Personal Information

Dr. Shelley Marfori earned her B.A. from the University of South Carolina and her Psy.D. at The George Washington University. As a doctoral student, she worked at The Center Clinic, helping social economically challenged patients from all walks of life here in D.C., and completed her APA accredited internship at The University of Illinois at Chicago where she worked at UIC’s Student Counseling Office, which serves one of the most diverse student bodies in the country.

After graduating, she has worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Therapy Group DC and is enrolled in GWU’s LGBTQ Health and Policy program. Her completion of GWU’s PsyD program and the LGBT Health and Policy Graduate certificate program, has provided her with advanced clinical training that prioritizes engagement with, and reflection about, the intersectionality of race, gender, sexuality, and class. She has the skills to work with patients with diverse presentations and have honed a skill-set devoted to working with LGBTQIA+ identified individuals. Because of this, Shelley specializes in helping the LGBTQIA+ population including ethical non-monogamy, trans* individuals, individuals with current, past, or ongoing experiences of truama, and keeping in mind how intersectional identities play a role in these experiences.

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and as a trauma survivor herself, her goal is to help the most underserved of our community and help every one of her clients to better cope with their trauma while establishing a new normal for life in trauma recovery.

Shelley and her partner, E, live in DuPont Circle with her service dog Arrow and their three cats Lenin, George, and Indy.

Qualifications

Psychological Associate DC

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the George Washington University

Pre-Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Graduate Certificate in LGBTQ Health from the George Washington University

M.Psy. in Clinical Psychology from the George Washington University

B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina

Specialties & Issues

LGBTQIA+ Health and Mental Wellbeing – Reducing and preventing the negative impact of disparities within the LGBTQIA+ community, especially with regard to the most marginalized members whose identies seem and are often invisible. 

Trans* Issues – Helping trans* (non-binary, gender fluid, questioning, etc.) individuals through every aspect of their experience, as well as helping individuals seeking affirming treatments, therapies, and surgeries.

Relationships – Understanding one’s wants and needs in relationships; exploring patterns of interaction, addressing concerns, and strengthening satisfaction in relationships and dating.

Ethical Non-Monogamy – Providing support and advice regarding relationships where partners mutually agree to form relationships and or constellations with others as well.

Depression – Providing support and promoting healing of hopelessness, low motivation and energy, sadness, irritability, sleep disturbance, and loss of interest and pleasure in life.

Anxiety – Coping with excessive worry, nervousness, or stress; intense discomfort in social settings (social anxiety); sudden and intense feelings of panic (panic disorder).

Trauma – Coping and healing after threatening or scary events, such as witnessing accidents or experiencing sexual, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse. 

Rejection- Many individuals in the LGBTIA+ community face rejection on many levels starting in early childhood. Many indiviudals recognize their differneces from an early age but don't have the words to express it and instead internalize their differences as a negative thing. Working through these rejections at various ages, including coming out as an adult, is very challengin, and I work hard with individuals to help them navigate these diffiuclt situations. 

Approach

My therapeutic practice is steeped in the practice of evidence-based psychodynamic theory. Conceptualizing cases from this theoretical basis is helpful, as it provides a rich tapestry of meaning to one’s life story that may otherwise feel mysterious. Psychodynamic theory helps me hold compassion and understanding when a patient with a history of trauma, whether explored or unknown. While I often rely on psychodynamic theory in the clinic room, I am flexible based on my patient’s needs - I implement techniques such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and even Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). These varied interventions have proved invaluable to psychotherapeutic work and have shown me the importance of a multidisciplinary approach.

Insurance

Dr. Marfori is not in-network with any insurance, but can and will process paperwork with your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement. Dr. Shelley Marfori will be the rendering provider while Dr. Lara Sheehi and Dr. Stacey Dershewitz will be the primary supervisers for Dr. Shelley Marfori's Psych Associate License.