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My Background

I am originally from Brazil, where I was trained as a Clinical Psychologist. I’ve live in the the U.S. since 2008, and I both my M.S. and PhD degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy, from Kansas State University.

I am highly skilled at and enjoy working with couples, individuals and families, especially when dealing with life transitions, such as transition to adulthood, mid-life issues, immigration, and other challenges that pose them in a position of redefining what they want for their relationships and for themselves. I also have experience working with clients dealing with mood disorders, anxiety, grief and trauma.

Clinically, I utilize elements of  Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples, family systems therapy, and am pursuing training in Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). She is trained as a PREPARE/ENRICH premarital counseling facilitator and has additional training in working with trauma, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Level I. I often incorporate mindfulness in my clinical work and am fluent in Portuguese.

In addition to being an independent Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in MD and in DC, I am also State of Maryland Approved Supervisor, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and I have provided clinical supervision and taught M.S. level courses in the graduate students in the Couple and Family Therapy Master’s program at the University of Maryland, College Park. I have published peer-reviewed articles in a number of scholarly journals focusing on issues such as intimate partner violence, diversity issues, resiliency in military families, singlehood among Black women, and alcohol dependency and its recovery process among Brazilian couples.

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My Specialties, Areas, and Interests

• Relationships
• Improving communication
• Managing and preventing conflict
• Processing family-of-origin issues
• Addressing issues related to cross-cultural conflicts and cultural expectations
• Working on premarital issues
• Managing trauma
• Improving intimacy
• Mental well-being
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Trauma
• Stress management
• Low self-esteem
• Intercultural and interracial relationships
• Gay, Lesbian or Transgender relationships
• Adults seeking family therapy with parents or siblings

More About Me

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I have a deep sense of gratitude for being a therapist and helping others in their process of becoming what they consider to be the best version of themselves, in a particular stage of life. My training providing therapy services in multiple settings, such as school, home-based family therapy, community health center, and university counseling center, have helped shape who I am as a therapist: warm, compassionate, caring, curious, non-judgmental, and clear about my role as a facilitator, guide, and teacher when needed. As a therapist, I do my very best to help clients take a deep look at their inner selves and identify their strengths and potential for growth. When I am not working, I love cooking, reading, listening to music, doing yoga, and spending great time with my son and my family.