Meet Ms. Esther Castañeda
Pronouns: She/Her
Counseling Populations: Children, Teens, Multicultural, Couples, Empty-Nesters, Young Adults, College Students, Millennials, Young Professionals, Minority Professionals, First Generation College Students, Helping Professionals, LGBTQIA+, Adults
Areas of Passion: Relationship Concerns, Anxiety, Depression, Parenthood, Boundaries, Self-Care, Generational Issues, Cultural Issues, Diversity, Inclusion, Social Justice, Personal Identity Development (including Multi-racial or Multi-ethnic identity development), Women and Gender, Perfectionism, Self-Esteem, Empowerment, Professional Development, Spirituality, Significant Life Transitions, Adjustment Concerns, Career and College Counseling, Performance Enhancement, Group Therapy
My Therapy Approach: More than anything else, I believe an essential ingredient to successful therapy is the professional relationship between the client and the therapist. I strive to create a positive, open, warm, and nonjudgmental environment from the first encounter, allowing my clients to feel safe, seen, and heard in my therapy room. As a therapist, establishing trust and developing a collaborative therapeutic relationship are essential components to human growth and development. So, while I am the professional in the room, I regard my clients as the experts of their lives. By approaching therapy in this way, the client and I can work collaboratively to explore, set, and achieve their desired goals.
Why I Became a Therapist: I didn’t always know I wanted to be a therapist. In my culture, therapy as a form of treatment was highly stigmatized and something that you only discussed in secret—if at all. It wasn’t until I began facing hardships of my own that I realized how positively life-changing a deeper sense of self-awareness and an objective point of view could be for navigating life’s most challenging obstacles. For this reason, I am passionate about mental health advocacy and working from a lens of diversity to address the various cultural, systemic, and generational barriers to achieving sound mental health and overall wellness. #MentalHealthIsWealth
Therapist Introduction: Ms. Esther is a Licensed Mental Health Counseling with over 10 years of experience serving in the helping professions.
Esther completed her Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences from the University of South Florida and during her undergraduate years she was particularly drawn to courses pertaining to the Biological, Social and Behavioral Health aspects of human development. As a result, Biological, Social & Behavioral Health Sciences became the concentration of her Bachelors degree.
Esther later pursued a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Central Florida. Throughout the program, Esther sought advanced training in couples and family counseling techniques/interventions to improve clients’ emotional regulation and relationship management. This means that, in addition to providing individual counseling, Esther also specializes in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy.
Throughout her clinical training, Esther worked for one year in a university-led, grant-funded community counseling and research center, and one year in a hospital setting—both in which she provided free counseling services to members of the community. Esther’s therapeutic approach to treatment follows a holistic delivery model wherein she strives to provide whole-person care and ensures that individuals receive a personalized treatment plan that is tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.
As a result of her clinical experiences she developed a passion for working with both individuals (children, teens, young adults, and millennials) and couples as they maneuver through different stages of their lives, and relationships. Throughout the therapy process, Ms. Esther treasures the privilege of helping clients experience a more profound sense of personal identity development and meaning-making in their lives. Ms. Esther believes that, no matter how difficult the circumstance, we all have the potential to be resilient in the face of adversity. With the help of therapy, clients can learn how to access their personal reservoir of resilience to experience personal growth and live their most fulfilling, authentic lives.
Esther’s Link for Online Sessions is: https://doxy.me/mscastaneda
Therapist Availability: Accepting new individual, couples and family counseling clients both in person and virtually
Ms. Esther would love to support you in the following specialty areas:
