Anna has completed her internship with MCCC and is no longer accepting clients with us. Find her at https://www.annarowley.com
About Intern Therapist Anna Rowley
My name is Anna Rowley. I’m a Practicum student in training at the MCCC in Olney, Maryland. For the past 20+ years, I have worked as an executive coach and corporate therapist. I’m very excited to start the next chapter of my therapeutic work and training at MCCC. My fundamental belief is that engaging in therapy is the ultimate expression of self-care. Often, we can go through life feeling empty, unfulfilled at work or in our relationships, and highly self-critical about not being a good-enough parent or partner. My wish is that through our work together, you gain insight into what drives these feelings and gain a greater awareness and appreciation of yourself.
Our greatest strengths are often hidden in plain sight. Learning to have greater self-compassion and self-acceptance and becoming more emotionally literate will enable you to discover your unique strengths and work towards a more fulfilled, purposeful, and joyful life.
My therapeutic approach is inspired by Donald Winnicott, an English pediatrician and psychotherapist. He described what happens in therapy as magic and that this alchemy between two people creates a series of what he calls life-enhancing possibilities. In that regard, I like to think of myself as a magician. While I’m not good at card tricks or pulling a rabbit out of a hat (I’m working on this), I am good at helping my clients discover or rediscover the magic in their own lives.
Education and Experience as a Therapist
I received my bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from Loughborough University in England. Then, I studied for a Master of Philosophy degree in group work before completing my Ph.D. at the University of London. I worked for 14 years in the department of psychological medicine at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.
My family and I then emigrated to the United States, where I founded my consulting practice. For the past 24 years, I have helped executives, founders, and entrepreneurs cope with stress and burnout, imposter syndrome, lack of confidence, and, most importantly, how to activate their everyday resilience. The thread running throughout my work is resilience. Most people think about resilience as bouncing back from adversity, but the absolute truth of being resilient is engaging with adversity. Choosing to have a challenging conversation, saying “no,” facing difficult truths, and coming into therapy are examples of resilient acts.
Specialties and areas of interest
- LGBTQAI Youth
- Resilience
- Children and adolescents therapy
- Life Transitions
- Workplace difficulties
- Technology and psychotherapy
Personal Life
I’ve been married for 26 years and have three grown children—two living in the US and one in the UK. At home, we have two cats, Isha and Ferg. One of my passions is English soccer, and when I go back to my hometown of Leeds, I always watch my local team. I love to travel, and when I’m not working or wrangling cats, I enjoy learning to play the guitar. A guilty pleasure is video games, and I own an x-box, play station and Nintendo Switch.