Bradley Croyle, Licensed Professional Counselor
Arlington, Virginia
VerifiedTelehealth Available
My Approach to Therapy
It looks like you have it together. But inside, things may feel very different.
You may be successful in your career, take care of everyone around you, and appear to be doing well—yet still find yourself struggling with anxiety, difficult relationships, emotional patterns, or the effects of experiences from your past that you haven't been able to fully move beyond.
I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor and EMDR-Certified Therapist and Approved Consultant with more than 25 years of experience helping adults work through trauma, anxiety, attachment wounds, adverse childhood experiences, and longstanding patterns that can affect relationships, work, and everyday life.
My approach goes beyond simply managing symptoms. I use EMDR, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and a blend of other evidence-based approaches to help you understand and process what is underneath the patterns you're experiencing—while also developing practical tools you can use in your life now.
I especially enjoy working with high-functioning adults and professionals who may look fine on the outside but know something isn't quite right on the inside. You don't have to be in crisis to benefit from therapy, and you don't have to spend years talking about the past without seeing meaningful change.
As a private-pay therapist, I offer personalized, confidential care without the constraints that can sometimes come with insurance-based therapy. Sessions are conducted by secure telehealth throughout Virginia and Pennsylvania, with additional states available through the Counseling Compact.
If you've been thinking about therapy for a while but haven't found the right person, I invite you to reach out for a brief consultation to see if we're a good fit.
A little about me: Outside of counseling, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, mountain biking, photography, being outdoors, reading, gardening, roasting coffee (and drinking it!), and maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
My Practice & Services
Private, Personalized Therapy for High-Performing Adults
My practice provides private-pay individual therapy for adults through secure telehealth, designed for professionals whose careers and responsibilities demand a great deal from them.
I primarily work with executives, physicians and healthcare providers, entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders, athletes, and other high-performing professionals—people who are accustomed to solving problems, taking responsibility, and pushing through challenges on their own, but recognize that some things are difficult to resolve without the right support.
Private-pay therapy offers something many busy professionals value: greater privacy, flexibility, and control over their care. Because you are not using insurance for your sessions, treatment is not structured around an insurance company's requirements for medical necessity, session frequency, or length of treatment. You and I can determine the focus and pace of therapy based on your goals rather than an insurer's criteria.
For some clients, that may mean a focused course of EMDR to process unresolved trauma or difficult experiences. For others, it may mean deeper, longer-term work around relationships, identity, burnout, major life changes, or a career transition. The goal is not simply to keep you functioning—it is to help you make meaningful changes in the areas of life that matter to you.
We typically begin with an assessment session focused on understanding what brought you to therapy, what you want to change, and what you would like your life to look like in six months, one year, and beyond. From there, we develop a treatment approach that fits your goals.
I understand that demanding careers don't always fit neatly into a traditional 9-to-5 schedule, so I offer evening and weekend appointments when available. I also reserve a limited number of sliding-scale appointments for clients who qualify.
If you've reached a point where you've tried handling things on your own and are ready for a more focused approach, I invite you to schedule a consultation to determine whether my practice is a good fit for you.
Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With
I commonly work with adults experiencing:
• Trauma, PTSD, and the lasting effects of adverse life experiences
• Anxiety, chronic stress, and emotional overwhelm
• Burnout, compassion fatigue, and work-related stress
• Relationship difficulties, communication problems, and recurring conflict
• Attachment wounds and unhealthy relationship patterns
• Grief, loss, and difficult life transitions
• Depression, low self-worth, and feelings of disconnection
• Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and performance pressure
• Identity, purpose, and personal growth
• Performance and focus challenges for professionals, leaders, and athletes
How Psychotherapy Can Help
Therapy That Goes Beyond Managing Symptoms
Therapy isn't just about getting through the next difficult week. It can be an opportunity to understand why the same patterns keep showing up—and finally begin changing them.
With EMDR, we can work directly with experiences and memories that may continue to influence how you respond to stress, relationships, conflict, or situations in the present. Rather than spending every session simply talking about what's bothering you, therapy can help you process what is underneath those reactions while developing practical ways to respond differently going forward.
Clients often seek therapy because they want to:
- Feel less anxious, overwhelmed, or emotionally reactive
- Stop repeating patterns rooted in past experiences or relationships
- Move beyond simply managing the effects of trauma
- Communicate more effectively and navigate relationships with greater confidence
- Make decisions without constant second-guessing
- Feel more present, focused, and engaged at home and at work
- Have more energy for the people and activities that matter to them
- Understand themselves more deeply and feel more in control of their lives
For many high-performing adults, the goal isn't simply to feel better temporarily. It's to understand what has been getting in the way and develop the capacity to live, work, and relate to others differently.
My View on the Purpose of Psychotherapy
Therapy for People Who Are Used to Handling Things on Their Own
I don't believe therapy is simply about reducing symptoms or helping you cope a little better with the same patterns. I believe it's about understanding yourself deeply enough to create meaningful change—so that you can make different choices, respond differently, and move forward with greater freedom.
Many of the people I work with are already high-functioning: executives, physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders, and other accomplished professionals. They've built careers, families, businesses, and lives that may look successful from the outside. They're also accustomed to handling difficult things on their own.
What brings them to therapy often isn't a crisis.
It's a growing sense that something underneath the surface isn't working the way they want it to. Maybe anxiety keeps returning despite everything they've tried. Maybe the same relationship patterns continue to repeat. Maybe past experiences still affect how they respond to stress, conflict, or intimacy. Or maybe they're simply tired of being successful in many areas of life while feeling stuck in one that matters deeply.
That's where therapy can be different from simply managing the problem.
My role is to help you understand what is driving the pattern, where it came from, and what you can do differently now. Using EMDR and other evidence-based approaches, we can work toward meaningful change while keeping the therapy practical and connected to the life you're actually living.
You don't have to be falling apart to decide that something needs to change.
Sometimes, being ready for something different is reason enough to reach out.
What I Love about Being a Psychotherapist
Why I Still Love This Work
One of the most meaningful parts of therapy is seeing someone move from “Something is wrong with me” toward a very different understanding:
“I've been through difficult things, I understand myself better now, and I don't have to keep living the same way.”
That kind of change rarely happens overnight. It usually happens gradually—one realization, one conversation, one processed experience, and one different choice at a time. Then, sometimes, people look back and realize just how much has changed.
After more than 25 years as a therapist, I still find that process meaningful. I consider it a privilege to work with people as they develop a deeper understanding of themselves, work through experiences that have continued to affect them, and begin creating a life that feels more consistent with who they want to be.
That's what continues to make this work rewarding for me.
My Role as a Therapist
A Thoughtful Approach, With Real Direction
I see my role as both a trusted therapist and a practical guide. You won't simply come to therapy each week and talk about whatever happened since the last session. We'll work together to understand what's keeping you stuck and determine what needs to change.
When EMDR is appropriate, I use it to help process experiences that may still be influencing how you respond to stress, relationships, or other situations today. At other times, the work may be more conversational and exploratory—focused on insight, relationships, decision-making, or navigating an important transition in your life or career.
My approach is collaborative, individualized, dynamic and active. I won't tell you how to live your life or make your decisions for you. But I also won't simply sit back and agree with everything you say. When I notice a pattern that may be getting in your way, I'll point it out respectfully. When something doesn't seem to be working, we'll look at it together.
After more than 25 years in this work, I've learned that good therapy requires both a relationship where you feel understood and a process that moves somewhere.
My goal is to provide both: a place where you can be completely honest without judgment, and an experienced perspective that helps you see things differently and make meaningful changes.
On the Fence About Going to Therapy?
You Don't Have to Be in Crisis to Start
If you're reading this, there's probably a reason you've made it this far.
Maybe a relationship keeps hitting the same wall. Maybe the stress you've been carrying no longer feels manageable or normal. Maybe you've accomplished a great deal but still have a sense that life could feel better than it does right now.
You don't have to wait until things become a crisis to do something about it.
Many of the people I work with are accustomed to solving problems themselves. They've built successful careers, businesses, families, and lives by taking responsibility and figuring things out. Reaching out for therapy isn't a sign that they've failed at doing that—it's a decision to bring experienced, professional support to an area that hasn't responded to the usual strategies.
If you've been thinking about therapy but haven't yet found the right therapist, a consultation is a simple place to start. We can talk about what's bringing you in, what you're hoping to change, and whether my approach is a good fit for what you need.
Sometimes the hardest part is simply deciding that it's time to stop working around the problem and start working on it.
Why Going to Therapy Does Not Mean You are Weak or Flawed
For the Person Everyone Else Relies On
The people I work with are often the ones everyone else depends on—the fixer, the problem-solver, the reliable one who keeps things moving when everyone around them is struggling.
They're used to being the person with the answers. Asking for help doesn't necessarily come naturally.
And eventually, carrying that role alone can become exhausting.
Coming to therapy isn't an admission that something is wrong with you. In many cases, it's the opposite. It's recognizing that something isn't working the way you want it to and deciding to address it rather than continuing to push through.
You may have spent years successfully handling difficult situations on your own. But relationships, unresolved experiences, anxiety, stress, and deeply ingrained patterns don't always respond to the same strategies that have made you successful in other parts of life.
Therapy gives you an opportunity to step out of the role of always having to handle everything yourself and work with someone who can offer an experienced, objective perspective.
In my experience, that willingness to look honestly at what's happening—and do something about it—isn't a weakness.
It's a strength.
Expertise & Specialties
Age Groups I Work With
TeensAdultsElders
Groups I Work With
I work primarily with high-achieving professionals, executives, healthcare providers, entrepreneurs, educators, business owners, first responders, and other motivated adults who are seeking meaningful and lasting change. Many of my clients are successful in their careers but struggle with the effects of trauma, anxiety, burnout, relationship challenges, perfectionism, stress, or unresolved experiences from the past that continue to impact their personal lives and emotional well-being.
Therapy Services & Specialties
Concerns & Challenges Addressed
AbandonmentAbuse / Abuse Survivor IssuesAddictions and CompulsionsAdjusting to Change / Life TransitionsAngerAnxietyAttachment IssuesBlended Family Issues
Therapeutic Approaches & Evidence-Based Methods
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)BreathworkCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Critical Incident Stress ManagementEmotionally Focused TherapyEnergy PsychologyExistential PsychotherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)