Claudia De Paula, LMHC
About
My passion for therapy is rooted in the joy I find in helping people create meaningful, lasting change, improve how they cope, and ultimately enhance their quality of life. My experience spans various settings and forms the foundation of the focused, individualized work I do with adults of all ages.
I have extensive experience working with individuals navigating trauma, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as grief and loss, OCD, panic disorders, and personality and mood disorders including depression. I also specialize in supporting clients through major life transitions—immigration, divorce, empty nest, caring for aging parents, chronic illness, chronic pain, and the financial and emotional weight that often accompanies these experiences. First-generation Americans and Portuguese-speaking clients will find a particularly understanding space here: born and raised in Brazil, I bring both fluency in Portuguese and first-hand knowledge of acculturation, displacement, and the quiet grief of building a life far from home, friends and family.
I tailor my approach to each client's unique needs, drawing on CBT, DBT, ACT, Narrative Therapy and mindfulness all within a holistic framework. Woven throughout my work is a focus on somatic experiencing, helping clients acclimate to their internal body’s messaging by utilizing a combination of breathwork, visualization, and muscle relaxation to regulate fear and anxiety, including OCD and panic attacks.
My collaborative bent is an important element of how I meet the client where they are at, incorporating psychoeducation to help clients understand their healing journey, and learning that their struggles and distress are often common and valid, relieving feelings of shame and marginalization.
Above all, I strive to help clients recognize that they are not their problems. My goal is to help each person uncover the roots of their pain, build meaningful skills to address them, and move toward genuine self-compassion and healing.
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor dually licensed in New York and Florida, offering virtual therapy.
My passion for therapy is rooted in the joy I find in helping people create meaningful, lasting change, helping them improve the ways they cope, and ultimately enhancing their quality of life. My experience spans a variety of settings, and forms the foundation of the focused, individualized work I do with adults of all ages.
I have extensive experience working with individuals navigating trauma, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as grief and loss, OCD, panic disorders, and personality and mood disorders including depression. I also specialize in supporting clients through major life transitions — immigration, divorce, empty nest, caring for aging parents, chronic illness, chronic pain, and the financial and emotional weight that often accompanies these experiences. First-generation Americans and Portuguese-speaking clients will find a particularly understanding space here: born and raised in Brazil, I bring both fluency in Portuguese and first-hand knowledge of acculturation, displacement, and the quiet grief of building a life far from home, friends and family.
I tailor my approach to each client's unique needs, drawing on CBT, DBT, ACT, Narrative Therapy and mindfulness all within a holistic framework. Woven throughout my work is a focus on somatic experiencing, helping clients acclimate to their internal body’s messaging utilizing a combination of breathwork, visualization, and muscle relaxation to help regulate fear and anxiety, including OCD and panic attacks.
My collaborative bent is an important element of how I meet the client where they are at, incorporating psychoeducation to help clients understand their healing journey, and learning that their struggles and distress are often common and valid, relieving feelings of shame and marginalization.
Above all, I strive to help clients recognize that they are not their problems. My goal is to help each person uncover the roots of their pain, build meaningful skills to address them, and move toward genuine self-compassion and healing.
