And you already know the part that's hardest to explain to anyone who hasn't lived it: it's not just that you can't talk about it; It's that you have to actively manage a story that isn't true, every single day, to people who have no idea there's a different one underneath.

This is your life now.

Everyone has a version of the story. Yours is the one you can't say out loud.

Maybe you signed something. Maybe you're still deciding whether to. Maybe there's no document at all, but there is an understanding, unspoken, but absolute, that certain things don't get repeated outside a closed room. Whatever brought you here, the shape of it is the same: something happened, it changed everything, and you're required to carry it alone, in public, while performing like nothing did.
start today

Therapy for what happened and the version of it you're not allowed to tell anyone. 

A Silenced Exit

IFS Therapy For Forced Career Exits, Signed NDAs, and Whistleblowers In Maryland & Virginia

You know what happened. You know what you're allowed to say. And you know what you can't say. Now you're living inside the gap between the two. 

You Signed the NDA.

3 Ways You Can End Up Here

You reported something you couldn't ignore. Now you still have to walk into the building, answer questions, work with people who may not know what happened or may have their own version of it. You did what you believed was right. But that doesn't mean you aren't scared of what it cost you.

You're The Whistleblower.

Perhaps everyone thinks you resigned. Perhaps the official story is cleaner than the real one. Perhaps you're legally free to talk, but still don't feel safe telling the whole story. Your career ended or changed in a way you didn't choose. Now you're expected to move on before you've even figured out what happened to the version of yourself who built that life. 

You Were Forced Out.

Can We Talk About This Without Talking About Everything?

You don't have to disclose specific facts, names, or details you're not free to share.

We can work with what you're experiencing: the vigilance, isolation, fear, anger, grief, shame, uncertainty, identity disruption without turning therapy into an interrogation about the facts.

This is therapy, not legal consultation. Your attorney is the person to advise you about what you can and cannot disclose.

This isn't about whether you made the right call signing what you signed, or reporting what you reported, or leaving how you left. It's about what it costs to carry a true story that you're not allowed to tell, while everyone around you operates from a version that isn't.

For some of you, this is legal, where there is an actual document controlling what you're permitted to say, with real consequences if you don't.

For others, it's more informal but no less binding: an unspoken agreement, a reputation to protect, people who'd be hurt by the truth coming out.

 Either way, a part of you has taken on the job of managing the story, constantly, and that job doesn't clock out.

None of this makes you dishonest. It makes you someone holding something too heavy to carry alone, in a situation that requires you to look like you're carrying nothing at all.

The Common Thread Isn't What Happened. It's What You're Carrying Alone.

My approach is Internal Family Systems (IFS), which is a model built on a simple truth: the part of you that's been managing this story, keeping it airtight, making sure nothing slips, isn't the enemy. It took on an enormous job, likely because it had to, and it's been doing that job for longer than it was ever meant to.

We work with what's actually being protected, not just the silence itself. Often there's an exiled part underneath, carrying shame, fear, or grief about what actually happened, that the managing part has been working overtime to keep contained.

We don't need the full legal or factual detail for this work to matter. You don't have to tell me anything you're not permitted to share for us to work with what it's costing you to hold it. This is not legal consultation and I can't advise you on what you are or aren't allowed to disclose as that's a conversation for your attorney. What we work with is everything underneath the silence: the vigilance, the isolation, the identity questions, the grief.

You will not be asked to justify your decisions here, and you won't need to convince me any version of what happened was the right call. That's not the work.

How I Work

"It's hard to find a therapist who's a good fit, but Kiara's her authenticity and warm energy helps clients feel at ease right away. Kiara is an excellent therapist and practitioner of Internal Family Systems (IFS). She does great work helping high achieving BIPOC men and women unmask and unwind so that they can actually enjoy their success. I have referred clients to Kiara and will continue to do so!"

How I've Helped My Clients

Outside this room, you may have to be careful about what you say.

You may have to manage the story.

You may have to protect the company, the organization, your reputation, your family, or someone else's privacy.

Therapy is one of the few places where the focus can be on what this has actually done to you.

Not whether your decision was right.

Not whether someone else agrees with it.

Not what the public version of the story says.

You.

You Don't Have To Carry The Public Version In Here. 

Frequently Asked Questions

I signed an NDA. Can I even talk about this in therapy?

Therapy confidentiality and legal non-disclosure are two different things, and I'm not able to advise you on what your specific agreement does or doesn't allow, that's a question for your attorney. What I can tell you is that you don't need to disclose specific facts, names, or details you're not free to share for this work to be effective. We can work directly with what it's costing you to carry this, without requiring the details themselves.

Will anything I say here affect my legal case?

Sessions are confidential, but if you have active or pending legal proceedings, I'd recommend looping in your attorney about what's appropriate to discuss and where. I'm not a substitute for that guidance.

I'm a whistleblower. Is this specifically for people in my situation?

Yes. Whether you've already reported something or are still deciding whether to, this work addresses the isolation and pressure of holding that alone.

I wasn't legally silenced; I just can't tell people the real reason I left. Does this still apply to me? 

Yes. The mechanism, carrying a true story you're not permitted or able to tell, doesn't require a legal document to be real and exhausting.

Is this confidential? Will anyone else know I'm in therapy?

Yes. Sessions are not shared with employers, former employers, attorneys, or any third party unless it falls within the limits of confidentiality.

Do you take insurance?

IFS intensives are private pay and not billed through insurance. If ongoing therapy is helpful after your intensive, I'm an in network provider with BCBS for eligible ongoing services. However, using insurance has the potential to neglect your privacy.

Where are you licensed and do sessions happen virtually?

I'm licensed in Maryland and Virginia with telehealth privileges in Florida. The pre and post-intensive sessions are virtual. The intensive itself is available virtually or in person in Baltimore, MD or Virginia Beach, VA, with the option to hold your Virginia Beach intensive on the beach, weather permitting.

see formats + pricing

Begin with a conversation.

If something on this site felt familiar, you don't need to have everything figured out before reaching out.

You don't need the perfect explanation of what's wrong.

You can simply tell me what has been happening, what you've tried, and what you're hoping will be different.

You just need to stop carrying this alone.

We Create a Place Where You Don't Have To Manage The Story

Schedule Your 90 Minute Pre-Intensive ⇢