Claudia De Paula, LMHC
About
I am a Mental Health Counselor dually licensed in New York, and Florida via telehealth. I am a native Portuguese speaker, and am fluent in conducting sessions in English as well. My passion for therapy is fueled by my joy in helping people effectuate positive change in their coping systems and therefore in their quality of life. My extensive experience among a variety of settings, including college counseling centers, inpatient addiction facilities and outpatient clinics provide a strong foundation for the work I focus on. I work with adults of all ages, but tend to focus on women’s related mental health issues.
I have extensive experience counseling individuals experiencing trauma (including sexual), grief/loss, PTSD, OCD, anxiety, as well as personality and mood disorders, including depression, among other issues.
Clients experiencing life transitions and family issues, as well as first-generation Americans will find a safe space working with me. As an immigrant, born and raised in Brazil, I am very familiar with the struggles of moving to a new country, acculturation and feelings of isolation and loneliness, and so I am very well equipped to help clients with these issues.
I treat each client according to their needs using various psycho-social interventions including, but not limited to CBT, DBT, and Narrative Therapy, using a holistic approach. I also incorporate mindfulness throughout my approach to help those experiencing OCD and panic attacks. I hope to teach my clients how to breathe to help relieve the fear they may be experiencing and use psychoeducation to help clients know that what they are experiencing is normal. I also incorporate visualization and muscle relaxation throughout my practice to help clients get to a place where they feel comfortable within sessions.
I strive to help my clients recognize and internalize that they are more than the sum of their problems. Assisting clients to recognize the root and cause of their emotional/psychological hardship, build skills to offset and remediate any deficits, and finally model for the clients compassion, and self-acceptance, brings deep healing.
