Associates

Gloria Valdivieso is a Bi-lingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Gloria works with adults, adolescents, families and couples to reestablish balance and guide them through what feels like overwhelming obstacles and challenges. Gloria specializes in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy) which helps a person see unsettling events in less distressing ways, and has been proven effective in treating stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, homosexuality issues, panic attacks, abuse, phobias, addictions, grief, and others.

Blending conventional and alternative approaches, she draws on a variety of styles and techniques to incorporate what will be most helpful for each client. She is also a native Spanish speaker and have extensive experience on Latin-American and cross-cultural issues.

Roxana Ackerman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Florida, Chemical Dependence Counselor and has completed a Doctorate Program in Psychology. In her twenty five years of experience she has dedicated time and effort to work with different age groups including children, adolescents, adults and elderly from diverse ethnic backgrounds. In addition, her interest has focused on families and couples since she believes in the power of team work, healthy channels of communication and growth.

Roxana’s approach in therapy is Psychodynamic. She understands symptoms of depression, anxiety, various addictions and relationship issues as a non-verbal expression of the self. During therapy she helps the clients to verbalize their experience, identify the underlying sources of their problems, and encourages them to challenge old patterns of behavior. As a result, they develop new avenues to make healthy decisions and free themselves from emotional suffering. Roxana is fluent in both Spanish and English. She acknowledges and provides special attention to the process of acculturation and assimilation by enhancing necessary skills to adapt while maintaining pride of cultural values.

Andrea Vargas is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in child and adolescent psychotherapy. She is a member of the American Counseling Association and the Association for Play Therapy. Andrea is experienced and has been dedicated to serving children in the South Florida community throughout her career. Her specific areas of expertise include children and adolescents ages 4-17 struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, anger, oppositional behaviors, self-esteem, divorce, trauma, and grief/loss. Her playful, humorous and down to earth style allows her to connect quickly with children and teenagers. Her goal is to make young clients feel comfortable and help them develop necessary tools to cope with current life stressors.

Andrea utilizes a person centered approach which involves parents and their children in the process of treatment planning. Techniques from play therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, behavior therapy, brief solution focused therapy and family therapy are used to help her clients reach their goals. Andrea understands the various needs of children and adolescents and how sometimes it is beneficial to collaborate with their school and/or other treating specialists involved. Aside from individual and family therapy, Andrea offers group therapy to allow participants to learn new skills, practice skills learned in individual therapy and receive support from peers experiencing similar challenges. She uses creative and interactive activities to help group participants improve social skills, self-esteem, anger management, and coping with depression, anxiety, divorce and grief/loss. Andrea is fluent in English and Spanish and offers evening and weekend appointments.

Dr. Lucchesi is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Licensed Psychologist with specialized training in integrative psychotherapy, psycho-educational evaluations (ADHD, learning disabilities, processing deficits, and intellectual evaluations for gifted placement), play therapy, and multicultural counseling. Dr. Lucchesi approaches the process of therapy with openness and respect to her client’s needs and special life circumstances and is trained to integrate several techniques to assist her clients attain their goals and find their solutions to the current problems. She also has extensive experience working with children and adolescents and assisting families regain a sense of empowerment when problematic situations arise.

Dr. Lucchesi has worked in diverse settings and with a wide range of mental health problems including anxiety, depression, sexual identity crisis, ADHD, emotional/behavioral problems, school-related problems, acculturation difficulties, and life transition issues.

Autumn Hahn is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Hypnotherapist. She works with teens and adults to restore you to your happy life quickly and painlessly by overcoming traumatic events, decreasing anxiety, eliminating panic attacks, and relieving feelings of grief and loss.

See amazing changes in your life after just a few visits to stop addictive behaviors such as smoking, enhance your life through motivation, and make any adjustments you see fit. She also works with companies for team building, communication, and trainings, and with persons in alternative lifestyles. Change the way you think about therapy!

Kristan Torres is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in the State of Florida. She is a board Certified Christian Counselor and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). Kristan works not only with adolescents, but with pre-teen up through elderly-aged clients. She works with clients as individuals, couples and families, dealing with a variety of life and mental health issues. Kristan believes that God works in, and through, individuals in very unique and sometimes miraculous ways, and that for some people there are seasons in life of struggling in which they need to seek professional help to better understand and work through their pain and confusion.

Kristan offers a genuine insightful and purposeful approach to the therapeutic dynamic. She works with clients to develop goals based on their specific areas of need (such as depression, anxiety or loss). However, the ultimate goal is always to help a person find hope, and to experience growth, freedom, and healing in, and through, Christ.

April Bieber has been in practice for two years and greatly enjoys helping others. April has specialized her career to work with children and their families. She has worked with ADHD, depression, grief, substance abuse, eating disorders, and general family parent/child relationships. Groups: Substance Abuse - Parenting - ADHD - Eating Disorders