Supervising and supporting the development of Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associates (LCSWAs) has been a passion of mine during my time serving in agency settings, and I have carried this passion with me to my private practice. In this role, I have seen the successful growth and launch of the careers of many Clinical Social Workers, now autonomous expert psychotherapists in their own practices or serving in clinical leadership roles in agency settings.  Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associates in my practice are aligned with my professional ethics and values, have received training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, and receive proper case supervision and EFT consultation directly from me.  If you're being served by my Associates, you are receiving high-quality and competent care.  Please read their profiles to learn more about the interests and talent they bring to serving my clients.

Rebecca Martinez Fitzgerald, MSW, LCSWA (she/her/hers)

Rebecca earned her MSW at the UNC School of Social Work, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate through the state of North Carolina (License #P014715). As a social worker, she focuses on supporting individuals, couples, families and partnerships. At the same time, her ongoing goal is to dismantle racist, ableist, and heteronormative structures—and mitigate the harm they cause for her clients and their communities. She is committed to lifelong learning about racial and gender equity.
 
She is a queer-identified, sex-positive therapist. She is LGBTQIA-, kink-, and poly-affirming. She has worked as a therapist, group facilitator and advocate for:

• Individuals, couples and partnerships, and families in relational distress
• Survivors of trauma and torture, including intimate partner violence, child sexual abuse, and human trafficking
• Parents of children who have experienced trauma
• Parents experiencing postpartum mood disorders
• Individuals who have experienced rejection by parents or faith communities
• People who struggle with identity development, including affectional orientation and gender and gender expression
• Teens coping with chronic stress through behaviors that interfere with their goals

She has seen, time and time again, that feelings of emotional isolation are inherently traumatizing for individuals, including those in couples and partnerships. Isolation shows up in many forms, including shame, stress, mistrust, and unproductive conflict. She believes it is an act of radical commitment to recognize when we have fallen into patterns that hold us back from emotional, intellectual and physical connection. People grow and heal in the context of secure relationships, and she aims to help her clients create and sustain them. To that end, she is pursuing training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and the Gottman Method. Her work is also informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
 
Although she is not fully bilingual, she can converse in Spanish.
 
She was raised in New Jersey (in the green part, with the amazing farm stands and famous tomatoes). Before she became a psychotherapist, she worked as a journalist in public radio and newspapers in Virginia, Wyoming and North Carolina. Her work has created opportunities to talk with wonderful people in places she might never have otherwise found. Those connections have reinforced my understanding of how systems impact the people within them—how they see the world, how they see themselves, how they make meaning from their challenges, and how they ultimately grow as human beings. 
Outside of work, she enjoy hikes and leisurely bike rides with her partner of 15 years and their child, especially if they also get to admire local murals and architecture. She's also quite fond of coffee.  ​