About Me
Gail J Weissert, LCSW-C, DCSW
Individual, Family, Couples and Hypnotherapy
I get it! I’ve been there—feeling like I’m swimming through an unknown sea, searching for a way forward in the midst of challenging times and overwhelming emotions.
I’ve experienced great joy and deep sorrow. I was blessed with wonderful parents, but I lost them, along with several beloved pets, and, tragically, my oldest child just a week before her high school graduation. Not long after, our home was destroyed in a fire, taking with it decades of irreplaceable memories. These experiences taught me about grief, resilience, and how to keep moving forward even when life feels impossible.
Alongside these personal losses, I’ve faced health challenges that left me lost in a complex healthcare system, unsure where to turn or how to find the right information and resources. These struggles gave me insight into the importance of support and clarity during difficult times.
My own healing journey led me to pursue a career as a licensed clinical social worker and certified clinical hypnotherapist, a path I’m deeply passionate about. Through years of education, postgraduate training, and a commitment to ongoing research, I’ve gained both the knowledge and perspective needed to help others. It’s this blend of personal experience and professional expertise that allows me to support my clients in a meaningful way.
I’m honored to share what I’ve learned, from my own life and from the incredible people I’ve worked with, to help you navigate your unique challenges and become the best version of yourself. Together, we can create a life filled with purpose and positive impact.
My Approach & Values
I bring to your life over thirty years’ postgraduate experience in varied settings and with many populations. My greatest joy in life is to see my clients make strides through crisis and beyond – to coping better, feeling better, and with a new understanding and skill set. My training and experience are in a variety of modalities, from cognitive behavioral therapy to behavior modification, to family systems therapy, to hypnotherapy and energy psychology strategies.
This can give the client choices about ways to get better and do better, to move forward to a better place in life.
Changing underlying thinking patterns can change how you feel, how you act, and how you interact with others in your life, whether that be at home or at work. Neuroscience research has now shown us that we can literally create new neuronal patterns in our brains, thus causing transformation at a deep level. There are numerous varieties of therapy which can bring this about.
Certifications and Affiliations
- Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist – National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH)
- International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT) since 2006
- LCSW-C (Licensed Certified Social Worker, Clinical) since 1982
- ACSW (Academy of Certified Social Workers) since 1981
- Diplomate in Clinical Social Work since 1993
- Family Therapy Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 18-month Certificate Program
- Institute of Medical Hypnosis, Phoenix, AZ, 1992-1995 plus ten years supervised training
- Completed Certification Course for Energy Psychology
- Member of Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology since 2012
- Completed Qualifying and Advanced Training on Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Otto Kroeger Associates, Fairfax, VA
- National Association of Social Workers
My Education
- University of Maryland School of Social Work and Community Planning, MSW (Clinical Concentration) 1979 Honors Graduate, 60 Credit Hours.
- Washington College, Chestertown, MD. One-third courses towards M.A. in Psychology, 1970-1972.
- Undergraduate courses in Sociology at University of Pittsburgh, 1969-1970.
- Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, Cum Laude Graduate, 1969, B.A. (Includes junior year abroad program with a full year of credits transferred from Phillipps University in Marburg, Germany, 1968)