Dr. Carlos Diaz-Lazaro

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I bring a culturally grounded and relational perspective to my work with clients. I earned my B.A. in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, completed my internship at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston Medical Center, and received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University at Buffalo in 2002. My doctoral research explored language brokering and its impact on Latino families, reflecting my long-standing interest in culture, identity, and immigrant family experiences.

I provide therapy in a warm, collaborative, and culturally responsive way. My work is guided by the belief that people’s struggles can only be fully understood in the context of their relationships, identities, values, and lived experiences. I support clients in exploring emotional distress, life transitions, relationship concerns, and multicultural issues while helping them build on their strengths and move toward greater clarity, resilience, and self-trust.

My approach to therapy is collaborative, culturally responsive, and grounded in a practical, compassionate understanding of how people grow and heal.

I help clients understand how thoughts, emotions, behaviors, relationships, and life circumstances all interact, while recognizing that distress is often shaped by culture, identity, trauma, and systems of power, not just by what is happening internally.

I work to understand each person in context. That includes the impact of family, gender, race, ethnicity, immigration, sexuality, spirituality, class, and other parts of identity that shape how people move through the world.

I do not believe in a one-size-fits-all model of therapy, so I adapt my work to fit each client’s values, strengths, and goals.

My style is warm, active, and respectful. I want therapy to feel like a space where you can be fully yourself, make sense of what you are carrying, and begin to build new ways of coping, relating, and healing.

Along the way, I help clients draw on their existing strengths and develop a stronger sense of clarity, agency, and self-trust.

Clients can expect me to show up with curiosity, respect, and genuine care. Early on, I focus on getting to know not only what is hurting, but also the larger context of your life, including your relationships, identities, stressors, values, and sources of resilience.

I see therapy as a partnership. I try to make the process clear and collaborative, so you understand what we are doing and why, and so your voice stays central in the work. Depending on your needs, our sessions may include insight, practical coping tools, exploration of relational or cultural patterns, and support in responding to challenges both internally and in the world around you.

Above all, I aim to create a space where you feel understood, not judged or reduced to a diagnosis. My hope is that therapy helps you leave with greater self-understanding, more usable tools, and a stronger connection to your own strength and possibilities.