Dr. Mary DeRaedt

Dr. Mary DeRaedt is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) with a Doctorate in Counseling and Supervision. She serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Master's in School Counseling Program at George Washington University. Dr. DeRaedt earned her bachelor’s degree in Education and Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling at Purdue University. Her doctoral work was completed at the George Washington University where she focused on effective trauma and coping, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury, depression, behavior disorders and disordered eating. Dr. DeRaedt has focused her research on trauma and international counseling issues including the impact of crisis and conflict on children and humanitarian workers. She has worked and researched in Lebanon with a local NGO to promote trauma recovery for Syrian refugee children, in Uganda providing training for peer counselors providing services to rural and underserved populations, and with first responders to multiple disasters around the world providing trauma education and self-care training. The overarching goal of her research is to understand and mitigate the impact of trauma on those who are exposed to dangerous conditions and those who rush in to help afterward.

Dr. DeRaedt continues to provide clinical services through her private practice. She is trained in Theraplay, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, Psychological First Aid, Core Humanitarian Principles, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), Integrative Trauma Focused Play Therapy, Parent Child Reunification Therapy, Early Mental Health Assessment (ages 0-5), Sand Tray Therapy, Trauma Assessment and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), and Extended Play Based Developmental Assessment (EPBDA). In partnership with the Creative Affairs Office of the District of Columbia, Dr. DeRaedt has co-created the Care for Creatives program. This partnership provides much needed mental health education and support to creatives in Washington, DC as well as expanded skills to clinical interns in the Counseling and Human Development Department of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Dr. DeRaedt is also dedicated to training and supervising the next generation of professional counselors to be trauma-informed and developmentally focused. She teaches courses in play therapy, trauma and crisis intervention, child and adolescent development, family therapy, internship in clinical supervision and human sexuality. She is a supervisor to clinicians across Virginia and Washington D.C. She is a registered supervisor in VA and is currently awaiting final certification as a Registered Play Therapist – Supervisor.

Dr. DeRaedt has also published articles addressing adult issues in the magazine The Capitol Standard.