Meet The Pauling Institute Team
Sylvia Pauling, M.A., LPC
Principal Founder of The Pauling Institute, Inc. and a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than thirty years of experience in the field of mental health.
Ms. Pauling approaches psychotherapy from a holistic and trauma-informed perspective, recognizing the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit. Her work honors the profound influence of family systems, generational experiences, and cultural context in shaping how individuals understand themselves, navigate relationships, and respond to life’s challenges.
She believes that healing often begins when individuals are supported in exploring both their personal experiences and the family patterns—spoken and unspoken—that influence their lives today. Through compassionate and collaborative care, she helps clients develop new insights, strengthen resilience, and create healthier narratives for themselves and their families.
Ms. Pauling’s approach also respects the role that faith and spirituality can play in the healing process. For clients who desire it, she thoughtfully integrates faith-informed perspectives alongside evidence-based therapeutic practices to support emotional, relational, and spiritual
well-being.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Pauling has developed and implemented community-based and faith-informed programs addressing:
- Domestic violence and intimate partner violence
- Relationship education and enrichment
- Mental health and emotional wellness
- Strengthening individuals, couples, and families
She is certified in NTU Psychology and is a Certified Facilitator for Prepare/Enrich, a widely used relationship assessment and counseling tool that helps couples strengthen communication and build healthier partnerships.
Education
- B.S. in Psychology – South Carolina State University
- M.A. in Guidance and Counseling – Trinity College
- Doctoral Candidate, Public Policy and Administration – Walden University
Within a multicultural and multidisciplinary outpatient mental health practice, Ms. Pauling provides individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy for adolescents and adults. Her work is grounded in trauma-informed care and guided by deep respect for each client’s story, culture, spiritual beliefs, and family history.
Ashley Acosta, MA, LGPC
Ashley's approach to therapy is centered on her foundational relationship with her clients. She draws from psychodynamic theory and reality therapy to help her clients understand potential underlying patterns in their experiences, and emphasizes their autonomy to make different decisions to meet their goals. She encourages her clients to build insight into why they feel the way they do and helps them craft a path forward. She treats anxiety, depression, suicidality, relationship issues, and general stress.
She is particularly passionate about working with adult men through men's issues like masculine identity, emotional expression, and fatherhood.
While Ashley does not directly accept insurance, many of her clients receive reimbursements from their insurance providers. Her fees are $135/50 minute individual session, and $175/60 minute couples session. She sees clients both virtually and in person in Washington, DC.