“Every child is different kind of flower and all together make this world a beautiful garden”- Anonymous 

Ever since Angela was a little girl, she was told she was going to either grow up to be a journalist or a therapist due to her curious nature. She chose therapy! She was and, continues to be a highly inquisitive person asking others questions and engaging in conversations with others to get to know them better. There have never been two people who have lived exactly the same lives. That is what makes each person unique. However, human beings are more alike than we are different, hence it is an honor for Angela to hear each person’s life story. 

Angela’s therapeutic journey is one that unfolded gradually with different stepping stones that brought her to where she is today. As a child she remembers her mom listening every day to different psychology and self-help books using her headphones and cassette player. Angela was her number one client in which she taught her everything that she learned. In high school, Angela was voted “best shoulder to cry on” as a class superlative. When she began college and had to declare a major, the one that stood out far beyond the rest was psychology. Once she graduated from her master’s program, she intentionally sought out work with children. Angela has been able to see children in different settings which include: schools, home, group home, non-profit, community agencies, and private practice. 

Therapeutic Approaches:

Angela’s goal is to create a safe space for clients to come as their authentic selves. She works as a mirror and sound board to help empower clients to: have compassion for themselves and others, identify their current skills and strengths, and to find beauty and meaning in the things that are important to them. The different therapeutic lens Angela uses to collaborate with children and families consists of:

Play Therapy Skills- Sand tray, board games, and arts/crafts. Using toys and different forms of art expression to help children explore their emotional world. 

Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)- Using psycho-education to learn how trauma may manifest itself and influence your thoughts, feelings, and actions. By recognizing different automatic negative thoughts and core beliefs you may modify and practice replacing these negative thoughts with ones that serve you better. 

Solution Focused Therapy- The art of practicing simplicity to identify the prominent concern in one’s life and creating SMART goals to find the “solution.”

Narrative Therapy - You are the author of your life. In narrative therapy, you take the time to share your life story or other narratives, with the ultimate goal of rewriting and modifying your life’s chapters.

Family Systems- Recognizing that human beings are creatures of habit that fall into patterns of repeating certain behaviors. Through awareness you may learn to modify patterns and cycles of behavior. 

The Gottman Method - An approach to therapy that helps bring couples closer through learning better communication skills and empathy. 

More about Angela or "“Angie”:

She has lived half her life in Las Vegas Nevada, and the other half here in Florida. Angie is bilingual in both Spanish and English. She comes from a large family where she has sixteen first cousins alone! In her time off she enjoys exploring different nature trails, spending quality time with friends/family, and any opportunity to celebrate life moments through gift-giving, decorating, and playing games.