Kit Leffel

M.Ed., LPC, LSATP

Kit Leffel is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Provider (LSATP).  She started working at Chesapeake Counseling in 2015 as a practicum student/intern and loved it so much, she never left.  Kit has worked with clients of all ages but especially enjoys working with adults and older teenagers who have experienced a traumatic event, including military and first responders.  She is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) which are both evidence-based therapies that treat PTSD as well as other mental health issues.    Kit has also been trained in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness as well as many other topics, approaches, and techniques. Kit is also an approved supervisor for Residents in Counseling as well as practicum and internship students.

In addition to providing outpatient counseling to children, adolescents, adults, families, and couples at Chesapeake Counseling, Kit spent several years working for a local Community Services Board and Behavioral Health Authority providing emergency support and evaluations for people experiencing a mental health crisis as both a Crisis Counselor and a Program Supervisor.  She also has experience as an Emergency Advocate for a domestic violence shelter, volunteered for a crisis hotline, and worked at a residential facility for adolescents with dual diagnosis.  Kit is a Disaster Mental Health volunteer for the American Red Cross.  Kit’s approach to therapy is reality-based, meaning she empowers clients to make their own decisions and offers a judgment-free zone where clients can evaluate how their choices and responses to life events have impacted them.  She enjoys helping clients manage their mental health which allows them to feel safe, more relaxed, and capable of changing unhelpful patterns.  Kit earned her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the College of William and Mary and is licensed with the Virginia Department of Health Professions (LPC #: 0701007836; LSATP #: 0718000477).  In addition to traditional outpatient counseling, Kit offers Trauma Intensives for clients who are interested in using EMDR and/or ART to address specific traumatic events.