Who We Are and What We Stand For

Gabrielle Anderson, LMFT, RPT-S™

Founding Owner, Instructor

I am Gabrielle Anderson, the founder of Family Therapy Center of Northern Virginia, a group practice and training facility built on an apprenticeship model where many interns and residents continue with us through licensure.

I also founded The Willows Crown: Center for Creative Training (this compnay) where I teach therapists across the country in play therapy, trauma, attachment, nervous system regulation, expressive therapies, leadership, and clinical supervision.

I believe learning should be engaging, practical, and deeply human. My hope is that therapists leave each training feeling more confident, more curious, and excited to return to the therapy room with ideas they can use immediately.

I never fit neatly into the traditional classroom.

Long before I knew the term neurodivergent, I knew I learned differently. I needed movement, creativity, and hands-on experiences to truly understand new ideas.

Sitting through hours of lecture was difficult, but when I could touch it, build it, experience it, or connect it to a story, everything clicked.

That experience shaped the way I teach today.

Trainings can be live in person, live webinar,

On-Demand and Book Study+ Hybrid

I Developed What We Call Layered Clinical Learning, an approach that blends visual storytelling, experiential activities, reflection, discussion, and practical application so therapists with different learning styles can engage with the material.

Whether through image-rich presentations, hybrid learning, or creative book studies, my goal is simple: I want therapists to remember what they learn long after the training ends.

Before opening my private practice, I worked in day treatment, inpatient care, public schools, community mental health, nonprofit agencies, and in-home counseling. Those experiences taught me not only what helps clients heal, but also what supports therapists in building sustainable, meaningful careers.