Dr. Megan Polanin
Clinical Psychologist
PhD
As a graduate student and licensed clinical psychologist, I've been working with children, adolescents, families, and adults for 15 years. I've worked in diverse settings, including schools; hospitals; primary care and outpatient clinics; and community mental health centers. I have a special interest in working with parents as they navigate the incredibly rich and challenging journey of caregiving within our society. As a parent of a child with disabilities, my lived experience has ignited a passion for supporting caregivers walking this path and illuminating issues through disability justice advocacy.
My ever-evolving therapeutic approach is human-centered, healing-informed, and liberation-based. This means that each client's humanity is honored and celebrated. My approach is strengths-based and centers culture as a central component to wellbeing. Finally, it means that we will work collaboratively to understand the impact of structural forces on current distress. My style is warm and affirming, and as a therapist, I always strive for my actions to be rooted in empathy, curiosity, and love.
MY FOCUS
I specialize in working with adults and families needing support with anxiety; depression; grief/loss; trauma; life transitions and adjustments; and relationship difficulties. My areas of specialty are school mental health; healing-informed care; clinical supervision; and parent/caregiver consultation.
Drawing from my work in Chicago, Los Angeles, and DC schools; I hold expertise in navigating school systems and working with educators. I've also worked in the health policy world and care deeply about empowering others to trust and use their voices to advocate for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Therapy is a Sacred and Intimate Journey.
You, as the client, invite me to walk alongside you. I am here to help you do the following: connect with your inner knowing and wisdom; enhance consciousness about the many layered factors contributing to who you are and the unique challenges you face; clarify your core values and life goals; & realize momentum forward on the path you choose.
MY EXPERIENCE
I completed my Masters- and doctoral-level training at Loyola University Chicago in the Community Counseling M.A. & Counseling Psychology PhD programs, respectively. I completed my formal internship program at Providence Saint John's Child & Family Development Center in Santa Monica, CA, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Child & Family Therapy Clinic at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. I am a life-long learner who values critical internal reflection and deep listening to understand life experiences different than my own.
In addition to private practice, I am a faculty member at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry, as well as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine. I have had the privilege to serve as Co-Director of Clinical Training for psychology and social work graduate trainees and care deeply about pouring into the next generation of mental health clinicians.
Connect with your inner wisdom.
In the words of Trabian Shorters, I want to honor "the true spirit living in someone — the thing that motivates them; what gets them moving." Together, we will co-create a therapeutic space where you feel safe, seen, and challenged to cultivate meaning, connection with self and others, and a sense of being alive.