Hello there fellow traveler through this journey called life! It will be such a pleasure to get to know you, your story and explore that suitcase that is so burdensome with you in hope that here you find a safe space to unpack it all so we can process what moves on your journey forward and what needs to stay in the past. But before I get to know you, let me tell you a little about myself!

My name is Renata, but people call me Reni. The name Renata means REBIRTH/REBORN in Latin and was given to me by my mother who was a social worker at heart, but never became one! I love the name she gave me as it embodies everything I believe in as a person, woman, and a professional. I believe that we are all able to chose the stories we tell ourselves that drive our life into the best journey that fits our own individual personality and life experiences. We may be given one life to live, but we chose how we live it and just because the past may weigh us down to believe a narrative that may have been given to us by others or our experiences, does not mean that we cannot be reborn into who we chose to be and where we want to be.

I read a quote once by Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf that said, “So often we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to enjoy the journey.” This not only inspired my life, but also my entire journey to always grow, learn, explore and no matter what happens with the right people surrounding me to walk with confidence and empowerment by focusing on taking the next step. Nonetheless, this quote also embodies my two greatest passions: travel and growth!

I have been a Clinical Social Worker for over a decade. I have a Bachelors in Social Work from University or North Carolina-Wilmington (UNCW) and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Kentucky (UK). I have been privileged and fortunate to have worked in various fields of clinical social work and psychotherapy that has given me multiversal and multifaceted clinical experience.

I have worked with children and adolescents, as well as their parents, related to diagnosis of Autism, Attention-Defecit  Hyperactivty Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD) and Intellectual Disability. This practice provided me ability and experience to work on Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA), developing comprehensive behavioral plans, as well as utilization of principles from Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to improve the quality of a child/adolescent life, as well as parent management skills of parents. I am also trained and practiced in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) that supports positive communication between parent and a child.  Furthermore, I worked with children and adolescents on processing trauma to include sexual abuse and assault via Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

My background and experience working with adult clients has been in various both general behavioral health and more extensively in domestic violence. With adults, my practice has included individual therapy for various challenges such as relationship discords, attachment reprocessing, personality disorders, ADHD, trauma, anxiety, depression, as well as couples counseling. Therapeutic modalities and approaches vary dependent on the specific individual fit and need of the client at the time and sometimes may also include multidimensional approaches. Some of the therapeutic modalities utilized are Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) principles, Integrated Attachment Reprocessing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye-Movement Desensization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, etc.

I like to consider myself to be a genuine and compassionate person who is also a skilled,  informed, and a passionate therapist. My hope is that here you will find acceptance, growth, and healing. I build supportive, encouraging and trusting relationships with my clients based on genuine care, vulnerability, respect, trust and sometimes even laughter.