Chris Doriani, LCSW

Chris Doriani has worked in the mental health field since 1988. He holds licensure in Virginia as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He has experience working with youth and adults in nonprofit and private practice settings, as assistant professor of social work and adjunct instructor, and as a therapist and consultant for public schools and nursing homes. He has practiced in five states and is now here to stay living in Chesapeake, Virginia. His specialty areas include providing therapy for youth (14+) and adults struggling with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic and phobic conditions. He provides therapy for marital and family relationships, and for pastors and businesspeople bearing heavy burdens.

Chris received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1983 with a major in philosophy.  He planned to enter pastoral ministry, but while working as a college campus minister with college students, he realized that his deepest interest was to learn to provide family counseling and psychotherapy. He subsequently attended the University of Chicago and received a master’s degree with a concentration of clinical social work in 1988. He began clinical practice providing individuals, couples, and family therapy. He later taught as assistant professor of social work for four years at a private Christian college in Iowa, in adjunct university teaching roles, and as a guest lecturer at Koshin University in Pusan, South Korea, helping students understand the intersection of Christian thought in the context of counseling and psychotherapy. His graduate school experience provided him training in marriage and family systems therapy as well as cognitive behavioral therapy. He has practiced Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy since 1995, later receiving advanced training. He has received training in and practices Dialectal Behavior Therapy.

Chris is an avid vegetable and fruits grower. He enjoys cycling, swimming, wilderness hiking, kayaking, and sharing these activities with his wife of over 40 years.

Specialties: teens (14+) and adults providing individual, relationship, and family therapy. Treating: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, panic and phobic conditions, and relationship issues. Practices: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.