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Serenity First Counseling, LLC
Specialized Couples Therapy
& Education
You Know Something Needs to Change. But You Keep Ending Up in the Same Pattern.
Whether the pattern is showing up in your relationship or within yourself, therapy can help you understand what's keeping you stuck and begin responding differently.
Couples Therapy & Trauma-Focused Care & EMDR for Adults in Maryland & Virginia
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Now Accepting New Clients
Virtual appointments are available for individuals, couples, and families.
Shayla Gray
Credentials & Specialties
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Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
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Licensed in Maryland & Virginia
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15+ Years in Mental Health
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Harvard-trained in Couples Therapy
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EMDR-Certified Therapist
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Relationship & Family Systems Therapist
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Life Transitions Therapist & Educator
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PhD Candidate in Marriage & Family Therapy
Shayla helps couples and individuals strengthen their relationships, navigate major life transitions, and develop practical tools for healthier family and personal well-being. She also provides evidence-informed education and training for organizations on trauma, family systems, and parenthood.
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"My experience with Serenity First Counseling has been very positive and meaningful. I felt heard, supported, and treated with compassion throughout my time in counseling. The safe and nonjudgmental environment allowed me to be honest, process difficult experiences, and better understand myself. I am especially grateful for the patience, encouragement, and practical guidance I received. This experience helped me recognize areas of growth, develop healthier ways of responding to life’s challenges, and extend more grace to myself. Thank you for being a supportive part of my healing and personal-growth journey. I truly appreciate the care and dedication you provided."
— KJ.
Therapy That Helps You Understand the Pattern — and Change It.
You may already know what isn't working. The harder part is knowing how to make it different.
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Maybe you keep having the same argument, even when you promised yourselves this time would be different.
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Or maybe the pattern is happening within you.
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Maybe trust has been damaged, connection feels harder than it used to, or a major life transition has changed the way you relate to each other.
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Past experiences continue to shape how you respond, what you believe about yourself, and how safe or connected you feel in your relationships.
You don't have to keep repeating what isn't working.
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At Serenity First Counseling, we look beyond the immediate problem to understand what's driving the pattern underneath it. Through specialized couples therapy, trauma-focused care, and EMDR, we help you work through what's keeping you stuck and begin practicing a different way forward.
Not a perfect relationship. Not a perfect version of you. A healthier way to move forward—with greater understanding, connection, and confidence in how you respond when life gets hard.
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For Professionals & Organizations
Supporting Relationships Goes Beyond the Therapy Room
The same patterns that affect couples and families also show up in the systems and communities that support them.
The same patterns that affect couples and families also show up in the systems and communities that support them.
For professionals and organizations, Serenity First Counseling provides education and training designed to turn clinical knowledge into practical strategies you can use in your work with children, caregivers, couples, and families.
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Professional Education & Training
Strengthen your team's ability to recognize relational patterns, understand the impact of trauma, communicate more effectively, and build stronger partnerships with the families you serve.
Training topics include intergenerational trauma, communication and relationship dynamics, caregiver partnerships, and the transition to parenthood.
Services We Offer
Clients often come to Serenity First Counseling when they’re navigating:
Build self-awareness, navigate life’s challenges, process difficult experiences, and support personal growth.
Process trauma, reduce distress, and work toward healing through EMDR-focused therapy.
Build professional skills and strengthen knowledge through evidence-informed training on trauma, family systems, and parenthood.
Support for the emotional changes, challenges, and transitions that can come with pregnancy, postpartum experiences, and parenthood.
More About Shayla
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist serving clients in Maryland and Virginia.
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Supports couples and individuals navigating:
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Trauma and emotional overwhelm
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Relationship stress and conflict
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Major life transitions
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Pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood
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Fertility journeys, pregnancy loss, and birth-related experiences
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Postpartum anxiety, depression, panic, and intrusive thoughts
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Identity changes and relationship shifts after becoming a parent
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Approach: Collaborative, trauma-informed, and grounded in creating emotional safety and sustainable tools for healing.
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Creates a safe space to process difficult experiences, strengthen relationships, reduce triggers, and reconnect with yourself.
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Education & Training:
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B.S. in Psychology — Virginia State University
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M.A. in Human Services — Liberty University
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Harvard-trained in Couples Therapy
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EMDR-certified
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Advanced couples-focused training
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PhD candidate in Marriage and Family Therapy at Northcentral University
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Research focus: Relationship satisfaction during parenthood.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Stay Connected with
Serenity First
Join our professional resource list to receive occasional relationship, parenting, and mental health resources, practice updates, training information, and referral updates you can use or share with the individuals and families you support.