Meet the Team

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John P. Dennis, PhD (he, him)

Owner & Clinical Psychologist

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John P. Dennis, PhD earned his doctorate from Saint Louis University and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Aaron Beck, MD, the founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). He has been providing evidence-based therapy to adults and teaching EBTs to early career therapists for over 15 years. Dr. Dennis feels passionate about teaching patients how to use practical therapeutic skills to manage stress. He particularly enjoys working with patients with diverse presenting problems such as professional stress, perfectionism, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression and bipolar disorders, social anxiety, insomnia and performance anxiety in sports. In his spare time, Dr. Dennis enjoys spending as much time outside with his wife and three daughters camping, kayaking, hiking, trail running, and snowboarding. He is a former member of the USA Men’s 24-Hour Track & Field team and continues to enjoy competing in endurance sports. Dr. Dennis is available to see patients in-person at his Chevy Chase, MD office and is licensed to provide Telehealth to patients in any PSYPACT state.

Arielle Bernstein, PsyD (she, her)

Clinical Psychologist

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Arielle Bernstein, PsyD earned her Doctorate in Combined School and Clinical Psychology from Kean University. She previously worked at the Capital Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Stephen J.F. Holland, PsyD, who is one of the Founding Fellows of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. She also previously worked at Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute, where she supported clients navigating issues with depression and anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, and anger management. Additional experiences include a doctoral internship at St. Elizabeths Hospital serving people with severe psychiatric diagnoses such as psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, and issues with aggression; a community outpatient clinic at Kean University; a public New Jersey elementary and middle school; and performing forensic psychological work in affiliation with New York city courts. Dr. Bernstein specializes in using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy, which are specific styles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). These therapy techniques focus on using mindfulness and compassion as tools to help people move through their experiences of suffering while staying connected with what is most important to them so that they may lead rich, fulfilling lives. Dr. Bernstein enjoys using a trauma-informed, collaborative, and compassionate approaches to therapy. She is a licensed psychologist in Washington, DC, and sees clients via telehealth only. She is able to see clients located in any PSYPACT state.