Lisa Zimmerman, LCSW-C

I became a psychotherapist in 2001 after working in social justice activism and international development. I was (and still am) committed to addressing inequality and oppression at their roots. But I learned that big-picture change is incomplete if it doesn’t also promote healing and transformation on a personal level.

The values that informed my activist work deeply inform the work I do with clients today. I believe that we cannot look at an individual’s challenges without considering the systems they live in and the harm they cause. Just as I saw that emotional well being was often absent from social justice work, I now see many schools of therapy leaving out discussions of social and political matters. I aspire to integrate the two.

One of the things I love most about being a therapist is there is always more to learn.  I place tremendous value on my own development, both as a professional and as a human being.  I am continually involved in all sorts of training, ranging from mind-body approaches to psychoanalytic theory. I’m also a long-time Buddhist meditator, which helps me to find inner stability in our often chaotic world. 

(Licensed in DC, Maryland, and Virginia)

Training & Experience

  • Master’s of Social Work - Catholic University of America (2001)

  • Certificate in Advanced Trauma Training - Ferentz Institute

  • Somatic Experiencing - Beginner and Intermediate levels

  • Buddhist Psychology Training - Spirit Rock Meditation Center

  • Washington School of Psychiatry

  • Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis

  • Stephen Mitchell Center for Relational Studies

  • Former employment: Whitman-Walker Health,

    The Women’s Center, La Clínica del Pueblo

  • Licensed in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC; registered telehealth provider in Florida

Let’s Talk

Schedule your free phone consultation to see how therapy can get you closer to the life you envision for yourself.