About Petra
Petra Gross is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who helps adults facing anxiety, depression, stress, and life changes. She also supports people dealing with relationship strain, grief, trauma, and ADHD concerns. Petra aims to create a calm, respectful space where clients can talk through what matters most to them.
She draws on practical, evidence-informed approaches with an emphasis on mindfulness and self-compassion. Sessions focus on clear goals, with steps that clients can try between meetings.
Background and approach
Petra balances warmth and accountability so people make measurable progress while feeling understood. Petra has ten years of counseling experience in Virginia. Her work often centers on challenges tied to family of origin, parenting pressures, multicultural identity, and workplace strain.
She also pays attention to body image, self-esteem, and intimacy-related issues when those come up. Therapy with her typically begins by building a strong working relationship and clarifying goals. Early sessions aim to reduce immediate distress and map practical next steps.
Over time clients practice skills that help with emotion regulation, communication, and daily routines. Petra speaks English, Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian, which can help people from similar cultural backgrounds feel more at ease. Her approach is collaborative and paced to each person's needs, so clients set the priorities and Petra helps guide the process.
Online approaches that fit your life
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice their thoughts without getting stuck in them and then choose actions that match their values. It is often useful for anxiety, low mood, and for setting meaningful life goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is commonly used for anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems. Mindfulness-based techniques are used across sessions to build present-moment awareness and self-compassion, which can reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation.Choosing the right approach is a shared process. Petra will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. Together they will try strategies and adjust the plan as progress and needs become clearer, so therapy evolves with the client.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different routines. Video lets you work face-to-face when screen time is manageable. Phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited or you need to fit therapy into a work break. Live chat and text are useful for short check-ins, practicing skills between meetings, or when typing feels easier than speaking. These options make it easier to maintain regular sessions from different places and schedules.
Questions people ask
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What background and experience does she bring?
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Immigration issues
- Intimacy-related issues
- LGBT
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Virginia
- Languages
- English, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
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