Dr. Areli Garcia

You may be doing everything you can to keep life moving while quietly feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of where to turn. Perhaps anxiety keeps your mind racing, depression has made it difficult to feel like yourself, or changes in your sleep have left you exhausted and struggling to manage everyday responsibilities. You may also be navigating questions about your identity, carrying painful experiences from the past, or finding that personal challenges are affecting your relationships and sense of stability. I work with adults and seniors experiencing anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, women's issues, and trauma. These concerns can also overlap with substance use or addiction, ADHD, bipolar disorder, OCD, family issues, LGBTQIA+ concerns, stress management, anger management, panic disorders, cultural and ethnic issues, grief or loss, physical health concerns, men's issues, relationship difficulties, PTSD, transgender issues, diabetes, or chronic conditions. As a Licensed Professional Counselor with 11 years of experience and a PhD in Counseling Psychology, I believe meaningful change begins when you feel genuinely heard, respected, and supported. Together, we can explore what's been weighing on you, recognize your strengths, and develop healthier ways of coping that help you feel more grounded, confident, and connected to yourself and others.

Our work will make room for both the person you are today and the relationships, experiences, and challenges that have shaped your life. We'll explore how anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, women's issues, and trauma may be affecting your emotional wellbeing, confidence, and ability to navigate everyday life. I may use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you recognize patterns in thoughts and behaviors that contribute to distress and develop healthier ways of responding, while Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help you navigate uncomfortable emotions while staying connected to your personal values. I may also draw from Dialectical Behavior Therapy to strengthen emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and healthier communication, and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to explore beliefs that may be intensifying difficult emotions. When appropriate, Trauma Focused CBT and Cognitive Processing Therapy can help you understand how painful experiences have influenced your thoughts, emotions, and sense of safety. I may also incorporate Narrative Therapy to help you explore the stories you've developed about yourself, while Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Strength Based approaches can help you recognize existing resilience and turn meaningful goals into achievable steps. Our sessions will be collaborative, compassionate, and grounded in evidence based practices, balancing deeper self-understanding with practical strategies that support lasting change.

You deserve a space where you can feel genuinely understood, supported, and empowered to make changes that feel meaningful to you. During our first few sessions, we'll take time to understand what brought you here, what has been most difficult, and what you hope will feel different. Together, we'll establish meaningful goals that reflect your needs, values, and experiences while moving at a pace that feels comfortable for you. You can expect me to bring warmth, compassion, and thoughtful guidance to our conversations while creating an environment where you feel safe exploring difficult emotions, personal challenges, identity concerns, or painful experiences without judgment. Progress may look like feeling less overwhelmed by anxiety, reconnecting with yourself when depression feels heavy, developing healthier sleep habits, navigating women's issues with greater confidence, or feeling more emotionally grounded after traumatic experiences. We'll continue checking in on your goals and adjusting our work based on what feels most helpful, helping you move forward with greater emotional balance, stronger self-awareness, and confidence in your ability to navigate life's challenges.