John Hardenbergh, LICSW
Therapist
John Hardenbergh, LICSWGender-Affirming Psychotherapist & Attachment-informed EMDR Trauma Therapist
"You can't change the painful chapters of your story, but you can change how they make you feel. And you don't have to do it alone."
Book a consultation call with John
John's Specialties
LGBTQIA+ Clients
Who they work with
John works with adults navigating the present-day effects of past trauma and attachment disruptions that never got fully processed. When we experience trauma, memories of these events remain with us as unprocessed memories, affecting our moods, behaviors, sense of self, and our bodies. This can show up as anxiety, mood shifts, and a sense of disconnection from yourself. John has helped many clients reprocess these painful experiences that felt stuck, using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), to create impactful change in their lives, helping them gain insight into themselves and others.
They also specialize in gender-affirming therapy, creating a calm, nonjudgmental space to explore gender identity and sexual orientation. John brings an intersectional lens to all of it, understanding that your overlapping identities shape your experience both in the world and in the therapy room. For clients considering medical transition and needing a letter for their insurer conforming to WPATH's Standards of Care 8, John can write it based on your ongoing therapy with them.
How they work
John is an EMDR trauma therapist and psychodynamically informed psychotherapist. They believe that much of present-day psychological pain is rooted in past traumatic experiences and attachment disruptions. While John offers attachment-informed talk therapy, they also help clients overcome past traumas and experiences from earlier in life that feel stuck or shaped them with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. With EMDR, clients can overcome the impacts of painful memories by letting their mind go where it needs to go to reprocess what feels stuck about these past experiences, rather than just talking about them. This often healing that is more impactful, without having to talk about every detail. Healing from trauma can be hard work, but John is with their clients every step of the way, providing unconditional empathy, support, skills, and resources.
Their broader approach combines this trauma and attachment informed care with an intersectional lens — recognizing that in any therapeutic relationship, identities overlap in some ways and diverge in others, and that this shapes the therapy.
Before becoming a therapist, John was a public interest attorney, which shows up in their advocacy for the rights of others, and causes they supports in their personal life.
"Whether you’re exploring your gender, seeking affirming care, or simply want a therapist who understands your experience or can help you feel unstuck from past traumas, you deserve a space where you can be yourself without explanation or judgment."
Training & Credentials
Master's degree, The Catholic University of America
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) — Washington, DC
Trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Trained in Gender Affirming Care & WPATH Standards of Care 8
What a first session is like
After your free 30-minute consultation, if it feels like the right fit, you will schedule your first full 50–55-minute session.
For individual therapy, the first few sessions are a chance to begin developing a fuller, more holistic understanding of what you are facing now. John will learn about your history, when the current concerns began or became more difficult, what has shaped them, and what you have already tried. Together, you will start to make sense of the larger context around your experiences and identify where the work can begin.
If that sounds like what you are looking for, book a 30-minute consultation call with John.
Questions people ask John
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Yes. If you're working with John on an ongoing basis, they can write a letter conforming to WPATH's Standards of Care 8, which many insurers and providers require before covering gender-affirming care.
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Yes. John creates a safe, affirming space to explore questions around sexuality, gender, identity, belonging, and self-understanding at a pace that feels supportive to you. They are here to support you through the uncertainty, vulnerability, relief, or many other feelings that this process may bring up. John also helps clients make space for their internal thoughts and emotions, as well as the impact of any external pressures, internalized biases or expectations that may be making you feel disconnected from yourself and keeping you from exploring this part of yourself.
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EMDR is a structured form of trauma therapy that can help people process distressing memories and reduce the impact those experiences continue to have in the present. John is trained in EMDR and will begin by getting to know you, your goals, and what feels manageable for you in therapy, before deciding together whether EMDR is a good fit for your therapy. There are best practices of when EMDR would be a good fit and John will talk about this with you. You also do not need to be ready to recount every detail of what happened if you don’t want to in order to begin therapy. You can read more about EMDR here.
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No. John helps clients overcome the many ways trauma and attachment disruptions show up in their lives — in mood, in the body, in how safe relationship feels — whether that traces back to one event or to a longer pattern of traumatic or life-shaping experiences.
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John currently only has availabilty for self-pay clients at our practice. We provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance plan for possible out-of-network reimbursement and have also partnered with Reimbusify to make this process seamless.
You can check your out-of-network benefits here. This can tell you whether therapy is covered in our Out-of-network benefits and what reimbursement may be available to you through your insurance for your session fees.
We understand therapy can be a investment in yourself and do not take that lightly, which is why our therapists are specialized and will make sure they have the tools to help you meet your goals.
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Yes. You do not need to decide whether an experience “counts” as trauma before reaching out. If something from the past still affects how you feel, relate to others, respond to stress, or move through daily life, it may be worth exploring in therapy. John offers a trauma-informed, supportive space to make sense of your experiences and process them at a pace that feels right for you. You do not need to jump into EMDR if that is new to you or doesn’t feel right for you. John is always focused on meeting you where you’re at, providing resources, skills and a safe confidential space to talk about your experience.
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Yes. John’s practice is affirming of polyamory, kink and ENM. They understand how much it can impact therapy to have to explain these things when your therapist doesn’t know enough about them. With John, you will feel safe, seen and understood, without having to educate them on your life experience.
Book a free consultation call
No waitlists and no phone tag. Pick a time that suits you to speak to John.
