purple flowers growing in a green, sun-drenched forest

Alea M. Bell

MSW, LICSW, LCSW-C

Experience

As a Holistic Psychotherapist at The Center for Family Well-Being, I work with parents, families, and children using a range of therapeutic interventions that support attachment and social-emotional skills development. I have over 10 years of experience in bilingual (Spanish-English) clinical social work practice, family engagement, trauma, and early childhood development within community mental health settings and schools.

Therapeutic Focus

I work with children ages 0-13 and parents, in individual, family, and group settings. I specialize in supporting children, young adolescents, and whole families with anxiety, depression, self-esteem, emotional and behavioral dysregulation, parenting struggles, grief/loss, and trauma. I enjoy drawing from a range of models, incorporating varied expressive and experiential techniques that are primarily rooted in a psychodynamic, mind-body integration, attachment-based approach. I also provide parent-only individual therapy and groups to support the skill-building, problem-solving, and reflective capacity of parents.

Philosophy

I aim to use an integrative and tailored approach in my work as a therapist, collaborating with my clients to facilitate growth, build self-compassion, and strengthen attachment relationships. I seek to connect to and empower individuals using genuine warmth and authenticity, as well as a strengths-based and cultural humility lens. I hope to support healthy emotional development throughout the family structure and foster delight among its members. I believe that all caregivers deserve support along this transformative journey — to build insight into what we bring to parenting and what parenting brings out in us; to use child development and attachment theories to understand and empathize with the behavior of our children; and to learn and practice skills that serve to nurture stronger family relationships and improved well-being overall.

Professional Highlights

Licensed Clinical Social Worker in MD and DC
Trained in multiple therapeutic modalities, including:
- Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up Therapy (6 months - 24 months)
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (24 months - 7 years)
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy - Toddler (12 months - 24 months)
- Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (Lifespan)
- Reflective Parenting Program, Center for Reflective Communities in Los Angeles, CA
- Additional training in Child Parent Psychotherapy, child-centered play therapy, DBT, expressive arts therapies, and other trauma and somatic/mindfulness-based approaches.