Strength-Based Therapists in Amherst, NY

I am a licensed clinical social worker and have been practicing for over 13 years. I specialize in the treatment of adults, couples, and families. I utilize a client-centered, strength-based perspective, which allows me to effectively build clinical rapport and engage with my clients from the initial session. I am able to quickly gain my clients’ trust, enabling them to take those first steps toward self-improvement very quickly. I have great empathy for all of my clients and offer them my knowledge and expertise in helping them to achieve the therapy goals we set together.

Does your life feel like an obstacle course with no end in sight? Sometimes we are thrown into the thick of things and get lost, lost in our thoughts, our feelings and our life experiences. Therapy is a process that allows you the freedom to reawaken, rediscover and reconnect. Together, we can create a personal path of empowerment, healing and emotional wellness in your life. I am a strength-based therapist who will support and guide you as we explore the challenges you face on your journey.

I have been practicing for over 20 years as a social worker.  I work with adolescents and older teenagers, as well as adults. Through my career, I have built an exceptional skillset which I use each day with each individual client. Reaching out for assistance can be overwhelming. Taking the first step is usually the hardest.

I have worked in the counseling field for 18 years. I am experienced in treating individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. That along with trauma are my current areas of focus in my practice. I have previous experience with multiple populations of people and various age groups. I have experience treating mood disorders, anxiety disorders and behavioral problems. I understand every individual is different and requires an individualized treatment approach. I will work diligently to develop a strong therapeutic alliance that empowers individuals to fulfill their potential.

I have been working in the field of mental health for over 20 years. My experience includes working in the group home setting, private school settings, crisis outreach, outpatient mental health and inpatient psychiatric. I have additionally provided assessments for the Erie County Court System and completed risks assessment in the hospital emergency room to assist in determining the need for acute psychiatric hospitalization. In addition to knowledge and experience, I value the therapeutic relationship and utilize a strength based approach. I will help you reach your goal, if you ready to make change, I am ready to help.

Every individual is deserving of a safe space where they can discuss the things that worry, upset, or frighten them the most. Whether you are working to heal from grief, illness, anxiety, depression, or to transition from one phase of life to the next, I am here to aid you in becoming the best version of yourself and living a happier, more fulfilling life. I believe that you are truly the expert on you, and that treatment outcomes are greatly improved when the therapeutic process is collaborative in nature. We will work together to explore, challenge, and detach from thoughts, behaviors, and patterns that no longer serve you.

Therapy is a tool to help a person become the best version of themselves. Trauma, stress, unhealthy relationships, poor coping skills, emotional dys-regulation are all factors that contribute to being unwell. Counseling allows a person to work through those barriers and improve the way that they manage stress, find healthy ways to express emotions, work through trauma that has caused you harm, build tools to have healthy, productive, relationships with others and ultimately find alternate ways to cope with distressing events within our lives. A counselor is not only a therapist, but a guide and facilitator of growth.

At Wood Psychology Services, our approach is to provide a supportive and encouraging environment to facilitate change and to offer alternative ways of coping. Our goal is to encourage each client's personal growth, help decrease problematic symptoms and behaviors, and increase self-esteem and the ability to resolve life's challenges. We also offer diagnostic assessments to assist in treatment as well as eligibility evaluations for the identification of developmental disabilities, including autism.

Whether you're seeking relief from stress, coping with life transitions, or simply exploring personal growth, my goal is to facilitate a therapeutic journey that empowers you to navigate difficult times with grace and resilience. I am dedicated to fostering a collaborative and supportive environment where your strengths can shine, and your challenges can be met with understanding and compassion.

If you are a Catholic man or woman struggling with conflict in your relationships, having a difficult time letting go of the past, needing help managing difficult emotions, or want to end the slavery of addiction, I can help. I effectively combine my faith with my psychological training to provide you with therapy you can trust, deeply rooted in Catholic Theology and Philosophy.

I really enjoy working with people who are motivated to build an understanding of the root cause of their concern and wish to learn how to make changes to improve their quality of life. People I work with are often struggling with depression, anxiety or trauma that has caused them to be unsatisfied with their relationships, their environment, or themselves. My clients often need to develop self compassion, confidence, and healthy boundaries to reach their goals of a life filled with pleasure and purpose.

My clients come to see me seeking assistance for a wide variety of issues related to anxiety, depression, mental/physical illness, grief and loss, trauma, stress, and unexplained anger. I believe in exploring issues from a family perspective; where did you come from and how did you come to be who, and how, you are? When you struggle in your life, it can sometimes become too easy to focus solely on what is wrong, forgetting what is right. Working together, you can get back on the right path.

Attollo Counseling Services was born from a passion for promoting satisfying relationships, healthy families, meaningful marriages, and strong resilient individuals as they pursue their hopes, dreams, and happiness. While we all want these things, nothing is guaranteed except life will present challenges to take us off-course. Whether you are going through a major life adjustment, experiencing grief/loss, struggling to decide what steps to take towards your future, experiencing relationship challenges, or embarking on a new journey in life; you don't have to do it alone. We believe in compassion, collaboration, and creativity.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have been providing therapy to various client populations in several different settings for over 14 years. I have assisted clients in overcoming many obstacles and issues, including mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and trauma; substance abuse and chemical dependency; domestic violence; as well as relationship problems. I work with individuals and couples. My approach is person-centered/client-directed; strengths-based; outcome-informed, feedback-informed, and trauma-informed; as well as solution-focused. I am continuing professional development through training.

Creativity in therapy provides children and adolescents with a safe and non-verbal means of expressing their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. I believe in the power of art as a therapeutic tool to heal and grow. Through the creative process, children can explore their inner world, gain insight into their thoughts and feelings, and develop a greater understanding of themselves. This self-exploration can lead to improved self-esteem and self-awareness.

Congratulations for taking this initial step on the path of growth and healing. The counseling services I provide are meant to aid in the psychological, emotional and spiritual growth of adults who are suffering beyond their present ability to cope and who desire to move beyond merely coping, but to living more authentically and wholeheartedly. ​As a mental health clinician, I provide mental health assessment and individual psychotherapy services to those suffering from an array of mental health conditions from chronic stress, anxiety and mood disorder to PTSD or those struggling through an existential crisis.

I honor your present curiosity to seek guidance. I see your bravery in contemplating the next step towards change. I’d like to invite you to place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. Take a nice deep breath in and slowly exhale. Everything you need to heal, you possess under your two hands. Through our work together, you can strengthen your relationship with self; body, mind, and soul. You can explore healthier methods of coping with various life obstacles and utilize both cognitive and somatic based work to awaken your existing strengths.

I am a licensed and seasoned clinical social worker (LCSW-R) in practice for 30+ years, specializing in couples and individual therapy. My academic training was at the University at Buffalo; my post-graduate and continuing education was at The Marriage Counseling Center, where I mentored new therapists and developed a strong word-of-mouth following. Couples work included, but was not limited to, these critical issues: emotionally focused communication, destructive conflict patterns, emotional and physical intimacy, infidelity and trust repair, pre-marital assessment, commitment, and discernment of ultimate relationship habitability.

Maria has 24 years of experience treating clients who suffer from such things as anxiety, depression, addiction, childhood trauma, relationship issues, and difficult life transitions. Her client-focused approach will guide you to find what is keeping you stuck and help you find more meaning in your life. It is Maria's passion to help you awaken to possibilities for growth, identify strengths, increase coping and problem solving skills to create change, learn to live more fully in the present moment, and discover the innate goodness and beauty she believes is within each and every one of us.