Creative Ways Therapy was founded by long-term friends and colleagues, Teresa Arene and Donna Geraci.  Teresa and Donna met in graduate school at Howard University in 1989. They were two of very few non-Black students in the program at the time. This unique connection drew them into a friendship rooted in the exploration of new concepts and challenging self-reflections.
 
While post-graduate opportunities took Teresa and Donna in different
directions within DC's social work infrastructure, they remained close
friends, frequently musing, "Hmmmm... maybe we'll create something
together one day. . ."

That day came in 2004, when Teresa and Donna decided to launch
Creative Ways Therapy, with the goal of bringing affordable, accessible,
high-quality mental health care to DC's immigrant, low-income, and
under-resourced communities.  

Creative Ways Therapy started with just one therapy room in the basement below a 7-11 in the heart of DC's Columbia Heights/Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.  At the time, mental health care was a newly emerging concept in this multicultural, immigrant community.  After a few years of steady expansion, Creative Ways moved into the sunny second floor of a nearby church.  The practice had grown to include several contractual therapists and interns, on-site therapy at neighborhood schools, and clinical supervision with community social workers.

During our 12 years in Columbia Heights, gentrification transformed the area and drove out many of its long-term residents.  As Creative Ways client base became de-centralized, Teresa and Donna decided to relocate the practice to a more affordable area that would be comfortable, welcoming, and conveniently accessible for their clients.  In 2016, Creative Ways Therapy moved to its current location at 7412 Georgia Avenue in upper northwest, DC.

Currently,  Teresa and Donna lead a team of fifteen licensed therapists, collectively serving over 200 brave and inspiring clients.