Mayra Arreola-Pineira

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 7 years of experience working in the mental health field. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with adolescents, adults experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, and more complex concerns related to trauma and dissociation.

As my career has grown, I have developed a strong passion for working with complex trauma and dissociative disorders. I have completed advanced training in complex trauma and dissociation through the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), as well as training in EMDR, attachment, ego-state/parts work, and clinical hypnosis.

I don't believe therapy should look exactly the same for everyone. I like to meet my clients where they are and take the time to understand what is happening underneath the symptoms, rather than only focusing on how to make them go away.

My approach is trauma-informed and tends to be more relational and exploratory. Depending on what you need, I may incorporate attachment work, psychodynamic therapy, parts/ego-state work, EMDR, clinical hypnosis, and other approaches. Sometimes our work is about learning coping skills and getting through what is happening right now, and other times it is about slowing down and understanding patterns that have been there for years.

Our first session is really about getting to know each other. I want to understand what brought you to therapy, what has been difficult lately, and what you would like to be different. You don't have to come in knowing exactly what your goals are, and you definitely don't have to tell me your entire life story in the first session.

I will probably ask questions to help me better understand you, but I also want you to have space to ask questions and decide whether I feel like the right therapist for you. Therapy is a relationship, and feeling comfortable with the person you are working with matters.

If we decide to work together, we will start identifying what you want from therapy and what might be most helpful. I don't rush trauma processing or expect you to talk about things before you are ready. We can start where you are, build trust along the way, and figure out together where the work needs to go.