Hello, I am Adam Klein, Ph.D. a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Maryland. I did my undergraduate at University of Maryland and received my doctorate in Psychology from United States International University, now part of of California School of Professional Psychology San Diego. But I would like to take a moment to go beyond statements of fact, to explain to you why I do what I do.
My father practiced psychology professionally, he was an innovator and a leader in the field for decades and worked right here in the DC area. He ran the White Oak Psychological Center and was in full-time private practice as a licensed psychologist and a therapist from the time I was born. This laid the foundation of my character and my personal and professional values: I grew up in a family that prioritized relationships and cherished honesty and directness. My parents placed a strong focus on care for our emotional lives. This taught me how to speak my own truth—first to myself and then to others—as a means to taking care of myself, while being mindful of the people around me. My father’s work provided me a role model for my career, but I was not necessarily expected to follow him into the family business; I did this of my own accord, as the subject matter spoke to me from an early age. I also enjoyed the powerful advantage of access to some of the top professionals in the world of psychology to serve as my mentors, supervisors, and colleagues. I understood and appreciated this access early on, and I pursued the knowledge possessed by my father and his colleagues with an energy, eagerness and intensity that would lay the foundation of lasting success.
As I was completing graduate school and working toward licensure I began to coach soccer professionally. I fell in love with this venture. I came to a crossroads as to which career would better suit me. Both professional choices, for me, were primarily about being involved with others in a caring, responsive, life-affirming way to help people better their lives.
In the end I decided to become a Licensed Psychologist, in large part because I had envisioned a creative process that would push me to deepen myself with each and every professional encounter. Psychotherapy is first and foremost an opportunity for people to deepen their capacity to create relationships, first with themselves and then with others, in ways that can become a wellspring of creative life and love forever.
So much of the work I do as a therapist involves the generations that have come before us—I promote a willingness on the part of my clients to invest in deepening their understanding of themselves, who they are, what they want and need, how to ask for that, how to grieve what was lost. In this they can then offer so many unforeseen dimensions of life to others as a legacy for future generations. To have been born into and then to have created my own professional practice where I am challenged each and every day to stretch myself, to go for more, to live and love more fully is the truest—though not always immediately obvious—reward of doing this work.
I would consider a privilege to be able to help you overcome your struggles. Please contact me when you are ready at my Besthesda office or my Annapolis office.