Colleagues, Friends Open Kentlands' Counseling and Therapy Practice

Orly Katz and Cynthia Rebholz have a lot in common. So much so that they brought together their professional counseling expertise into a private practice recently opened in Kentlands.

In 2008, the two met as colleagues in professional counseling and therapy circles around the Gaithersburg area and quickly became friends.

“We just clicked,” said Rebholz, “We were always on the same page with what the clients needed.” What’s more, they do a lot of the same kind of therapies, which she believes is something pretty rare because Rebholz “does not meet a lot of people in this area who do the same type of work.”

Katz suggested several years ago to Rebholz that they go into private practice together, but the timing was not quite right. In January 2012 they opened a joint private practice on Main Street in the Kentlands, specializing in counseling and therapy for family, marriage and women’s issues. Their expertise covers the spectrum of family issues from childbirth, post-partum, parenting, marriage, eating disorders, body image, adolescence and teen issues, stress, anxiety and depression.   

Katz (Everyday Counseling and Coaching Services), a North Potomac resident, was educated at Tel Aviv University in Israel and earned a master's degree in nursing from University of Maryland. She has spent much of her 34 years in the nursing profession as a labor and delivery nurse at Shady Grove Hospital and served as a certified lactation consultant and advisor for post-partum women in Montgomery County.

“I realized that many of the questions women had were related to post-partum adjustments and depression, relationships with spouses, and changes within the family dynamics,” said Katz. She returned to school and earned a master's degree in counseling from Johns Hopkins University and has spent the last several years counseling families and children.

Rebholz (Creative Solutions Counseling) is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and earned a bachelor's degree in research psychology from the University of South Alabama and a master's degree in family therapy from Nova Southeastern University. She is certified in hypnotherapy, medical family therapy, and marriage counseling.

Despite different backgrounds, Katz and Rebholz have arrived in the same place with the same goals of helping people find “strength-based, positive solutions by focusing forward.. on the future.”  They have the unique approach of “being focused on solutions where others are focused on problems,” said Katz.

“The important thing,” notes Rebholz, “is to start the dialogue.” People want to make changes in their lives and find solutions to their problems, but they keep doing the same things over and over, essentially making the same mistakes, she said. “We have the tools to help our clients identify issues …Change is overwhelming, so we break it down into pieces they can manage.”

“If we can help people be aware of patterns…bring them to a level of awareness,” adds Katz, “then we can set a plan and establish goals.”

In their new partnership, Katz and Rebholz share office space, a continuing growing friendship, and the common goal of helping families and relationships. In the very near future they plan to start up support groups for post-partum women, women’s issues, and parenting of teens.

“This is a very nice collaboration,” said Katz.

Rebholz laughed and added, “That is exactly what I was trying to say.”