Rafael MoreiraLMHC

I will ask questions about your presenting concerns, as well as your history and background. Most likely, you will find yourself talking about your current symptoms or struggles, as well saying a bit about your relationships, your interests, your strengths, your goals and objectives to work in therapy. My role as therapist and/or counselor is to offer you the skills that you need to achieve the goals that you feel that can help to overcome the barriers that prevent you from getting the life that you wish.

I like to believe that my main reason to become a therapist was that I like to help others alone with that I am good at it. As I worked more in the field, it was sort of an experience of personal discovery. I have always been a good listener, but now I am not only a better communicator overall but a communicator who can be creative helping others to look for their own answers to solve their problems. .

Stigma around mental health help is the most prevalent barrier that affect people of all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic from getting the services that they need. People who reach out for help are often seen as unpredictable, different, weak, “crazy,” or abnormal. Poor understanding of mental illnesses is the second factor that stigmatized mental health and hygiene, because most people don’t understand that they are experiencing a treatable mental condition that negatively affects their quality of life. Another issue that is a barrier to access mental health services is the difficulty accessing services but this is improving since 2008 when the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act ensured that health plans had to provide the same coverage for mental health as they do for medical and surgical benefits. While this has expanded coverage for many people seeking mental health services, access to mental health providers remains a problem. Many people seeking treatment struggle to find a provider that is relatively close and accepting new patients. It is estimated that over 60% of people seeking treatment are forced to wait three months or longer for an appointment.

• New York, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 000289-01

An important aspect of my professional development has been that I have been able to combine principles of cognitive behavioral therapy with principles of rehabilitation counseling for over 20 years. I have extensive experience working with adults, elderly, families, couples, as well as with the chronically mentally ill, physically impair and emotionally challenged, facilitating groups and individual therapy for these different populations. I also have experience working with substance abuse population and the combination that at times occurs of mental stress and substance abuse. I am bilingual and bicultural English/Spanish which gives me a broader view of mental health issues.