Meet
Ria
The Basics
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Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate (LCSWA)
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Works with individuals, couples, and family dyads, ages 16+
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Offers sessions in Spanish for bilingual/Spanish-speaking clients *Spanish website and paperwork anticipated in November 2026
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Affirming of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities
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Neuro-diversity affirming
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Trauma-Informed
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Primary modalities: Relational, systemic, psychodynamic. Draws on somatic, IFS-informed, attachment-based, ecotherapy, expressive arts, and narrative approaches
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In-Network with Aetna and Cigna; BCBS Pending
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Private Pay and Sliding Scale
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Finds joy in river swims and plant walks, dancing, yummy food, and remembering how to play
Ria Alfonso, LCSWA
Ria approaches therapy in an collaborative and exploratory way that looks at how your past informs your present and works toward more choice and creativity in how you experience your present and shape your future. They hold the specificity of who you are and what you bring into the room with care, curiosity, and reverence.
Ria works especially well with:
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People at major life transitions and significant choice points
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Those wanting to to identify, understand, and shift longstanding relational patterns
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Clients impacted by complex trauma and relational wounds
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People motivated to explore deeper aspects of behaviors that no longer serve them and integrate new ways of walking through the world
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Those with diverse life experiences who often feel out of place
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Individuals working through grief
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Those wanting to feel more embodied, alive, and capable
Ria pays attention to the ways your inner world is shaped by family, culture, and broader social and political systems. They have a particular affinity for those who feel like the systems we live in were not built for them. In session, Ria offers spaciousness and understanding for exactly where you are at while moving toward greater agency, understanding, and connection. They emphasize moving at the speed of trust and together work toward cultivating a sense of safety and understanding that allows all parts of you to feel welcome.
Ria works with individuals, couples, and family dyads ages 16 and up, and provides counseling in Spanish* and English.Ria is a queer, Latinx therapist whose background in farming and herbalism shapes a perspective that deeply embraces the messy, spiral process that is healing and change. They offer a therapeutic relationship that is highly attuned to your specific needs, liberation-centered, and tangibly supportive while moving toward a greater sense of connection with yourself and the world around you.
Available Services:
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In-Person: Durham, North Carolina
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Virtual: Across North Carolina
Areas of Focus
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Complex PTSD & relational trauma
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Grief and loss
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Attachment wounds
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Depression
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Immigration and acculturation
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Queer and trans identity exploration
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Relationship to body
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Sex and sexuality
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Spirituality
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Climate Grief
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Life transitions
ria.alfonso@birchcounselingdurham.com
Certifications & Experience:
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Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (License #P023985)
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Masters Degree in Social Services, Bryn Mawr College
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30hrs training toward Sociometry & Psychodrama facilitation
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Community Herbalism Certificate, Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine
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Bachelor’s Degree in Critical Theory & Social Justice, Occidental College
Payment
Support
We understand that starting therapy is a meaningful financial commitment. That’s why we’ve partnered with Mentaya to help clients who are out-of-network easily use their insurance benefits and reduce the cost of care.
We are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield (excluding ACA plans), Aetna, and Cigna.
If you have a different insurance plan, you can use the tool below to check your eligibility for reimbursement for our services.