Alexandria Da Ponte Cheatham, M.Ed., M.Div.

Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Master of Divinity

Resident in Counseling | Cushing Counseling – Virginia
Compassionate, Affirming, and Trauma-Informed Therapy

Are you looking for a therapist you can talk to openly about intimacy, sex, or desire without fear of judgment or shame? Are you struggling with desire discrepancy, pain with sex, pelvic floor concerns, purity culture, or navigating your first sexual experiences? Or trying to understand how your cultural, racial, or religious background has shaped your relationship with your body, identity, and relationships? You don’t have to figure this out alone.

I provide individual and couples trauma-informed therapy for adults, with a focus on sexual wellness, intimacy concerns, and identity development. My work is especially supportive for those from diverse cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds, with care that is attuned to how culture, family systems, and lived experience shape self-understanding, desire, and connection.

Together, we’ll work to help you feel more confident in your body, clearer in your desires, and more grounded in who you are—building a relationship with yourself that feels empowered, compassionate, and less shaped by shame.

My Approach

I work from a person-centered, narrative, and mindfulness-based foundation, integrating evidence-based approaches such as:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Motivational Interviewing

• Trauma-Informed Care

I believe that healing happens when therapy is grounded in authenticity, compassion, and respect for the full complexity of who you are.

Clients often seek me out for support with:

• Sexual trauma recovery, grief, and spiritual or religious harm

• Religious deconstruction and healing from purity culture

• Sexual wellness and intimacy, including:

  • Desire discrepancy

  • Pain with sex and pelvic floor-related concerns

  • First sexual experiences and building comfort with intimacy

  • Navigating new relationships and sexual identity

  • LGBTQIA+ identity exploration and affirmation

  • Anxiety, depression and life transitions

I am especially passionate about supporting individuals at the intersection of sexuality, spirituality, and identity—helping you unlearn shame-based narratives and develop an authentic, embodied, and self-directed relationship with yourself.I’m especially passionate about helping clients find healing and empowerment at the intersection of sexuality, spirituality, and identity—reclaiming agency in their lives and relationships.

Specialized Focus Areas at Cushing Counseling

As part of my residency, I’m deepening my expertise in:

• Sex Therapy and Relational Healing

• Couples Therapy and Intimacy Work

• Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and Somatic Integration

• Trauma Recovery in Individual and Relational Contexts

Outside the Therapy Room

When I’m not in session, you’ll likely find me exploring new cafés for the perfect matcha, practicing yoga, or walking my dog. I bring that same grounded presence and joyful energy into my clinical work, striving to make therapy a space of warmth, curiosity, and growth for every client I serve

Education & Clinical Experience

I hold a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from William & Mary and a Master of Divinity from Duke University.

Clinical Training and Experience Includes:

• Residency in Counseling (2025–Present): Outpatient therapy focused on trauma, anxiety, relational stress, and identity development.

• Internship (2024–2025): Provided therapy for clients across diverse life stages and identities, with a focus on LGBTQIA+ clients, young adults, and those experiencing grief or religious trauma.

• Previous Experience in Chaplaincy: Supported individuals in spiritual care, grief counseling, and meaning-making.

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