“You discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” – Plato
“Play is often talked about as if it were relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning.” – Mr. Rogers
“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin
Ann Abell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker bringing more than 20 years of experience to private practice from working with children, adolescents and their families in residential treatment, intensive in-home and educational settings. She earned her undergraduate psychology degree from Virginia Tech in 1999 and her master’s in social work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006.
Ann works in therapy from a client directed strengths-based perspective. She believes each client has the ability to heal and develop skills and the therapist role is to honor and support individuals on their journey. Ann’s therapeutic approach includes psycho-dynamic/play-based interventions, creative expressions, biblio-therapy, narrative, sand tray, and filial therapies within her practice. She is also a certified Theraplay and MIM Assessment Level I clinician. She has extensive play-based training and is a Registered Play Therapist. To learn more about play therapy, visit our Play Therapy page here.
She specializes in working with clients seeking to address various types of trauma, attachment challenges, depression, anxiety, self-esteem/self-confidence, ADHD, Autism Spectrum and various learning differences, as well as family systems working with the foster care system and adoption. Ann enjoys working as a partner with parents/guardians to provide support, education and skills to utilize well beyond the therapy room.
Chesterfield Office