Dr. Montserrat Casado

LMFT

My research has focused on looking at resilience and trying to understand what helps children, adolescents and adults make it in life despite its many challenges. I have come to understand that each of us has some Coping Strategies we use to manage life's challenges. Sometimes our way of coping is helpful and adaptive and some other times it is unhealthy and even self-destructive. In therapy, my role is to help clients identify their unique Resiliency Skills and help them build Healthy Ways of Coping. As a therapist with a strong trauma and attachment based focus, I encourage clients to work through their trauma history through the use of EMDR, EFT, Expressive Arts or other Attachment Trauma Focused modalities. I use a holistic approach when working with clients and believe that what brings people to therapy is emotional pain and symptoms, but many times other root causes are behind mental health symptoms. I look at diet, physical health, lifestyle, relationship patterns and supportive systems when trying to understand how to help my clients rediscover Joy and find Strength in their personal lives.

"Steel Magnolias". I believe that people are so much stronger than they realize, and their strength is also maximized in the shelter of others. Groups, sisterhoods, families, communities can support us and help us grow in so many unique ways. We are designed to grow in relationships. We need others in our lives not only to survive but also to thrive. And yet, despite this principle people sometimes struggle the most in relationships navigating their many challenges. My goal as a therapist is to help clients evaluate the meaningful relationships in their lives and strengthen their relationship with others. Relationships can also carry a history of trauma and when that is the case my goal is to help the client process those traumatic memories so the client can move on with their life in a much healthier way. Trauma is stored in the body no matter how far back it may have happened. My goal is to help clients reprocess that trauma and create new neuropathways that bring more adaptive mechanisms in their lives and much healing.

As a holistic counselor, I realize that my work is collaborative. I may ask clients to go to their doctor to look at specific bloodwork markers that impact psychiatric symptoms like depression, anxiety, overeating, food restriction, OCD, tics, sleep issues among others. I may also recommend clients to follow up with a nutritionist and look in depth into their diet and food sensitivities and their connection to mental health symptoms. Other times, when people are processing trauma, I may recommend bodywork since it can aid in releasing trauma from the body. At times, I may also recommend Neurotransmitter Testing to have a better understanding of what is going on in terms of brain function and dysfunction. My goal as a therapist is to support clients emotionally but also to evaluate brain function and other modalities that may be helpful in creating change and promoting emotional healing.