About Virginia

Virginia Pishioneri is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with adults, couples, families, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Many of the clients she works with are navigating existential despair, anxiety, depression, relational distress, experiences with systemic oppression, and questions about identity, belonging, and connection.

Virginia feels strongly about providing therapy and connective experiences for individuals who identify in ways that differentiate them from the status quo or who belong to historically underrepresented groups. This includes, but is not limited to, BIPOC individuals, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those participating in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships.

At the same time, Virginia believes the experience of being "othered" or feeling like we don't belong is a deeply human experience. While she is passionate about serving marginalized communities, she is equally interested in holding space for the more alienated parts of any individual.

Training & Credentials

• Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology

• Specialization in Creative Expression during graduate training

• Level 1 Relational Life Therapy (RLT) training

• Additional training in somatic therapy and nervous system regulation

• Experience in private practice and community mental health settings

Approach

Virginia views the therapist as a supportive companion in the journey of an individual, couple, or family. Her role is to reflect, support, and hold space while clients explore the landscape of their lives.

She believes flexibility and spontaneity are essential to effective therapy because every person and relationship is different. Rather than forcing clients into a specific framework, Virginia adapts her approach to meet people where they are.

Her work is grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, and other humanistic approaches that honor the complexity of the human experience.

What to Expect

Virginia believes that what makes therapy effective can change from person to person, relationship to relationship, and even moment to moment.

"Our experiences are often complex, messy, and many-layered—no matter how much we would like them to be neat, clean, and compartmentalized. Therapy is not an escape from the messiness, but an exercise in exploring it."

In your first session, Virginia may ask a few more direct questions than she will in future sessions and may share more about herself and her approach. However, she adjusts these elements based on your comfort level, boundaries, and needs. Her goal is to create a space that feels safe, collaborative, and authentic.

Virginia helps clients move through challenges by:

• Creating a non-judgmental space to explore all parts of the self—not just the parts encouraged by society.

• Holding space where change is welcomed, but never forced.

• Allowing room for humor, playfulness, and even silliness when it can help lighten the load.

A Bit Outside the Office

Virginia describes finding and pursuing this work as one of the greatest gifts she has ever given herself. She views it as a privilege and an honor to be invited into another person's inner world and does not take that responsibility lightly.

Outside of therapy, she enjoys hiking, spending time outdoors, playing music with friends, and, perhaps most importantly, sitting around doing nothing.