meet the team
Alissa Wulff, MA, LPC
Owner Therapist, Clinical Supervisor
Alissa is a licensed professional counselor with over 8 years of experience working with a diverse population of children, adolescents and adults in various settings. These settings include: community counseling centers, therapeutic day schools, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, and university clinic settings. Growing up in the Northern Virginia, she understands the pressure, stress and anxiety that can come with living in a competitive and intense environment on the doorstep of the Nation's Capitol.
Alissa received her Bachelors degree in Psychology from Indiana University and worked in the human resources field for years before returning back to higher education in behavioral health. She received her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Washington University.
Alissa approaches therapy from a client-centered and systemic approach with extensive experience using evidenced-based interventions in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills (DBT). She views the patient as their own expert and addresses various aspects of individual wellbeing throughout treatment. She believes in the importance of addressing the mind and body connection, as each individual has their own life story and navigation of life experiences.
Alissa works with kids, adolescents and adults. Her areas of focus include anxiety, depression, personal identity, life changes, relationships, family and loss. Creating a safe space with clients is a very important factor in the therapeutic relationship, in order to allow individuals their own space to work through any challenges that are keeping them from feeling their best self.
As a clinical supervisor, Alissa enjoys seeing residents in counseling learn and thrive working through their residency to develop both their clinical skills and identity.
Alissa grew up and still resides in the Northern Virginia area with her husband, daughter and two dogs. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, movie nights, photography and live music.
Jo-Ann Schaaf, MS
Resident in Counseling
Jo-Ann is a Resident in Counseling in the State of Virginia. She obtained her Bachelors degree from the University of Maryland University College and her Masters degree from National Louis University. She also has a Masters degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.
Jo-Ann has experience in school guidance and counseling, job training program, intensive in-home counseling, and outpatient counseling. She utilizes a variety of integrative approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, person-centered, acceptance and commitment therapy, and solution-focused brief therapy to provide a flexible and holistic approach.
She works with children, adolescents, and adults. Her goal is to help her clients fully embrace their experience and empower them to take an active role in changing their perceptions, emotions, and behaviors.
Jo-Ann is passionate about helping minority groups and others who feel marginalized by society; being an ethnic minority, she is able to empathize with their lived experience as well as the process of negotiating or navigating between two or more cultures.
Maggie "Miss Aggie"
Chief Workplace Wellness Officer (In-Training)
Maggie is a 3 year old Dakota Sport Retriever who loves getting pets, giving kisses and comforting others. When she is not loving on people, she uses her big brother Indy as her own emotional support animal since she is a COVID puppy who has never been alone.
Indy "Indiana Bones"
Chief Treat Officer (In-Training)
Indy is a 4 year old Golden Retriever known for his sweet, goofy nature and believing he is the size of a Chihuahua. He enjoys butt scratches, long walks on the beach and giving hand shakes. He will do anything to hustle a treat... or 10.
Community Work
Aurora is dedicated to supporting and serving our Northern Virginia public communities. We are a proudly contracted with Healthy Minds Fairfax to support youth and their families with mental health and substance abuse services to access quality mental health services.
