Meet Our Collective.

Born from a need for collective embodied healing.

We are co-creating safe, anti-oppressive spaces for healing that is integrated, somatic, relational, and enhanced through technology.

Executive Director of ekoe | Licensed Clinical and Cultural Psychologist
“Connection is the heart of healing. Embodiment and interdependence are the ventricles; listening and sensing are the atria; and love is the oxygenated lifeblood circulating through out. Connection has a rhythmic beat, a distinct musculature, and a capacity to liberate.”
Dr. Jen Leyton-Armakan (she/her) is a clinical psychologist, co-founder and Executive Director of ekoe - an integrative mental health practice rooted in embodied collective healing. Nearly two decades into her career, Dr. Jen is clear that trauma healing occurs in connected spaces. She understands that her first task with clients is to co-create conditions for connection. Personal healing gives rise to more capacity for wholehearted and interdependent relationships. Ultimately, Dr. Jen aims to inspire a generative process that moves us all towards liberation.
Dr. Jen’s approach is informed by psychodynamics, liberation psychology, and psychobiological science. Advanced training certification in somatic experiencing, embodied social justice, meditation, and yoga instruction are woven into her work. As a trauma specialist, she is highly skilled in identifying and alleviating psychological and relational symptoms resulting from traumatic experiences. She treats a range of trauma-related conditions including mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, family conflict, codependence, grief & loss, ineffective coping behaviors, and issues related to major life transitions.
Chronic stress associated with marginalization is a defining part of life for most of Dr. Jen’s clients. Through an anti-oppressive and liberation-based perspective, she listens for the traumatic effects of dominant culture oppression on individuals and families. As a white-adjacent multiracial Latinx, Dr. Jen is uniquely situated to explore the complexities of identity, power, erasure, dehumanization, and belonging. She holds space for clients to explore and contextualizes historic, intergenerational and systematic traumatization, while resourcing individuals with somatic and insight-oriented approaches.
Dr. Jen has extensive experience at a variety of levels of care. She established a trauma-informed intensive outpatient program for young adults with mental health and substance abuse disorders. She also built and maintained a thriving private practice affiliated with The Stone House. Dr. Jen supported a multidisciplinary team on Howard University Hospital’s psychiatric unit, working with adult patients with chronic and severe mental illness. Prior to that time, she worked at a child and adolescent psychiatric hospital, juvenile detention center, in-home care, school-based program, community-based clinic, and college campus settings.
She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia. She graduated with a B.S. in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University. She is a Board Member of Our Minds Matter, a school-based student-led movement to end teen suicide and destigmatize mental health issues. She lives in the DC-area with her partner, three daughters, and two dogs – Zoe, the Matri-arf & Zen, the Thera-pup. Jen loves adventures with her people and any chance she can get to visit her family in Panama. Between soccer games, art projects, dress-up dance parties, reading and running with her girls, she occasionally rests.

ekoe Director of Integrative Health and Wellness
“Science has demonstrated that to thrive, we need to nourish our mind, body and soul.”
Lynn Westine spent more than 35 years in operational space-based and ground systems management and engineering. Following this already stellar career, she then decided to resume her passion for exploring the interactions and signaling between–and within–the body, the environment, and the universe.
So, utilizing the very same methodologies that helped her successfully own and operate her own NASA-award-winning engineering business, Lynn created her new venture, EKOE Health. Now, she and her colleagues work with clients to help educate and identify bio-individual strategies that restore balance in health and wellness through Nutrition/Phytochemistry, Mindfulness, Energy, and Exercise.
Certifications: D.C.N. Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition, M.S. Nutrition and Integrative Health, Maryland University of Integrative Health, M.S., School of Engineering and Applied Science, George Washington University, A.B., Majored in Chemistry, Sweet Briar College, Certified Trainer: National Personal Training Institute (NPTI), Certified Trainer: National Association of Sports Medicine Certificate (NASM), Certificate: Applied Microscope Technology for Health Education & Audit Processes. (Nutritional Microscopy) BioMedX™, Nutrition Response Testing™, NES Health™, iRest™(level 1), David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies, NASA (GSFC) Agency Honor Awards (AHA): Exceptional Public Achievement Medal (2019), FY13 Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year; 2019 one of the Robert H. Goddard awards for Exceptional Customer Service; 2019 recipient of an Exceptional Public Achievement Medal

ekoe Director of People, Operations and Finance | Licensed Clinical Psychologist
“You’re already good at solving problems. We’re here to talk about the stuff that gets in the way.”
Howard Crumpton, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist who uses therapy - whether therapist or client - as an opportunity to restore balance in life through connection, acceptance, and commitments to meaningful change. After helping to establish the Primary Care Behavioral Health Service program at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, Dr. Crumpton started Reach Out Therapy, a private practice where he provided psychodiagnostic, psychotherapy and consultative services for individuals, families, groups and start-up companies.
Dr. Crumpton sees the world through a contextual behavioral science lens, which focuses on responding to life’s challenges in ways that are workable and meaningful, even though they might be hard sometimes. His therapeutic approach, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (or ACT, said as the word, not an acronym), is a third-wave cognitive behavioral therapy approach that can help clients to contact their values and the present moment, so that they may show up fully and flexibly in their lives. He has used this model to help older adolescents, single and coupled adults, parents, and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in a variety of settings, including hospital systems, detention centers, private practices, and integrative substance recovery settings, and in virtual/online settings.
Dr. Crumpton earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and completed two postdoctoral residency years at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a lover of travels with his family, a listener and creator of music, an amateur gardener, a semi-retired videogamer and an avid Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.

Thera-pup, Director of Smiles and Cuddles
Zen was born a natural calm soul and quite a skillful napper and cuddler. After entering the field and framily in 2021, he quickly filled the role of bringing joy to those around him, by request, some clients can have Zen attend their appointment.
When Zen is not at the office, you can find this busy pup either at his other part-time gig – Resident Smile Maker at a pediatric dental practice or at home with Dr. Jen and her family.

ekoe affiliates

Ashley Curl, LCSW (She/Her)

Ashley is a white, queer licensed clinical social worker whose approach to therapy is experiential, emotionally-focused, and relational, based on a firm belief that healing occurs in the context of relationship. Ashley's theoretical orientation is strongly grounded in an anti-oppressive, liberative systems lens and she enjoys working with clients to integrate multiple forms of healing into their lives, including movement, body work, activism and the outdoors.
She is passionate about the healing power of group work and as a certified group psychotherapist, encourages clients to explore how to pursue healing in the context of supportive, generative community. A long-distance hiker, Ashley can offer nature-based sessions for clients who would like to conduct therapy while walking or sitting outside as well as virtual and office based sessions.

Contact Ashley
Elena Kyrgos, LMFT, FNTP (She/Her)

Elena Kyrgos is a practicing psychotherapist and nutritionist in Northern Virginia. Influenced by her own Greek ethnic background and inspired by the ancient proverb: “A sound mind in a healthy body”, Elena works with her clients from a unique and integrative perspective. Her approach to health stems from her interest in human behavior, neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and nutritional & health sciences.
As a psychotherapist, she helps her clients discover and develop their internal resources to deal with life’s challenges, including chronic illness, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, relationship concerns, and trauma.
As a nutritionist, she takes a progressive and personalized approach to mental health and how food and digestive health affect cognitive and emotional well-being. She has a weight-inclusive, Health-at-Every-Size (HAES) approach to support people experiencing GI issues and who want to bring balance back to their lives.
Elena is known for her compassionate spirit, supporting, educating, and empowering her clients.

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Judie Lomax, Psy,D. (She/Her)

Judie Lomax, PsyD, was born and raised in Washington, DC. Growing up in the inner city, she witnessed the impact of systematic racism, trauma, and untreated mental health concerns on individuals, families, and communities. In the 11th grade, when she enrolled in her first psychology course, her life changed. At 16 years old, she recognized the profound impact the principles of psychology could have on her community if applied. This revelation ignited her passion for increasing access to mental health resources and decreasing the stigma around mental health, especially in communities of color.
Dr. Lomax earned her Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) at Loyola University Maryland after training in various settings including college counseling, community outpatient, private practice, and Veteran Affairs medical centers. At the DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, she focused on health settings, evidence-based practices, and trauma-informed care. She helped clients and their family members alleviate psychological distress related to medical conditions, chronic pain, aging, trauma, and end of life.
In providing individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy to adults, as well as conducting assessments, Dr. Lomax has had the privilege of working with diverse clients to address a wide range of psychological and medical concerns. Dr. Lomax recognizes that investing in mental wellness may feel like a privilege or luxury that is not afforded to you. However, true healing, which is possible for all, requires engaging your mind, body, and spirit.

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Walker Milligan, LMHC, LPC (He/Him)

Walker Milligan is an all-identities affirming therapist. His career started in substance use treatment, where he began to understand the importance of integrating an understanding of the systems we exist in and how they affect our psycho-emotional-spiritual experience. His approach is balanced between the individual and the social. He uses an intersectional-identity, depth psychology approach, while also couching the individual in their societal context.
While Walker enjoys working with clients of all genders, he has extensive experience working with male-identifed clients. He uses Narrative therapy and ACT principals to help clients explore, identify and develop an authentic expression of their masculinity. He understands the confidence and peace that comes with showing up in the world as the man you’d like to be.
Radical acceptance, non-judgment and self-compassion are the foundations of working with Walker. Radical because they exist in the face of social and societal structures that benefit from our shame and insecurity. He offers individual sessions as well as a small men’s group.Walker enjoys working with clients of all identities and affirms all identities. He has extensive experience working with male-identifed clients. He uses Narrative therapy and ACT principals to explore, identify and develop an authentic and personal expression of masculinity. He understands the confidence and peace that comes with showing up in the world as the person you’d like to be.
At base, Walker grounds his work in a practice of radical non-judgment and compassion. Radical because it exists in the face of social and societal structures that benefit from our shame and insecurity. Research shows that a practice of self-compassion isn’t just “the nice thing to do” but actually leads to greater life outcomes. He offers individual sessions as well as a small men’s group.

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Sarah Albanawi, LMT, Resident in Counseling (She/Her)

Sarah Albanawi is an integrative practitioner focused on supporting clients experiencing stress, trauma, ADHD, emotional dysregulation, and chronic pain through a thoughtful mind-body approach.
Over more than twenty years, Sarah has explored and studied a range of conventional and holistic approaches in pursuit of meaningful, lasting improvements in quality of life. Through this process, Sarah became a Licensed Massage Therapist (2018) and completed advanced training in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy (PNMT), a method focused on addressing chronic pain and dysfunction in soft tissue. While working with clients, she observed the complex ways emotional experiences and physical symptoms can interact.
In addition to her body-based healing approaches, Sarah continued her clinical training by earning a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with a focus on Marriage and Family Therapy and is pursuing a certification in Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET). Her work integrates psychotherapy, NET, and body-based techniques to support clients in addressing both emotional and physical patterns that may contribute to distress.
Today, Sarah provides an integrative approach designed to support nervous system regulation, emotional awareness, and relief from chronic tension or stress-related symptoms. Her goal is to help clients experience greater stability, resilience, and overall quality of life.

Contact Sarah