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Reducing anxiety, stress & burnout. Healing from trauma. Helping you find balance.

Specializing in helping women - and anyone navigating anxiety, trauma and life transitions - feel seen, support and empowered.

Imagine this: you’re standing in your closet, choosing an outfit to wear for a night of fun with your friends. When suddenly, you experience a sinking feeling in your gut. Your anxiety starts to build, thoughts begin to race, your stomach is in knots and your palms get clammy. That fun dress you were thinking about wearing suddenly feels like it’s not “you” enough to wear. Self-doubt and shame begin to creep in and you say to yourself “who do you think you are wearing this in public?”

You also feel the daily pressure to be perfect and keep up with every single beauty, fashion, and body trend - but inside you’re unsure of where you fit in and belong and how to love the skin you’re in. Always experiencing a sense of overwhelm, like you’re burning the candle at both ends. You are caring for everyone else while having no time to care for yourself. Who has time for hobbies, exercising, or five minutes of uninterrupted peace when your stress feels like it’s crushing you.

Some stressful experiences might be universal such as grief, a breakup, a big move, or job loss but the lasting impact those experiences have on us is entirely individual and unique. Trauma can be subjective and your experience is valid – no matter how big or small that distressing event was. Whatever happened, it left you feeling stuck, isolated and frustrated.

Maybe you are starting to critically analyze your faith, values, and spirituality but you’re worried. You’re worried about leaving your community behind, which feels like losing a part of your identity along with your sense of belonging and security. Even if you have been traumatized and hurt by your religious community, picturing yourself leaving strikes a sense of dread within you.

If you’ve experienced a traumatic event, have been hurt by religion, or struggled with feelings of anxiety and insecurity - I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone. If any or all of these issues resonate with you, please reach out so we can discuss working together to begin your healing journey.

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My name is Brittany Sesek, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia and South Carolina, and owner of Hearts Ease Counseling. I graduated from Old Dominion University in 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and went on to receive a Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The College of William & Mary in 2018.

I’ve worked with a wide range of clients throughout my career to include adults and teens involved in the criminal justice system, those with severe mental illnesses, folks struggling with daily life stressors, and substance abuse.

These days, I have a passion and focus on helping adults navigate trauma, to include religious trauma/deconstruction, spirituality, healing from purity culture, anxiety/stress/burnout, and women's issues. My priority is to provide a secular, person-centered approach to therapy that is uniquely tailored to you. While Hearts Ease was created with the unique challenges faced by women in mind, I warmly welcome clients of all genders who find themselves needing support. I love working with individuals from all sexual orientations and gender expressions and am LGBTQ+ affirming.

Hi! I’m Brittany

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My Approach

  • You are the expert in your own life and will be the one ultimately guiding our work together. Treatment will be based on your specific goals and unique needs, which is why I often integrate multiple different techniques and approaches into our work together. We will periodically review your goals to make additions and updates as we progress through treatment.

  • Motivational interviewing is a communication technique that helps you move towards making actionable changes in your own life and getting yourself un-stuck. This is especially handy if you are unsure about making these changes or if you struggle with confidence.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence based practice that makes connections between our thoughts, emotions and actions. Through CBT, you will be able to work on addressing negative thought patterns and develop healthier strategies to make lasting changes.

  • Sometimes you might come to therapy with a specific problem you need to resolve. Solution-focused therapy emphasizes problem solving and focuses on the future, more than reviewing the past. I’m a firm believer that our past always impacts our present/future so we won’t skip talking about the past but we will put greater emphasis on moving towards a solution for your problem.

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Why virtual therapy?

You might be asking yourself if virtual therapy (also referred to as 'telehealth’) is right for you. That’s tough to say! Some folks enjoy the flexibility and convenience of being able to conduct therapy in a safe space like their own home. Others prefer to have a bit of separation from therapy and their home life.

If virtual therapy sounds most helpful to you, no matter where you live in the state of Virginia or South Carolina - whether that’s Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, Charleston or Greenville - we will be able to work together!

If you are unsure, we can chat during our consultation if virtual therapy would be the right fit for your unique situation.