Lizee Nuñez Love
MS, Virginia & North Carolina
I am a couples and relationship therapist, with a particular passion for working with people whose identities and experiences have not always been fully understood or represented in traditional therapy spaces. This includes people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, neurodivergent clients, and people living with chronic or terminal illness.
My work as a family therapist involves looking at how past experiences impact the entire family system rather than just an individual member. I believe therapy should make room for the many aspects of who you are and your important relationships rather than asking you to separate your culture and identity from the experiences that prompted you to seek support.
My connection to neurodivergent clients is also personal. During my master’s internship, I noticed how naturally I connected with clients who experienced the world a little differently. Those relationships eventually contributed to my own adult ADHD diagnosis and gave me an even deeper appreciation for the ways neurodivergence can shape relationships, communication, expectations, and self-understanding.
Questions about therapy? Send us a message!
What To Expect In Our Work Together
In therapy, we may explore:
Communication difficulties, sexual concerns and intimacy, infidelity and betrayal recovery
Identity discovery or rediscovery
Giftedness, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
Burnout, depression, anxiety, and the emotional complexities that can accompany chronic or terminal illness
Grief and loss, attachment wounds, family-of-origin trauma
Rather than viewing these concerns in isolation, we can look at how your experiences, relationships, identities, and patterns influence one another.
My approach to therapy is neurodiversity- and queer-affirming, sex-positive, anti-racist, and grounded in cultural humility. I am also supportive of clients exploring or practicing kink, non-monogamy, and polyamory. My goal is to create a compassionate, curious, and judgment-free space where you can better understand yourself, strengthen your relationships, and build a life that feels more authentic to who you are.
My Path To Becoming A Therapist
My own experience with therapy has played an important role in shaping the mental health specialist I am today. I have been in therapy for more than a decade, and I continue to value the opportunities it gives me for reflection and growth.
Family therapy was especially meaningful during a time when I often felt like the “black sheep” in my family. For the first time in my life, I felt seen, heard, and understood – and this kind of radical acceptance inspired me to bring the same energy to others.
Couples and relationship therapy eventually felt like a natural direction for me. Our closest relationships influence so much of how we experience ourselves, our families, and the world around us. I believe that many of our struggles develop within relationships, and that they can also become powerful places for healing, connection, and change.
My own experiences with neurodivergence, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and trauma recovery influence the compassion I bring to this work. I know how easy it can be to measure your worth by how much you accomplish, how well you meet other people’s expectations, or how effectively you keep everything together.
Part of my growth has involved learning that I am allowed to say no, take up space, and be “good enough” without constantly performing. I want my clients to discover what that permission might look like in their own lives.
Therapy With Me Is Collaborative, Relational, And Very Human
As a systemic therapist, building a trusting relationship with you is an important part of the work we do together. My hope is that the safety you develop in therapy can become something you carry into your relationship with yourself, your partner(s), your family, and your community.
I’m also not interested in pretending counselors are personality-free people sitting across the room with clipboards; I’m weird, quirky, nerdy, creative, and comfortable being myself. I use humor liberally, speak in metaphors, and, when appropriate, I may swear or incorporate the perfectly timed dark joke. At the same time, I know therapy is not about me. My personality is there to help create connection, not take up space that belongs to you.
Ultimately, I want therapy to be a relationship where you can experience what it feels like to be genuinely known, challenged, supported, and accepted, and begin offering yourself that same freedom outside the therapy room.
I Can’t Wait To Come Along On Your Therapy Journey
Callahan Therapy & Consultation is located in Vienna, Virginia. I provide online therapy sessions to residents located in Virginia and North Carolina. Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation by contacting our practice at (703) 495-3598 or through our Contact Page.
Relationships in life don't really end, even if you never see the person again. Every person you've been close to lives on somewhere inside you. Your past lovers, your parents, your friends, people both alive and dead (symbolically or literally)—all of them evoke memories, conscious or not. Often they inform how you relate to yourself and others. - Lori Gottlieb
Lizee Nuñez Love has a Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Woman's University. She has completed Externship and Core Skills in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, Gottman Method Level 1 and 2, and a long-term practicum on Contextual Family Therapy. She has received training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, queer and trans-affirmative care, and suicide assessment and safety planning. She has published two peer-reviewed journal articles, and has presented research at local, state, and national conferences.