Turning Pain into Purpose, and Purpose into Joy.

Healing doesn’t mean changing who you are — it means coming home to yourself.

Your feelings aren’t too much — they’re just asking to be heard.

Growth starts the moment you choose to face what you once avoided.

Joy isn’t found — it’s remembered.

Turning Pain into Purpose, and Purpose into Joy.

Welcome to Bring Out the Joy Counseling Services,

You’re high-achieving, resilient, and the person everyone else leans on. But behind the scenes, the "mask" is getting heavy. Whether it’s the constant hum of high-functioning anxiety, the invisible chaos of ADHD, or a relationship that feels more like a business arrangement than a partnership, you’ve reached the limit of what you can "white-knuckle" through.

You don’t need a place to just vent—you need a strategy for relief.

I’m Aaron Footman, LCPC. With over a decade of experience and a specialized background in Conflict Resolution, I don’t just nod and listen. I provide a grounded, expert space where we stop managing symptoms and start dismantling the patterns that keep you stuck in survival mode.

Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Consultation

Our Services: How We Get You Back

No more performing. No more pretending. Just real, evidence-based transformation.

Individual Therapy: From Burnout to Balance

Turning down the volume on high-functioning anxiety and healing the attachment wounds that make you feel like you're never doing enough.

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Couples Therapy: Rebuilding Connection

Using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to stop the same tired arguments and finally rebuild the intimacy that’s been replaced by resentment.

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Family Therapy: Breaking the Cycle of Conflict

Families are where we feel the most strength, yet often where we endure the most exhaustion. Relational "deadlocks" don't resolve on their own; they require moving beyond the cycle of blame to stop litigating the past. Leveraging my conflict resolution expertise, I help your family stop just "managing" each other and start rebuilding functional, authentic connections.

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What Clients Are Saying

"My husband and I are grandparents who’ve been together for 54 years. We both have strong personalities, and before coming to Aaron, we fought almost every day and were considering divorce. Through Aaron’s guidance, we learned that our partner wasn’t the problem—it was the unhealthy cycle we were stuck in. He helped us see the emotions driving our reactions, understand each other’s needs, and replace blame with empathy and curiosity. Aaron taught us how to express our feelings more vulnerably, listen with compassion, and lead with understanding rather than emotion. We now know how to break negative patterns and reconnect from a place of safety and love. Our marriage feels renewed, and we’ve rediscovered peace, friendship, and joy with each other."

— M.S., Maryland

"Aaron reaches me in ways no one else ever has. He challenges me to see myself and the world differently, helping me unlearn harmful beliefs and unhealthy patterns of behavior. As a Black gay man, that kind of care and insight has been life-changing. He has helped me grow, stabilize, and see my own worth again."

— A.S., Maryland

" I have been thoroughly equipped with resources and skills that I can use to help myself heal and grow through our sessions, so I’m grateful to God for using you to help me with that."

— A.A., Maryland