Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA · Washington, DC · 25+ Years
Healing doesn't wait until you're ready.
Neither do we.
Clinical Director & Principal · District Counseling and Psychotherapy
Depth-oriented, trauma-informed psychotherapy in Washington, DC. Specializing in men's mental health, LGBTQ+ affirming care, Somatic Experiencing, and psychedelic integration therapy.
No personal information required at first contact. No tracking pixels. No digital footprint. How we protect your privacy →
Men's Mental Health
Most men arrive carrying things they've never said out loud. This is a practice built for that conversation.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Care
Joseph is a gay-identified clinician. This is not a practice that tolerates queer clients — it is one built by and for the full spectrum of identity.
Psychedelic Integration
Clinically grounded support for ketamine-assisted therapy and plant medicine experiences. C-PATP certified.
What we work with
Trauma & PTSD
Somatic Experiencing, depth work, body-based healing
Anxiety & Depression
Beneath the symptoms, not just managing them
Identity & Shame
Self Psychology, Object Relations, shame resilience
Relationships & Attachment
Intimacy, communication, attachment patterns
Young Adult & Life Transitions
Career, identity, purpose, midlife questioning
Clinical Supervision
LICSW supervision for associates seeking licensure
"The relationship is the treatment. Everything else follows from that."
Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA — Clinical Director & Principal, District Counseling and Psychotherapy
You don't have to have it figured out to begin.
Reach out confidentially. We'll take it from there.
2001 L Street NW, Suite 500 · Washington, DC 20036
About Our Practice
Privacy & Safety First
We believe seeking mental health care should never leave a digital footprint. Our practice is built from the ground up to protect your privacy — not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of everything we do.
Our Services
What We Offer
Depth-oriented, evidence-based care for individuals navigating complex challenges. All services available via secure telehealth across DC, MD, VA, NJ, and NY.
Remote Counseling & Psychotherapy
HIPAA-compliant telehealth therapy from wherever you are. Same quality of care, more privacy and flexibility.
Psychedelic Integration Therapy
Clinically grounded support for processing ketamine-assisted therapy and plant medicine experiences.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy
Body-oriented trauma healing that works with the nervous system, not just the mind. Certified SEP practitioner.
Clinical Supervision
LICSW supervision for associates and contractors seeking independent licensure in DC, MD, VA, NJ, and NY.
Our Team
Before You Decide
Not sure therapy is for you?
Most people think about it for a long time before reaching out. These resources are for that moment.
Read this before you decide
Wondering if you need counseling or psychotherapy?
Take our self-guided assessment to explore what kind of support might be right for you.
Self-Guided Assessment →Free Resource
Ready to deepen your connections?
This practical empathy guide includes:
- · The four components of empathic response
- · Real-world practice scenarios
- · Proven phrases for reflective listening
"Asking for help isn't the hard part. Believing you deserve it is."
Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA
Clinical Director & Principal
How We Show Up for Google — and for You
The Two Pillars
In April 2025, Google completed a fundamental shift — from keyword-driven search to an AI-governed model that evaluates healthcare sites on two standards above all others: Trustworthiness and Authoritativeness. Everything about how this site is built is a response to that shift.
Pillar One
Privacy-First Visibility Architecture
The E-E-A-T signal this generates: Trustworthiness.
Most mental health practices face a choice — use tracking pixels to find patients and risk labeling them as mental health consumers across the internet, or go dark to protect patients and lose visibility entirely.
We built a third path. Our anonymous Alias ID intake system protects every visitor's identity from first contact — no tracking pixels, no cross-site identifiers, no conventional contact forms. Google reads this architecture as a structural commitment to patient safety. So does every patient who finds us.
Learn About Patient Safety →Pillar Two
Scholarly Content Strategy
The E-E-A-T signal this generates: Authoritativeness.
AI can generate generic mental health content instantly. What it cannot generate is licensed peer-reviewed scholarship, clinically reviewed by a credentialed practitioner, with a verified chain of custody on every article.
Our Clinical Research Library houses licensed scholarly articles reviewed by Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA, C-PATP and legal articles reviewed by Jeffrey P. Rockett, Esq., CPCM. Every article carries a Living Clinical Ledger — a visible audit trail that proves human expertise is behind every word on this site.
Visit the Research Library →