Meet Our Therapists / Hetty Irmer Barnett
Hetty Irmer Barnett (she/her/hers), LCSW-C, LICSW
The Thinking Woman’s Therapist
Hetty was featured in our Clinician Spotlight series, click here to view
Not currently accepting new clients
Clinical Degree: Master of Arts in Social Service Administration, University of Chicago; Master of Arts in Theology, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Expertise: Certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy; therapy with professional and entrepreneurial women and men; couples & relationship counseling; mood disorders, life transitions including parenthood, empty-nesting & divorce; healing and integrating trauma.
IFS training: Level 1, 2 and 3, IFIO (couples), IFS Certified, Approved IFS Clinical Consultant
I Help You Discover Your Best Self
While we don’t all describe it in these terms, I believe we are all on a spiritual journey, and that a core component of living is about learning, growing, and expanding on our journeys. I believe deeply in the development of well-being through relationships - first with ourselves, and then with others. And, I am passionately sympathetic about how hard this process can be, and how difficult it often is to be human!
A Healing Path
My journey toward becoming a therapist began while I was in graduate school. I had my first encounter with depression and anxiety and worked up the courage to seek help. I saw a psychiatrist for the first time, learned to manage my moods, and how to be in a committed relationship. By the time I finished school, I knew my passion was to help others overcome their challenges to being all they were created to be. Since then, I’ve charted a path that’s allowed me to help others, especially women and couples, deal with issues similar to those I have struggled with and grown through.
In 2012, I founded Four Corners Counseling & Well-Being with the goal of creating a safe space for people to build healthy and thriving lives - in their mind, body, spirit, and relationships. My practice provides high-quality holistic psychotherapy and counseling services in a comfortable and professional setting. During sessions, I invite clients to share openly and honestly about their personal journey, without any fear of judgment. My goal is to provide a safe, accepting environment, welcoming of all sexual, gender, cultural, and spiritual orientations.
How I Can Help You
I can help you identify and confidently respond to the challenges of your personal journey, and live the best version of yourself every day. I have developed expertise in mood disorders; interpersonal trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); stressful life transitions and major life events; addiction recovery; and couples therapy. I especially enjoy working with high-achieving, high-anxiety women as “The Thinking Woman’s Therapist,” and I enjoy working with thinking men, too! I provide therapy and consultation to other therapists and healing professionals. I have developed particular expertise in helping clients discern and navigate separation and divorce. My background and master’s degree in theology, in addition to my master’s degree in social work, is appealing for many clients who are attracted to the integration of spirituality and psychology.
Since my first training in 2011, I practice out of a strengths-based, mindfulness model of therapy called Internal Family Systems (IFS) — the fastest growing therapy modality in the U.S. I am a speaker, writer, and teacher of IFS, and I offer that expertise to my clients and to therapists learning the model. I love to see the transformation that occurs when clients begin to practice their life skills from a compassionate "Self-led" space. And I love to help clients integrate whole-hearted, wise, and spiritual approaches into real life.
Providing exceptional psychotherapy to my clients is my vocation and in order to do that, I need to tend to myself with exceptional care of my mind, body, spirit, and relationships — the four corners of a thriving life. I strive to do that one day at a time, and I encourage my clients to do the same.
I am committed to becoming the person I was created to be and to help you be who you are truly meant to be. I'm thrilled to have the practice of my dreams where I can offer you the help you need and deserve.
~ Hetty Irmer Barnett
In addition to having an MA from the University of Chicago in social service administration, Hetty has a master’s degree in theology and post-graduate training in the integration of spirituality and clinical practice. She is certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, also known as “parts work,” and has advanced training in the IFS model of couples therapy, “Intimacy from the Inside Out.” She loves working with women and men seeking more joy and confidence in life, and with couples yearning for a deeper connection and a happier relationship. Her strengths-based and mindfulness-focused approach is effective for addressing trauma, relationship, and self-esteem issues. This approach focuses on developing a strong sense of self, which results in the ability to develop greater self-compassion, self-acceptance, and self-love.
For therapists who have completed IFS Level 1 training, Hetty is approved by the IFS Institute to provide individual and group consultation hours toward IFS certification.
Ready to get Started?
Call us at 301-960-8960 for a short chat with our Client Care Coordinator, who is available weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM. You can also fill out the contact form and we will get back to you.
What People Are Saying…
“I’ve been to a lot of therapists, and Hetty has offered therapeutic services that I have not found elsewhere. She walked me through a technique for visualizing my emotions, for example, which was a huge breakthrough in processing painful experiences from my past.”
— Sarah, Arlington
“Although difficult to explain, I have felt that we worked as a team, with each of us leading in different ways. You helped me to become more of an ‘expert’ of myself, but simultaneously believed I was all along.”
— Jessica, Greenbelt
“My experience with Hetty has been really transformative. In a relatively short amount of time, I’ve made some great progress and feel a very positive difference in my life. The combination of her skills and experience with a gentle and caring style is very effective. I enjoy coming to therapy, and look forward to it!”
— Erin, Silver Spring
