Andrew Crislip

Hello! My name is Andrew Crislip, and I am working toward my MS in Mental Health Counseling through VCU’s Department of Rehabilitation Counseling. To seek change and to seek counseling is a brave step, a leap of faith even, and I am here to provide a safe space and empathetic presence, to work alongside you in your growth. I consult with adults of all ages to address anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief, and interpersonal relationships. 

Each of us comes here with our unique stories and experiences, and I am here to meet you where you are. I come to counseling with a broad background in humanistic study, having studied Classics and Religion at Mary Washington College and earned an MA and PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University, where I began my journey of exploring the dynamic interplay of mental and somatic health, spirituality, and history. I bring into my training and my work as a counseling intern my twenty-five years as a writer and educator, having taught at institutions here in Virginia, as well as in Connecticut, Hawaii, and Helsinki, Finland.

Having taught and written about health and human flourishing from a broadly humanistic perspective for two decades, my experience (and our collective experiences) during the traumatic global pandemic of 2020 and its aftermath inspired me pursue clinical training in Mental Health Counseling. The process has been transformative for me, and I hope our time together can foster growth and transformation toward your life goals. I take an integrative and holistic approach to therapy, inspired by psychodynamic and humanistic approaches, focusing on identifying and interrogating emotional patterns and narratives, sensitive to experiences of trauma and resilience, and with an eye toward practical solutions for experiencing a flourishing life.