Meet Joy McCrady, LCPC, NCC
You’re already stronger than you think you are.
Feeling safe starts with connection, so let me be human with you.
I am no stranger to anxiety and burn out. I have been there and it stinks. In a previous life, I had a winding road of a career where I supported admirals, generals, members of the federal senior executive service, mayors, and CEOs. Life felt like a never-ending roller coaster of tasks that created very little room for what I wanted to do for my own life. And after some difficult life events occurred early in my career (my husband was injured in Iraq and several loved ones died), I realized I needed to attend to something much deeper in my soul. So I went to therapy and through that experience felt a vocational and spiritual calling to become a therapist and pastoral counselor to help others go deeper and find hope, healing, and purpose in their life again.
When you are in the room with me, I bring a variety of life experience. I have over 25 years of professional experience in corporate, government, and health industry and I am no stranger to the stress and complications both public and private sector work can bring to and bring over a decade of experience working as a therapist and pastoral counselor into the room with me. Before starting my private practice in 2019, I have worked in substance abuse clinics, community mental health, and as a grief counselor for Hospice of the Chesapeake where I supported many children, teens, adults, couples, and families navigate many different types of loss. I coordinated grief camps and workshops for children and teens and co-facilitated adult support groups. And because I love teaching, I have provided various educational presentations and trainings for county agencies, faith communities, and mental health professionals and have served as a guest lecturer at Loyola University Maryland and the Washington School of Psychiatry. I have authored and co-authored numerous articles and a pamphlet titled "Supporting Children After Drug-Related Loss."
While I am grounded in my Christian faith, I won't "preach at" you, force my beliefs on you, tell you what to do based on my spiritual beliefs, or discuss faith if you choose not to include it in our work together. But if you are looking to integrate your Christian faith into our work, I am trained to do just that and meet you where you are.
Outside the therapy room, you’ll find me spending time with my family, chasing my daughter and therapy-dog-in-training around the yard, serving in my local faith community, reading four books at once (I am a life-long learner—aka - a nerd), and learning how to bake new treats worthy of that famous competition show. I love hiking in the woods and walking next to the ocean.
I work with folks who usually have it all together—or at least look like they do, but there is a longing to be seen and supported. I help caregivers, professionals, helpers, parents, ministry leaders, servicemembers, and people others rely on. The ones who show up, give, keep going, and quietly ask, “But what about me?”
Sound like You? You’re in the right place.
My style
You’re not broken. You’re human.
Therapy with me is down-to-earth, collaborative, and honest. I won’t sit silently and blink at you, and I definitely won’t try to “fix” you with a one-size-fits-all solution.
We’ll discern together:
What you want to work on
What goals you want to achieve before therapy ends
What is really going on at a deeper level
What plan is right for you to get honest and clear, heal and build the life you want
And all of you is welcome — You can be silly, serious, anxious, angry, sad, surprised, joyful and anything in between. There can be crying, snotting, raging, cussing, reminiscing, and lots of laughing (dark humor is welcome here).
My guiding principles
Growth
Growth requires the desire to do something differently. You set the pace and I will remind you of where you named you wanted to go.
Trust
I will build trust together through consistency, compassion, and respect in our work together.
Transparency
I strive to provide clear, open communication as we work so we are always clear on your goals, process, and progress. I will get your permission be direct, interrupt, or slow you down, but will explain why as we move through our work together.
Safety
Healing begins when you genuinely feel heard, seen, and supported. I will be a reliable support in your corner so you feel safe to face the hard stuff to get to the good stuff.
Training & Education
M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Pastoral Counseling
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) - MD LC9255
National Certified Counselor (NCC)
Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider (CTMH)
Intensive Short-Term Psychodynamic Therapy (ISTDP) 3-Year Post Graduate Training
EMDR trained with advanced trainings in EMDR & Telehealth, EMDR and grief, attachment-focused EMDR, EMDR for OCD and religious scrupulosity
Trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Polyvagal Therapy
Trained in and pursuing certification in Nutritional & Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP)
Speaking & Writing
· Maryland Department of Health - Behavioral Health Administration, Continuing Education 6-Hour Workshop, 3/6/20
o Postvention as Prevention: Supporting Children, Adults and Families after Suicide Loss, co-presenter
· Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington, DC, ISTDP 1st Year Courses, 10/18/19; 1/24/20
o Psychodiagnosis of Anxiety; Ego Adaptive Capacity, co-teacher and co-supervisor
· Graduate Course on Loss & Bereavement, Loyola University MD, Columbia, MD, 10/2/19
o Grief Interventions: Working with Individuals, Children, and Families, guest lecturer
· Bereaved Parents of the USA, Anne Arundel County Chapter, Annapolis, MD, 6/6/19
o Deaths of Despair: Grieving the Loss of a Child by Suicide or Overdose, lead presenter
· Chesapeake Life Center, Largo, MD, Continuing Education, 4/26/2019
o Where Are You? Where Am I? An Exploration of the Grief Experience in Persons with Dementia, co-presenter
· Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington, DC, 3-Hour CE Workshop & ISTDP Program Open House, 4/13/19
o Listening with Our Eyes: Learning to Recognize and Regulate Anxiety, co-presenter
· Anne Arundel County Department of Aging, 3/6/19
o Growing through Grief: What the Sacred Sorrow of Grief Can Teach Us, lead presenter
· Washington County Public Schools: School Counselor Training, 2-Hour Workshop, Hagerstown, MD, 2/6/19
o Supporting Students after a Suicide or Overdose Loss, co-presenter
· Brooklane Continuing Education, 3-Hour Workshop, Hagerstown, MD, 12/7/18
o Working with Children & Adolescents after a Suicide or Overdose Loss, co-presenter
· Graduate Course on Loss & Bereavement, Loyola University MD, Columbia, MD, 11/5/18
o Creative Interventions: Working with Grieving Individuals, Children, and Families, guest lecturer
· Caring for the Continuum of Life 2018: A Healthcare Symposium, Prince George’s Community College, MD, 11/3/18
o Different Boats, Same Tumultuous Sea: Family Interventions for Grief and Loss, co-presenter
· Anne Arundel County Public School Nurses In-Service Day, Severn, MD, 10/23/18
o Supporting Children & Adolescents after an Overdose Loss, co-presenter
· Association for Death Education and Counseling Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 4/27/18
o A Family Grieves After Death by Drug Overdose: A Case Study, co-presenter
· Bereavement Network of Maryland, Baltimore MD, 3/12/18
o Supporting Children and Families after Substance Use / Overdose Loss, co-presenter
· St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Annapolis Maryland, 1/26/18
o Finding Healing After Loss, lead presenter
· 29th Annual Child Welfare Workshop, Hagerstown, MD, 4/18/17
o Supporting Children after Suicide or Overdose Loss, co-presenter
· Various Training Courses for Hospice of the Chesapeake Volunteers and Employees, 2017-2019
o Grief 101, Boundaries, Children and Grief
· Poster Presentation: Pastoral Counselors as Veteran Advocates: PTSD, DSM-5, and the Ecological Model
o Presented at AAPC Atlantic Region Conference, 11/12/13; AAPC National Conference, 4/3/14