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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

https://www.hayleyobrienlpc.com/

Hayley O’Brien - Psychotherapy, 1350 Connecticut Avenue Suite 203, Washington D.C., DC (2025)

10/26/2022

Think you may be wanting some grounding and connection the day after thanksgiving? Honestly, same. So let’s do it.

In this group, I’ll invite you to bring your whole self. You might be carrying some thanksgiving leftovers with you, and that’s okay! Our purpose in this group is to have a here and now experience with our thoughts and feelings. Together, we’ll provide opportunities to connect and deepen our understanding of our relationship to self and others. I hope you can join us.

If you’d like to come in, join us in the morning! But if you’d rather tune in from home, that’s great too. A virtual option is available in the afternoon.

10/22/2022

Excited to be offering an opportunity for grounding and connection the evening before Thanksgiving!

The holidays are an incredibly stressful time. And I know the night before thanksgiving, you might be rushing around to prep, or stressing about family/food, or even traveling in that LOVELY thanksgiving traffic (shout out to all my folks who know about 95 on thanksgiving eve 😩)

But if you have some time, and want to make space, why not make it for you? I hope you will join me in taking a pause. Together we’ll explore gratitude, and what it really means to you. Why it’s hard to access, and why it’s not appropriate to access at all times!

This group will be offered on zoom for folks residing in DC, Maryland, or Virginia. If you’re interested, I hope to talk more soon 💛

10/21/2022

I love my office so freakin much. Dare I say it’s my ✨safe space✨ I know it is for me, and for many of my clients. In this space

Breath is taken
Pauses are held
Tears are plentiful
Memories are faced
Contact is made
Laughs are had
Relationships build
Feelings are alive

All here in my tiny DuPont office, with the green couch. I feel welcomed. I sink into my chair and listen, and hear, and be with,
and sometimes even cry. It is one of my safest spaces, but also one of my favorites 💛

I hope you have your version of the green couch, whatever or wherever that may be

06/03/2022

helloooooo? Is anyone out there? Oh god it’s been a LONG time y’all. I realize I’ve taken an enormous break from social media, and I have a lot to say about my time away and what I’ve learned and what I’m excited to share more about. But for today, I’ll run with this — I’m starting again.

I had some hesitation about coming back like, is that okay? I’ve been gone for so long? Maybe I’ll just ditch social media all together? But instead I’m deciding to lean into imperfection and mess. Who wants to join? Even though I’ve been away, I’ve continued to stay inspired by content by .d.emily .hannum.psychotherapy and most recently Emily Hamberger Psychotherapy (Insta pending…) I love connecting with my people in this way 💛

I need this reminder so often that it’s OKAY if things are imperfect. It’s okay to take a break, to take care of yourself, to be a little messy. I’m here for it. And I’m really happy to be back 🥰

Maybe today you need to start over again. There’s space for that. Let’s do it together. And when we fall, let’s get up and start again, and again, and again.

Lots of love,
Hayley

11/15/2020

Something about this quote really touched me. So much that when I read it, I began to cry because I know how TRUE it is 💛 Or rather, my body knows how true it is.
Many of us were not conscious for various parts of our lives, and yet, we may never know what those parts were! In these cases, the body picks up the slack for the brain. Meaning, if your brain can’t process a memory, your body will. Our bodies are communicating with us all the time and for many of us, we have been conditioned to ignore them, hurt them, and criticize them. Collectively, I feel so sad about that 😔
If you’re learning to understand the signals from your body, I’m sending you a lot of love. This is arguably the most difficult language you will ever study. And when your brain can’t remember, have some grace. Your brain too is working really hard to protect you.
stay well,
hayley
my instagram is for educational purposes only✨

11/06/2020

You ever catch yourself not breathing? I’ve been doing that a lot this week. I’ve had to offer myself a constant reminder to relax my shoulders, soften my jaw, and breath 💛
I know collectively we’re holding onto a lot of stress. Take a moment to tend to your emotional and physical needs with a big drink of air, and a slowwwwwwww release.
Thinking of you all....
My Instagram is for educational purposes only. It should not be a substitute for direct psychological or medical care ✨

10/17/2020

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted on social media, and I thought a lot about how I wanted to get started again. I found myself feeling pressured to say the right thing, or explain my absence perfectly. And then I remembered what I might tell a client or a friend — you’re human. Lead with your heart, and be where you are ✨
Those words bring me great comfort. I first remember getting this message in Pema Chodron’s book Start Where You Are. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to be behind or ahead of where we are right now. Over the last few months, I was being very intentional with my energy and carefully assessing what I needed. I realized that with 2020 being so digital, I needed less time on social media and more time with myself.
What serves us in any given moment can change, and that’s okay. We are ever changing and so it makes sense that our needs change as well! Every moment is an opportunity to check in with yourself. Breathe in, breathe out, be where you are.
🌞 My Instagram is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy or medical care

07/29/2020

You ever find yourself in a dark hole of self criticism?🌪 Sometimes you’re so far in it feels like you’ll never get out. Chronic self criticism can be paralyzing and shaming — it stops us right in our tracks. You make a mistake, want to do better, and end up completely beating yourself up for it.
When this happens, I like to imagine what I’d say to my 8 year old self. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s easier to access compassion for my younger self than my adult self. I find that the language I use with my 8 year old self is firm, loving, and motivating. And even though I’m a full grown woman, that language is far more effective with me than toxic criticism.
We’ve all got an inner 8 year old in us somewhere who’s just trying to do the best they can. So when you’re struggling to be kind to you, maybe try being kind to 8 year old you. You might be surprised with what comes up 💛

07/27/2020

Plain and simple. You’re not “bad” for eating something or “good” for eating something else. Food morality is something we learn, and similarly, is something we can unlearn ✨
So go ahead, keep listening to your body. It knows what it wants and needs even if your brain has be taught something different 🌟

07/24/2020

Let’s talk about preventative coping skills. So often we talk about skills that work in the moment to help us interrupt a thought, feeling, or behavior. But the skills that have equal importance are the skills we use preventatively.
You can think of preventative coping skills as your basic needs — your emotional and physical foundation. When we meet our basic needs, we help to decrease emotional vulnerability.
Let me know if you’ve had one of these days: You didn’t get any sleep, work totally drained you, your schedule is completely off and all of a sudden you find yourself knee deep in a self destructive behavior. Sure you have! We all have! But maybe your didn’t know that long before that destructive behavior, you were building the perfect recipe for a breakdown 🤯
It’s important to note that your recipe might look totally different from someone else. There are likely parts of the graphic above that don’t apply to you at all! That’s because there are a million and one ways to reduce emotional vulnerability. These are just some of the ones I’ve seen most in my work as a therapist AND ones adapted from DBT. Find what works for you 💛
We’re not always going to be perfect at reducing our vulnerability, and that’s okay! But with time you can get better and better at laying that strong foundation. And the days where the ground is a little rocky, show yourself grace. You’re working so hard, and that matters.

07/20/2020

I said it. I’m needy! I’ve got very real needs that I (try to) voice regularly. Anyone else been told they are “needy” and been made to feel shameful for it? Honest question: when did having needs become such a bad thing?
I used to feel really bad about being needy. In fact, I’ll never forget someone told me I was “too needy” in group therapy, and I really took it to heart. It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with my neediness. To really lean into my needs and say it loud and proud — I’M NEEDY!
I find there’s usually a lot of shame and embarrassment associated with wanting to be taken care of. But why should we feel bad about that human need? I’m reminded of one of my best friends who will say “I’m feeling needy — anyone wanna talk?” It’s so refreshing to see her not hide her feelings. It makes me wanna be more honest about my needs too.
So to all my fellow needy humans out there, welcome to the club! There’s nothing wrong with having needs! ✨

07/18/2020

Let’s talk about recharging this weekend. Here, I’m sharing some of my ideas. Don’t get too distracted by the 3 categories — these lists are ever changing and on any given day what I consider self care for my soul can move into mind or body. We’re pretty fluid like that as humans, right? ✨
Now, am I going to get around to everything on these lists? Hell no. Not even close. But it’s less about needing to complete the self care and more about tuning in and setting an intention. You’re giving yourself ideas and that’s honestly a great first start 💛
This is me assessing my needs TODAY. Maybe you can do the same! What would take care of your mind, body and soul this weekend? Feel free to share ideas below 🙏🏻

07/16/2020

Cognitive reframing is a technique used in therapy to help us create a different way of looking at a situation, person, or relationship by changing its meaning. It’s essentially an opportunity to look at something from a slightly different perspective 👀
Our thoughts, feelings, and experiences are all dependent on the frame they are seen through. When we change out the frame, just like a piece of artwork, we have the potential to change our perspective. Sometimes we change the whole piece! Our thoughts can change, and with time, behavior can start to shift too.
So go ahead, reframe that s**t! Give yourself a chance to see your thoughts from a new perspective. And don’t worry if you don’t like how it looks, you have an infinite amount of frames to choose from 🖼 @ Washington D.C.

07/14/2020

When did wanting attention become such a bad thing? Wanting attention is in our human nature, and I wanna offer a new view on attention seeking behavior. What classifies as “attention seeking” is probably up for debate because it’s completely subjective. What catches my attention is different from what catches yours.
Acting out, having a tantrum, pushing the boundaries, being provocative, showing off, making a lot of noise, breaking the rules — the list goes on and on. As children, we don’t have fully developed language yet. So, when we have a need our instinct is to communicate with an ACTION. As we grow into adults, if those needs aren’t met and if we never learn the language, we’ll continue to use “attention seeking” actions over words.
If you yourself act on attention seeking behavior, join the club! It is OKAY. We ALL do it from time to time. I find it helpful to see this behavior as an effort to make contact with another. In those moments, we are looking for connection.
Where to start the work? Well, start off with a healthy dose of self compassion. You are human after all. And the next time you notice you are using connection seeking behavior, ask yourself — what am I really trying to say?

07/13/2020

Think of it like resetting the router in your home. The internet is spotty, you’re probably feeling annoyed, and at some point you think to reset the device. Like magic, your internet it up and running and you’re feeling relieved.
I wish humans were this simple. Unfortunately, we don’t have a formal reset button. All we have is choice and what’s in our control. If you look around, you may notice there are certain things you need a break from. Maybe it’s social media, certain people, possibly a responsibility.
When you’re burnt out, it’s hard to take care of yourself and usually we end up disconnecting from ourselves mindlessly through hurtful behaviors.
A suggestion? Disconnecting mindfully. Taking breaks when you need it. Putting your phone down. Setting boundaries. Not everyone has the option to take time off work, but maybe there are pockets in your day where you can have more time for you. When we actively take time for ourselves, we open up space to reconnect in deeper ways.
On this Monday, what do you need some space from?

07/11/2020

Hi everyone! This is a photo of me showing off my favorite sweatshirt from ✌🏻 You may have noticed I’ve taken a break from social media recently. I took the last week to completely recharge my system. This time off was really needed for me and I’m excited to get back to posting 💗
Signing back into my page, I’ve noticed a number of new followers so I wanted to say hello and welcome! For those of you who might not know, I’m a therapist and yoga teacher based in D.C. I specialize in the intersection of eating disorders and complex trauma. I love the work I do, and feel so grateful to be able to share it with others. In addition to being a therapist, I’m also a self identified highly sensitive person, dedicated cat mom, foodie, and die hard fan of the show Survivor ✨
This page tends to highlight my professional work as well as parts of my personality. I’m so happy you’re here! 🥰

07/03/2020

As we enter this long weekend, I want to offer the reminder to r e s t. Slowing down and recharging is essential to our health ✨
I remember working in environments where I got 10 days of paid time off a year. And when I wanted to take that time, I had to get coverage from other burnt out and exhausted therapists who needed the time off just as much as me. I don’t think anyone was actually able to take the full 10 days for this exact reason. And I know what you’re thinking — burnout ⚠️
Moving into private practice was life changing for my health. Making my own schedule, taking time off when I need. Now, I’m truly able to take care of myself, avoid burn out, and model self care and self preservation for my clients. I can preach self care all I want, but if I’m not doing it for myself, what good is that?
I’m taking a vacation all of next week which will basically involve relaxing and doing nothing 😎 I will likely be taking a little social media break this weekend as well.
Where you can slow down and recharge this weekend?

07/01/2020

There are literally a million and one other compliments to give someone that don’t communicate “you’re better when you’re thinner - regardless of how you lost the weight”.
Take a moment to remember you have no idea how or why this person lost weight. There could be a number of reasons that aren’t necessarily in line with health. When someone hears this from you, they might internalize - “i’m more valuable this way.” They might also wonder...
How did they feel about me before?
Can’t they tell I’m sick?
Now I have to maintain this weight...
What happens when my body changes?
A better question to ask when you notice someone has lost weight is “How are you? What’s new in your life?” Person centered conversations over weight centered conversations ✨

Hayley O’Brien - Psychotherapy

10/26/2022

10/22/2022

10/21/2022

06/03/2022

11/15/2020

11/06/2020

10/17/2020

07/29/2020

07/27/2020

07/24/2020

07/20/2020

07/18/2020

07/16/2020

07/14/2020

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Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm