Therapy for Older Adults in Washington, DC
Therapy for older adults in Washington, DC navigating aging, loss, health changes and later-life transitions.
North Star Psychological Services provides therapy for older adults in Washington, DC near Dupont Circle, including support for grief, retirement, loneliness, family stress, mood concerns, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and the emotional changes that can come later in life.
In-person therapy in Dupont Circle and secure virtual therapy for clients in Washington, DC and participating PsyPact states.
Later life can be complicated
You may have handled a lot in life. That does not mean you have to handle this alone.
Many older adults come to therapy after years of being the steady one. You may have built a career, raised a family, cared for others, survived painful losses, or pushed through mental health symptoms without much room to pause.
Later life can open up questions that are not always easy to talk about. Who am I after retirement? Why does grief still feel so sharp? How do I stay connected when people have moved away or passed on? What do I do when my mood, memory, health, or independence feels less predictable?
Older adult therapy may help with:
- Retirement, role changes, and questions of identity or purpose
- Grief after the death of a spouse, sibling, friend, child, or loved one
- Loneliness, isolation, or feeling disconnected from community
- Depression, anxiety, irritability, low motivation, or emotional numbness
- Bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, or serious mental health symptoms
- Family conflict, caregiving stress, or adult children trying to help
- Health changes, chronic illness, pain, medical trauma, or loss of independence
At North Star, therapy is collaborative, respectful and grounded in your lived experience. We help you understand what is happening, strengthen coping skills, and make room for meaning, connection and steadier support.
Common reasons people reach out
Signs it may be time for more support
Therapy is not only for a crisis. It can help when life feels smaller, heavier, more uncertain, or harder to manage than it used to.
- Feeling sad, anxious, numb, irritable, or unlike yourself
- Pulling away from friends, family, activities, faith, or community
- Grief that feels lonely, complicated, or hard to discuss with others
- Feeling lost after retirement, caregiving, divorce, relocation, or loss
- Worry about health, independence, finances, safety, or the future
- Tension with adult children, partners, siblings, caregivers, or medical providers
- Changes in sleep, appetite, motivation, concentration, or energy
- Feeling like people talk around you instead of with you
- Difficulty adjusting to chronic illness, pain, mobility changes, or medical news
- Returning symptoms of bipolar disorder, psychosis, trauma, depression, or anxiety
Areas of support
Therapy tailored to the emotional realities of aging
Older adult therapy is not one thing. Some people want help with grief or retirement. Others want support for serious mental health symptoms, family strain, medical stress, or the quiet loneliness that can come when life changes faster than support systems do.
Retirement and identity shifts
Retirement can bring relief, but it can also disrupt structure, purpose, status, routine and social connection. Therapy can help you build a life that feels meaningful now.
Grief, loss and loneliness
Later life can involve repeated losses. Therapy gives you space to grieve honestly, stay connected to what matters, and find support without being rushed to move on.
Health changes and medical stress
New diagnoses, chronic pain, hospitalizations, mobility changes or fear about the future can affect mood, sleep and relationships. We help you cope with the emotional impact.
Depression and anxiety
Depression and anxiety in older adulthood can show up as sadness, worry, irritability, sleep disruption, physical tension, withdrawal or a loss of interest in things that once mattered.
Bipolar disorder and psychosis
We provide thoughtful therapy for older adults navigating bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, mood instability, paranoia, unusual experiences, or symptoms that affect daily life.
Family and caregiver stress
Therapy can help older adults and families navigate boundaries, communication, changing roles, caregiving strain, independence, safety concerns and difficult conversations with more care.
Our approach
Older adult therapy should feel respectful, practical and deeply human
Therapy is not about telling you how to age, what to give up, or what choices to make. It is a place to feel heard, protect your dignity, understand your options, and work toward a steadier life in the season you are in now.
Our clinicians draw from evidence-based therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, trauma-informed care, EMDR when appropriate, and supportive therapy tailored to your needs, goals and history. You can also explore our broader therapy services in Washington, DC to see how older adult therapy may connect with related areas of care.
Understand what has changed
We begin by listening carefully to what life feels like now. That may include mood, grief, health, memory concerns, family dynamics, retirement, isolation, trauma history, serious mental health symptoms, or the stress of needing more support.
Build coping and connection
Therapy can help you develop practical tools for emotion regulation, communication, daily structure, grief, anxiety, depression, stress, relationships and staying connected to people and routines that support you.
Support autonomy and quality of life
When helpful and with your permission, therapy may include coordination with family members, medical providers, or other supports. Your voice, privacy and goals remain central to the work.
Washington, DC older adult therapy
Therapy that understands aging in DC
Older adults in Washington, DC often carry full and complex histories. You may be a retired federal worker, attorney, academic, physician, nonprofit leader, parent, caregiver, longtime resident, or someone who has spent decades being responsible for others.
Aging in DC can also come with unique stressors: adult children living in other cities, changes in neighborhood community, high cost of living, medical appointments, transportation concerns, political and professional identity shifts, or the loneliness of feeling surrounded by people but not deeply known.
North Star offers a calm, respectful space near Dupont Circle where older adults can talk openly about what is changing, what still matters, and what kind of support would help life feel more manageable.
What to expect
Starting older adult therapy at North Star
Free phone consultation
You can start by reaching out with questions. Older adults may contact us directly, and adult children are welcome to ask about fit, scheduling and how to help a parent connect with care.
A thoughtful match
We will help determine whether North Star is a good fit for the concerns involved, including later-life transitions, grief, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis, family stress or health-related adjustment. You can also learn more about Jennifer Spatzer’s clinical focus and our broader therapy services in Washington, DC.
Respectful therapy sessions
Sessions focus on your goals and your pace. Therapy may include emotional support, practical coping skills, reflection, communication tools and support for decisions that affect daily life.
Local therapy near you
In-person therapy for older adults in Dupont Circle
North Star Psychological Services is located at 1350 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036, directly south of Dupont Circle.
We serve older adults and families from Dupont Circle and nearby neighborhoods, with in-person, virtual and hybrid therapy options. For practical questions about fees, telehealth, in-person therapy, therapist fit, or what to expect, visit our therapy FAQs.
Questions about older adult therapy
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer therapy for older adults in Washington, DC?
Yes. North Star Psychological Services offers therapy for older adults in Washington, DC, with in-person appointments near Dupont Circle and virtual therapy options. We support older adults navigating aging, grief, retirement, loneliness, health changes, family stress, mood concerns and serious mental health symptoms.
How do I know if an older adult might benefit from therapy?
Therapy may help when an older adult is feeling persistently sad, anxious, isolated, irritable, overwhelmed, withdrawn, confused by life changes, or less interested in things they used to enjoy. It can also help during grief, retirement, medical stress, family conflict, caregiving strain or changes in independence.
Can adult children contact you about therapy for an aging parent?
Yes. Adult children can reach out to ask general questions about fit, scheduling and how to help a parent start therapy. Because therapy is private and consent-based, the older adult’s participation, preferences and privacy are central. We can explain what the process looks like and how to approach the conversation respectfully.
Can therapy help with retirement transition?
Yes. Retirement can affect identity, structure, purpose, social connection, finances and relationships. Therapy can help older adults process what has changed, manage anxiety or low mood, build new routines, clarify values and create a life that still feels connected and meaningful. You may also find our page on life transitions therapy in Washington, DC helpful.
Do you work with older adults who have bipolar disorder, psychosis or schizoaffective disorder?
Yes. North Star provides therapy for older adults with serious mental health symptoms, including bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizoaffective disorder. Therapy may focus on coping skills, emotional support, daily functioning, relationships, stress, symptom awareness and coordination with other supports when appropriate and with consent. For more specific information, you can read about bipolar therapy and psychosis therapy at North Star.
Do you coordinate with family members or medical providers?
When it is clinically appropriate and the client gives permission, coordination can sometimes be helpful. This may include communicating with family members, physicians, psychiatrists or other providers. The client’s privacy, autonomy and goals remain central.
Is virtual therapy available for older adults?
Yes. North Star offers secure virtual therapy for clients in Washington, DC and participating PsyPact states. Some older adults prefer in-person therapy in Dupont Circle, while others find virtual sessions easier because of transportation, health, scheduling or mobility concerns.
How do I get started?
You can reach out through the contact page to request a free consultation. You can also review our therapy FAQs if you have questions about fees, fit, virtual therapy, in-person therapy in Dupont Circle, or what to expect when starting therapy.
Ready when you are
You deserve support that meets this stage of life with care
Whether you are reaching out for yourself or looking for help for an aging parent, we would be glad to talk through what support may make sense.