As a therapist, I deeply believe that our wounds can be transformed into wisdom. Our painful past experiences can hold pain, but that pain might also represent insight and growth. I understand that every human is different and I treat each individual as a whole and understand that every experience is nuanced and multi-layered.

My years of experience working with children, teens, adults, and couples, has taught me that the relationships in our lives can actually heal our wounds. Our attachment styles are how we attempt to establish safety by seeking out connection. We all have a biological need for attachment as maintaining connection is necessary for survival. When working with couples, I use elements of EFT to facilitate a secure and functioning relationship. At times, we can get stuck in negative cycles of conflict that feel threatening to the sanctity of the relationship. EFT helps identify the triggers that set a negative cycle in motion and create a shared understanding of how these negative patterns impede the deep connection you and your partner desire. Whether working with an individual or with couples, my effort is to create a secure and flexible attachment within both the self and the container of the relationship. My therapeutic approach is also informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS), which helps clients sift through their many “parts” to uncover their positive intentions and discover how they fit together and even interact with each other. Often our sense of “stuckness” is due to the ways our different parts are colliding with each other and our efforts to understand them can help us shift our patterns of relating with ourselves and with each other.

Additionally, I also work with individuals who suffer from chemical dependency and substance use. I have found that compulsive actions often originate from the desperate need to solve a problem. That problem is emotional pain, overwhelming stress, lack of connection, and a deep discomfort within the self. The source of this pain is generally found within the stories of our lived experiences and more times than not, deriving from childhood trauma. As Gabor Maté states, “all addictions are the attempt to escape the deep pain of the hurt child, attempts temporarily soothing but ultimately futile.” If you find yourself drawn to using substances, I am here to support your explorations and healing of the original source of pain so that your internal system is no longer so desperate to numb and can look toward other experiences on the path to increased freedom.

I began my journey of working in the mental health field as a care-coordinator at Newport Academy, a high-risk female youth residential treatment center. I quickly developed a passion for working with teenagers who struggled with the use of substances and its intersection with underlying mental health concerns. I have a MS from Dominican University and have also worked as a mental health counselor for children in elementary and middle school. Over the last year I have worked with individual adults, families, and couples both in community counseling and private practice and I currently split my time between private practice and Azure Acres Recovery Center.

For a free consultation and to learn more about working with me, please email me at ciera@tatradelarosa.com