Ariela Abravanel

I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. My experience includes working in private practice, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), community mental health agencies, and immigration-focused counseling, which has given me the opportunity to work with people from many different backgrounds and at different stages of life.

I work with children, teens, young adults, adults, and families, with particular experience supporting clients navigating anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, emotional regulation, life transitions, family conflict, and relationship challenges. I also have a strong interest in creative and alternative approaches to therapy and believe treatment should feel individualized rather than one-size-fits-all.

More than anything, I want my clients to feel comfortable being fully themselves in the therapy room. I’m warm, genuine, down-to-earth, and not afraid to bring humor into the process when it feels right. Therapy can involve difficult conversations, but I don’t believe it always has to feel heavy or clinical.

My approach is eclectic and person-centered, which means I tailor therapy to you rather than expecting you to fit into one specific model. I draw from approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT, ERP, trauma-informed therapy, mindfulness, and creative or alternative interventions depending on your needs, personality, and goals.

I believe therapy should feel like a real conversation. We can go deep when we need to, explore patterns, challenge difficult thoughts, and work through painful experiences, while still creating a space that feels comfortable, natural, and human. There may be sessions where we process something heavy and others where we laugh, problem-solve, or simply make sense of what life has been throwing at you.

I see therapy as a collaborative process. You are the expert on your own life, and my role is to help you understand yourself more deeply, recognize what may be keeping you stuck, and find tools and strategies that genuinely work for you.

Your first session is really about getting to know one another. I’ll want to understand what brought you to therapy, what has been feeling difficult lately, what you hope will change, and what has or hasn’t worked for you in the past.

You don’t need to come prepared with the “right” thing to say or tell me your entire life story in one session. We’ll move at a pace that feels comfortable and start identifying what you would like therapy to look like. I’ll also give you space to ask questions and get a feel for whether I’m the right therapist for you.

My goal is for you to leave the first session feeling heard, a little more understood, and with a clearer sense of where we can begin without feeling like you just sat through an interview or clinical checklist.