’s unique strengths and needs.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent around eight years working as a swim coach and doing community-based work, where I developed a strong foundation in working with children, adolescents, and families. This experience shaped my passion for supporting youth, strengthened my ability to connect across developmental stages, and continues to inform my collaborative work with caregivers. I value partnering closely with caregivers and families as part of the therapeutic process, recognizing the important role they play in a child or adolescent’s growth and healing. Some of my hobbies include hiking, writing fiction and poetry, photography, and listening to music!
It is essential to me as a therapist to create a space where clients feel supported and able to move forward in a way that feels right for them. I see clients both in-person as well as via telehealth as deemed appropriate and fitting.