about us

Phyllis Zhu, MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW, RPT is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Maryland and Washington, DC. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins University with her MA in English Literature/Spanish and then completed her Masters in Social Work at City University of New York Hunter College. Since then, she has focused on working with child and adult trauma survivors during her career as a clinical social worker. Phyllis has previously worked in school-based programs with youth in Baltimore City, a non-profit setting with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and a community-based outpatient mental health clinic. Phyllis is also a Board-approved clinical supervisor through the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners (2019) and is a Registered Play Therapist with the Association of Play Therapy (2021).

Phyllis is a somatic therapist who utilizes creative and trauma-informed modalities and is trained in multiple evidence-based approaches that connect the mind and body, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) – a treatment for trauma/PTSD, EMDR Flash, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotion Freedom Technique (EFT), narrative therapy, play therapy, and sandtray therapy (certified). She has worked specifically with survivors of emotional neglect, sexual abuse/violence, immigrants/children of immigrants, and those who identify as LGBTQ+. Phyllis also speaks conversational Spanish.