Masumeh Farchtchi LMFT

Education

I hold an MS in human development and family science, specializing in marriage and family therapy (MFT), from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. I have special interest and skillsets working with couples and families living with chronic illness and disablement experiences through medical family therapy (MedFT). I am collaborative and strengths-based, though I often borrow helpful techniques and maps from internal family systems (IFS), emotionally focused therapy (EFT), family systems-illness model (FSI), metacognitive interpersonal therapy (MIT), narrative therapy (NT), structural family therapy, play therapy (PT), and human validation process model (HVPM).  

I constantly learn and adapt as a therapist, utilizing ongoing research and proven evidenced-based practices to support each unique therapeutic journey.   

Experience

People are my passion! I have been extremely honored to witness extraordinary healing and growth of persons and families I’ve walked alongside.  My current worksites include: Wellness Through Counseling where I see couples and families of teens and adults in McLean, Virginia, as well as Crossroads Family Counseling Center play therapy center and its nonprofit clinic The Heartleaf Center where I see children ages 2-12 years old and their families in Fairfax, Virginia.  Since starting clinical work in couples and family therapy in 2018, I have served individuals, couples, families and groups through internships with the Center for Family Services in Falls Church, Virginia, Together Program for couples psychoeducation workshops in Northern Virginia, and Mary’s Center community mental health clinics in Washington, D.C.  

Before launching my career in couples and family therapy, I used applied behavior analysis (ABA) to support family relationships, verbal language acquisition and prosocial behaviors through intensive at-home therapy settings working with families of children with autism spectrum disorder. Turning time back even further, while living overseas, I collaborated with NGOs where I organized a mental health referral network, ran social support groups, and directed community-based crisis intervention services to enrich the lives of English-speaking expatriate families.      

Approach to Therapy

My biggest strength as a post-constructionist therapist is openness to new possibilities, meanings, and connections. I integrate here-and-now techniques like play and enactments with insight and skill-based techniques to co-create a personalized platform of self-exploration, growth and connection for each individual, couple or family I meet.  

I wonder what new story we might create together!      

    

Publication

Please feel free to read my open-access thesis “Parent-Child Dyadic Experiences Living with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) during Emerging Adulthood” at the following link:  

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/98006