"A garden is the best alternative therapy."
— Germaine Greer

Biography and interests

Christiane Graham is certified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker by the State of Maryland. She has extensive professional training in suicide prevention, individual, group and couple therapy.

Experiences on a suicide crisis hotline prepared her for acting decisively and compassionately when people needed immediate help during a personal crisis. Her interest in social issues was deepened while living in Shaw, Washington DC. She witnessed the variety of meaningful relationships in a multicultural community and the ravages of poverty and addiction.

After receiving her Masters degree in Social Work she worked for “Almost Family” in Baltimore. Here hands-on experience counseling a wide variety of clients in an Adult Day Treatment Center provided valuable experience with diverse clients. Home visits to the inner City of Baltimore were insightful and complex, requiring courage and rapid problem solving skills.

As Director for an Adult Day Treatment Center, Winter Growth in Olney, she developed meaningful programming for the elderly and worked with families and individuals severely stressed by their care-giving responsibilities. Having been a caregiver herself to her late husband she provides support to caregivers in coping with the stresses involved in caring for a loved one.

In 1999 she joined Debra Levy Eldercare Associates. As a geriatric case manager she worked with families that cared for aging parents or children with disabilities who required comprehensive interventions while negotiating difficult family dynamics. Counseling adult children and spouses of frail elderly is one of her specialties.

Christiane received an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from the Corcoran School of Art, Washington DC. Artists conceive of the human experience in the visual and sensory realm. She developed costumes and sculptures for rituals and organized celebratory events. She exhibited her work in private and public venues and received several grants. In her work as a psychotherapist, she advises clients to explore their visual and celebratory identity using non-verbal techniques in a holistic approach.

She has a wide variety of talents and interests which have rounded out her personality. Traveling being one of her passions she has visited various European countries. On a trekking trip around Annapurna in Nepal her interests in Eastern Spirituality and Mindfulness were challenged and deepened. At home she enjoys gardening, hiking and cooking. Being connected to the web of life of family, friends and her community is a very important part of her identity.

As a native German, she is familiar with immigration issues and the adoptive strategies necessitated when entering into a new culture. She can conduct therapy in English and German.