About Us

Mieke Rivka Sidorsky, LCSW-C, CST (nee Windecker) uses her compassionate nature and warm personality to improve the quality of life for her clients. Clients often describe Rivka as warm, positive, and hard-working.  She believes in her clients and helps them gain the strength to believe in themselves too.

Rivka is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, a licensed clinical social worker, a Board Certified Supervisor, a published author, a Harvard University research fellowship recipient, and an experienced lecturer . She is a professional member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists , the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health , and the International Society for Sexual Medicine .

She has been working with women and couples since 2007.  She was personally mentored and was trained in sexual dysfunction and sex therapy from internationally renowned Dr. Laura Berman , Oprah's relationship and sex expert, at the Berman Center in Chicago.  After her time at the Berman Center, she completed seven years of post-graduate training in female sexual dysfunction.  Additionally, she worked at the Center for Intimacy After Cancer Therapy , offering her services to counsel women after surviving breast cancer. She served for three years as a Member of the Board of Directors for In Shifra's Arms , a non-profit organization providing counseling and referrals for women with unplanned pregnancies.

In addition to her private practice, Rivka is a writer, researcher, and public speaker. She speaks widely on improving intimacy , female function and dysfunction, and on intimacy after cancer at professional conferences, universities, hospitals, and for community events. She is an invited guest to train doctors, nurses, faculty, fellow therapists, and students at the University of Maryland Health Center, The University of Maryland School of Public Health Graduate Program in Marriage in Family Therapy , and at a number of professional conferences such as the National Association of Social Work Clinical Conference .

She received her Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration with her Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from Brandeis University .  She has lived in many countries around the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East and feels confident in her ability to provide culturally-sensitive therapy to those of different religions and cultures.

She lives in Silver Spring with her husband and their four children.

Stephanie Schuster, LMSW, MEd, PhD Candidate is eager about providing all around care to individuals and couples to help overcome issues that impact their relationship and sexuality.  She is described as empathetic, comforting, and conscientious of varying needs.  Stephanie believes that sexuality is an essential part of one’s identity and how they interact with others.  She uses a nonjudgmental approach in working with sexuality issues and provides comprehensive psycho-education when appropriate.

Stephanie specializes in cognitive behavioral techniques to work at reducing anxiety relating to sexual issues.  She specializes in working with individuals and couples to overcome a wide variety of sexual issues including: sexual desire discrepancies in relationships, compulsive sexual behaviors, erectile dysfunction, sexual aversion, sexual anxiety, and female sexual dysfunction. Stephanie also holds an advanced certificate in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy , while integrating a focus on sexual trauma and abuse .  Stephanie has worked with adolescents dealing with issues relating to gender identity and sexuality , helping families with understanding and supporting the adolescent. Clients who are consensually non-monogamous, swinger, polyamorous, and/or kink are welcome.

Stephanie attended Widener University ’s nationally recognized dual degree Master’s program in social work and human sexuality.  While there she received extensive training on integrating multi-dimensional treatment modalities, practicing cultural competency, and focusing on sex therapy techniques to work through complex sexuality issues .  Stephanie is currently working on her doctorate at Widener University with a focus in sexuality counseling.  She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Rutgers University.

Shana Spier, LGSW listens and works to deeply understand each patient's experience.  She believes that the ability to feel intimately connected to oneself and to others allows us to heal and experience ourselves in ways we never believed were possible.

For over ten years Shana has worked with individuals and couples struggling with anxiety around physical and emotional intimacy and connection , depression, body image, self-esteem and eating disorders , fertility issues, pregnancy and sexual desire , sexual trauma , infidelity , and performance anxiety .

Shana completed the prestigious and rigorous three years of advanced psychodynamic training at the Washington School of Psychiatry and extensive couples training in EFT (Emotionally focused therapy). She has many years of advanced training in identifying and treating intimacy and connection issues in relationships . She has attended numerous trainings in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy. She is currently pursuing AASECT sex therapy certification.  Shana has lived in three different countries and worked with clients from multiple cultural and religious backgrounds. She completed her Bachelor and Master’s degree in Conflict Management and Mediation at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel and her MSW degree at Yeshiva University in New York.

She lives in Silver Spring with her husband and their baby.

Ivy Edelstein, LMSW , is genuine, compassionate, and engaging.  She believes that people have an innate drive towards health and wholeness.  She works collaboratively with clients to help them recognize their internal strengths and gain insight, confidence, and the necessary skills to face life courageously.

Ivy specializes in relationship counseling and has over 20 years of experience leading women on a path toward deep personal growth. From dating to engagement to marriage to older adulthood, Ivy helps women with every step of their relationship journey. She helps women work through a wide variety of concerns, such as relationship ambivalence, patterns of choosing the wrong partners, relationship stress and distress, relationship conflict, intimacy issues, and dating issues. Ivy coaches women to date smart and find their most compatible partners. She supports women in challenging relationships with hope and tools to breathe new life into the relationships. Ivy is especially skillful at helping women develop a strong sense of autonomy and personal empowerment. She also has specialized knowledge of working with clients with a religious background, in which their faith plays an important role in their relationships. Other areas of work include sexual trauma, attachment trauma, infertility, pregnancy loss, parenting issues, grief and bereavement, anxiety, depression, and stress .

Ivy holds a certificate in Advanced Trauma Treatment from the prestigious Ferentz Institute .  She completed an extensive certificate course in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) . She is a sought-after public speaker on issues of women's empowerment and building and maintaining healthy relationships.

She received her Master's Degree in Social Work from Yeshiva University , in New York.  She received her Bachelor's Degree at University at Albany-State University of New York .

She lives in Silver Spring with her husband and their four children.

 Camille Espinoza, LMSW