D’Andra Leyba is a Clinical Counseling Intern pursuing her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The George Washington University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish and is proficient in both English and Spanish.

D’Andra is passionate about helping children and families feel supported, understood, and connected. She has received training in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), a developmentally responsive approach that allows children to communicate and process their experiences through their natural language of play. Through play therapy, D’Andra provides children with a safe and accepting space to express emotions, build confidence, develop coping skills, and work through challenges that may be difficult to communicate with words.

D’Andra has experience supporting children and adolescents experiencing grief and loss, adjustment concerns, family and life transitions, and other emotional and behavioral challenges. She also has experience providing substance use prevention education to teens. When working with children, D’Andra recognizes the importance of understanding the whole child within the context of their family, relationships, culture, school, and community.

Growing up in New Mexico, D’Andra is especially passionate about working with Hispanic/Latinx families, Indigenous peoples, and culturally diverse children and families. As a Spanish-speaking clinician, she values the opportunity to help reduce language and cultural barriers that can make it difficult for families to access mental health support.

D’Andra’s counseling approach is culturally responsive, trauma-informed, experiential, and relationship-focused. She strives to create a warm, nonjudgmental environment where children and families feel safe and supported. D’Andra believes in meeting each child where they are, recognizing their individual strengths, and partnering with caregivers to support meaningful growth and positive change.

In her free time, D’Andra enjoys attending dance classes, building legos, reading books of all genres, and spending time with her cat, Goose.