About Creative Ways Therapy · Washington
Creative Ways Therapy is a mental health practice founded in 2004 by Teresa Arene and Donna Geraci, offering in-person and virtual therapy services for adults, children, and teens in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Established to provide affordable, accessible care to underserved communities, especially immigrants and low-income residents, the practice began in a basement below a 7-11 and later moved to a church before relocating to its current location in 2016. The founders, who met in graduate school at Howard University, now lead a team of fifteen licensed therapists serving over 200 clients.
Creative Ways Therapy provides evidence-based mental health services tailored to individuals of all ages, with specialties in trauma, anxiety, and life transitions. Their approach includes play therapy for children, skill-building for teens, and EMDR for adults. The practice was founded in 2004 by Teresa Arene and Donna Geraci, who met in graduate school at Howard University and were among the few non-Black students in the program. They launched the practice to serve DC’s immigrant, low-income, and under-resourced communities, starting in Columbia Heights and later relocating to upper northwest DC in 2016. The practice is now housed in a sunny second-floor space and serves over 200 clients with a team of fifteen licensed therapists. Their visual motifs — trees, spirals, and mosaics — symbolize grounding, growth, and multicultural inclusivity. Services are available both in-person (Washington, DC) and virtually (DC, MD, VA).
- In business
- since 2004
- Owner
- Teresa Arene and Donna Geraci
- Serves
- Washington, DC; Maryland; Virginia
About Us
Creative Ways Therapy was founded by long-term friends and colleagues, Teresa Arene and Donna Geraci. They met in graduate school at Howard University in 1989 and later launched the practice in 2004 with the goal of bringing affordable, accessible, high-quality mental health care to DC’s immigrant, low-income, and under-resourced communities. The practice has grown to include a team of fifteen licensed therapists and serves over 200 clients.
Our Specialties
We specialize in trauma, anxiety, and life transitions. Using evidence-based approaches tailored to each client—such as play therapy for children, skill-building for teens, and EMDR for adults—we help clients move toward resilience, empowerment, and lasting recovery.
Our Modalities
Our visual motifs — trees, spirals, and mosaics — symbolize grounding, growth, and multicultural inclusivity. A tree reminds us that to grow, we must be grounded; a spiral represents the slow reveal of hidden things; a mosaic symbolizes the beauty and imperfection of multicultural diversity.