WE’RE HIRING!
Come join our team of 2000+ clinicians
FEATURED ARTICLE
A comprehensive guide to starting therapy
Book my first session
96% of clients feel supported and understood by their therapist
Get expert medication support, tailored to you
Check my copay estimate
Sessions cost $24 on average with insurance
167 licensed therapists & providers in Virginia—5 in Henrico. Available as soon as today, in person and online
Our providers work with individuals, couples, families, & teens for anxiety, depression, grief, & more
We accept UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, BCBS Plans, Humana, Aetna, & many more. Self-pay options available, no membership fees
94% of patients feel truly understood by their provider. 3 out of 4 see improvement in depression & anxiety symptoms within 3 months
Discover how starting Trauma/PTSD therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
Patricia "Tricia" McCarty is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who enjoys helping people work through life transitions, addiction...
About
Patricia "Tricia" McCarty is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who enjoys helping people work through life transitions, addiction, grief/loss, chronic illness/pain, anxiety, depression, stress, and low self-esteem. Tricia uses a humanistic approach and a variety of therapeutic modalities, including cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, strength-based, narrative, acceptance and commitment, expressive art as therapy, and positive psychotherapy.
Tricia completed her Master of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will actively listen, help you gain perspective, explore with you what is keeping you from becoming the best version of yourself, and make a plan that will empower you to reach your goals.
“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety” (Abraham Maslow). Sometimes what feels safe, comfortable, and familiar, is actually unhealthy; change can be hard and the unknown scary. Do you feel stuck, repeating toxic patterns or negative thinking? Have life events or stress become overwhelming or seem unmanageable? Maybe you just need a supportive space to talk about what you’re going through and how you are feeling.
Education and training
View more therapists in Henrico
Wendy Wasserstrom is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 9 years of social work experience. She has provided mental hea...
Wendy Wasserstrom is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 9 years of social work experience. She has provided mental health services to children, adolescents, adults, and older adults, and she has experience providing individual and group therapy. She has worked with individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, substance abuse, and family conflict.
Wendy earned her undergraduate degree in Social Work from Florida State University and her Master’s degree in Social Work from Florida Atlantic University. She has worked in a variety of settings, providing services in the community, outpatient settings, and public schools. An area of particular passion includes working with young adults with a wide variety of presenting concerns including depression, anxiety, substance use, self-injury, trauma, and sexual assault recovery.
Wendy utilizes a wide range of therapeutic techniques including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, strength-based, solution-focused, and motivational interviewing. Wendy realizes that each person is unique and tailors her therapeutic approach to each client. Her approach to therapy is person-centered and involves meeting her clients where they are. She approaches clients with compassion and acceptance. Wendy believes that therapy requires vulnerability and courage and works to create a safe setting for that work to occur.
As a woman of color, I blend cultural insight, authenticity, and a holistic approach that honors both mind and soul, creating a sp...
As a woman of color, I blend cultural insight, authenticity, and a holistic approach that honors both mind and soul, creating a space where healing feels empowering and deeply personal.
I am a Resident in Counseling with over 14 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate life’s challenges. I’ve supported clients in foster care, crisis stabilization, and substance abuse treatment, and work with people of all ages facing anxiety, depression, trauma, or major life transitions. My passion lies in helping others improve self-esteem, manage stress, strengthen relationships, and find healing from past experiences.
I earned my master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Norfolk State University. My approach is collaborative and supportive, using cognitive behavioral therapy to help you recognize and change unhelpful thought patterns. I focus on building resilience, self-awareness, and the practical tools needed to create lasting, meaningful growth.
Reaching out for support takes courage, and I want you to know you don’t have to do it alone. Healing and growth are possible, and I’m here to walk beside you as you take the next step toward a more balanced, fulfilling life. I invite you to begin your journey toward greater peace, strength, and self-discovery today.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
Not ready to book? Contact me
Look for a confirmation email in your inbox shortly. We'll help find you a provider and guide you through everything you should know about starting care at Thriveworks.
No membership fees or subscriptions
Evening and weekend sessions
Award-winning therapy & psychiatry
What support are you seeking?
You acknowledge that by submitting this form, you are providing what may be considered “sensitive data” and consent to Thriveworks Privacy Policy & Terms. By submitting this information, you consent to receive communication from Thriveworks about our services via automatic calls, artificial or pre-recorded messages, or texts at the phone number provided, or by email at the address provided. You have the option to opt out of communications.
We will contact you with availability updates based on the preferences you provided for up to six months.
I use internal family systems therapy and “parts work.” I use parts work because it helps increase awareness of the various parts within us impacted by trauma – giving each entity a voice, and learning what each needs, wants, and fears. Parts work strives for the integration of all those entities “within” by helping each part to understand each other's function, helping to increase overall compassion towards the “self.”
I teach the following tools in trauma therapy: accurate identification of feelings and sensations; emotional regulation/distress tolerance skills; cognitive defusion skills (creating healthy distance between the self and unproductive thoughts/feelings/sensations); values assessment and exploration of activities that provide access to a sense of purpose, fulfillment, satisfaction, and meaning; as well as self-compassion and self-validation skills where clients are encouraged to relate themselves to personal friends, a loved one, or their “younger self.”
I know a client is making meaningful progress when they report the ability to navigate a difficult situation with increased emotional regulation, understanding, and self-compassion.
Clients can supplement their time in trauma therapy with mindfulness, deep-breathing exercises, grounding practices, and increased awareness and expression of their authentic emotions and sensory experiences in their day-to-day environments.
To prepare for a trauma therapy session, someone can begin by identifying the unproductive thoughts/beliefs that lead to emotional distress and problematic behaviors so that the client is better prepared to interact with these thoughts in healthier ways, increasing their sense of regulation and personal agency.
At Thriveworks, Trauma/PTSD therapy involves dedicated efforts to address and navigate through past and/or recent traumatic events. Therapists specializing in trauma create a secure environment to process and heal from these experiences, aiming to reduce trauma-related symptoms and enhance overall quality of life.
Our Thriveworks providers use Trauma/PTSD therapy treatments like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing EMDR, CBT, and exposure therapy with the goal of helping clients process the traumatic events they have experienced so that they can to start feeling safe and secure again.
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can vary but often include:
The best way to overcome PTSD triggers is to seek the assistance of a professional therapist, such as those at Thriveworks, who can help you to understand and treat your PTSD triggers.
In most cases, a therapist who specializes in Trauma/PTSD therapy is the best type of mental health professional to address the symptoms of PTSD.
PTSD/trauma therapy at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
If a client is working through a single traumatic event that occurred as an adult, trauma or PTSD therapy may only take a few months, but in general, it can take a year or more to effectively treat trauma symptoms and PTSD. The duration of treatment is highly dependent on the client and the severity of their symptoms.
The success rate of therapy for PTSD depends entirely on the individual’s symptoms, commitment to attending sessions, and personal abilities.
When you or a loved one are exposed to a shocking, troubling, dangerous or scary event, it’s natural to experience temporary emotional effects stemming from it. Situations such as those trigger our body’s “fight or flight” response, and then our brain tries to sort out what we’ve experienced while coming to terms with the triggering event. But sometimes your brain can’t resolve what you’ve been through, and instead gets locked in a harmful pattern that can alter its thought processes significantly. When that occurs a life-changing behavioral condition can result which is clinically referred to as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), PTSD is classified as any response to trauma that interferes with one’s ability to cope or function on a daily basis. Mental health professionals have found that over three percent of the U.S. population experience PTSD each year, and that a third of those cases are deemed to be “severe”. The most common examples of PTSD are found in military veterans who’ve been in combat situations, but there are other PTSD causes that people are exposed to including:
When you or someone close to you is challenged by PTSD it can be debilitating and interfere with that person’s health, relationships, and school and job performance.
Therapists separate PTSD symptoms into four different categories based upon their characteristics, those being: re-experiencing, avoidance, arousal and reactivity, and cognition and mood. Here are the four categories and their corresponding symptoms:
A PTSD client can present with symptoms from one or more of these categories which helps clinicians make a definitive diagnosis. If you or someone close to you has PTSD, that person is also at risk for other mental health conditions such as anxiety, grief, depression, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts. At times the coexisting mental health issues make it more complicated for the individual with PTSD to get help. Fortunately there is effective therapeutic counseling, also known as coaching, available to help someone with PTSD begin to get his or her life on the right track again.
Counseling, or coaching, sessions for PTSD clients are very individualized and based on the symptoms, traumatic experience(s) involved and coexisting mental health conditions. Coaching services are designed to help you or your loved one make sense of their negative experiences and feelings, devise a plan to stay safe, learn healthy life coping behaviors, connect with additional resources and support, and to start making posttraumatic growth improvements.
Either primary or add-on psychotherapeutic methodologies that have shown promise in treating people with PTSD include these:
The good news for you or someone you care about is that a majority of clients with PTSD who receive professional coaching assistance are able to recover.
PTSD counseling caan assist you or your loved one in overcoming its challenges while developing a more positive outlook on life. For more information on our PTSD coaching services, or how to become a certified Thriveworks Henrico, VA coach, call: (804) 205-3408 today or go online to book your appointment.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Henrico is located in the Gayton Crossing Shopping Center near Gayton Road and Gaskins Road, off West Broad Street. It is close to Vertical Church and just a short distance from the Tuckahoe Village West Recreation
Shown in ET
167 therapists available in Virginia, including 5 in Henrico
Call to book
We'll help you find the right provider and get you scheduled.
Book online
Find the right provider for you and book your first session in minutes.