I’m Dr. Claudia Nuñez a licensed clinical psychologist with over a decade of experience supporting adults through anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and major life transitions. I believe therapy is not about reliving pain for its own sake. It is about understanding what your suffering has been signaling, and bringing that understanding into the present so you can live with more clarity, self compassion, and choice. Many of the people I work with feel caught in anxiety and overthinking, people pleasing, guilt, burnout, or a deep sense that something needs to change but they cannot quite name what. Others are moving through grief or life transitions that have shaken their identity, relationships, or sense of direction. Some are navigating a spiritual calling or values shift, and feeling both pulled toward meaning and exhausted by the weight of it all. My approach is integrative and evidence based, with Internal Family Systems as a foundational framework. We work with symptoms and patterns as strategies that once helped you get through something difficult. Together we identify what those strategies have been protecting, understanding your unique history, what you truly need now, and how to respond in ways that feel more aligned and sustainable. Alongside talk therapy, I incorporate mindfulness, somatic awareness, and narrative reflection so insight becomes change you can feel in real life. When helpful, we use grounding and breath practices to support nervous system regulation, not to bypass pain, but to build steadiness and stay present with what is true. My style is warm, collaborative, trauma informed, and culturally responsive. We move at a pace that respects your boundaries while supporting meaningful growth.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session, we will slow things down and get oriented. I will invite you to share what’s bringing you in now, what you’ve been carrying, and what you’re hoping will feel different with support. I will ask a few practical questions about your history, current and past stressors, relationships, sleep quality, mood, typical coping, and any recent changes so I can understand the full picture, but we won’t force details you’re not ready to share. Together we’ll clarify what matters most right now, identify the patterns that feel most unhelpful, and take a clear inventory of what’s worked and what hasn’t. We’ll build on what supports you and start loosening what keeps pulling you into the same cycles. If anxiety, overthinking, guilt, grief, or burnout are present, we’ll begin mapping how they show up for you so you leave with more clarity and practical next steps. Most importantly, the first session isn’t a test, and you don’t need to have the “right” words. We’ll move at a pace that respects your boundaries and your nervous system. You set the pace, and you decide what you want to share and when. I’ll offer contained space, reflection, and the right guidance while honoring that you are the expert on your own inner world. By the end, you will have a clearer sense of how I work, a grounded starting point, and whether working together feels like a good fit.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My approach blends depth with structure. I help clients understand the emotional logic of their symptoms, reduce shame around coping strategies, and build practical skills that create change week to week. I’m warm and collaborative, but also direct when it’s helpful. Clients often notice less overthinking, improved emotional regulation, clearer boundaries, and more self-trust, especially around guilt, grief, transitions, and burnout. We focus on making therapy useful in daily life, not just insightful in the moment.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I work best with adults dealing with anxiety and overthinking, people-pleasing, guilt, burnout, grief, and major life transitions. Many of my clients are high-functioning but internally exhausted or stuck in patterns that no longer fit. Client's seeking both relief and deeper clarity, along with practical tools and a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to unlearning old patterns, we’ll likely be a strong fit.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
ACT helps us notice unhelpful thoughts without getting stuck in them, learn how to make space for difficult emotions instead of fighting them, and stay more present with what matters most.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness is a core part of how I support clients in therapy. My experience with mindfulness-based approaches includes guiding individuals to develop awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and body sensations in the present moment without judgment. This practice helps clients create space between themselves and their distress, so they can respond with greater clarity and choice instead of reacting automatically. In sessions, I often weave in breathing techniques, grounding practices, body awareness, and mindful reflection to help regulate the nervous system and bring a sense of calm. Mindfulness also supports trauma recovery, stress management, and emotional resilience by helping clients stay anchored in the present, even when facing painful experiences. For many clients, mindfulness becomes a practical tool they can use outside of therapy in daily life, relationships, and moments of difficulty. By learning to pause, notice, and gently redirect attention.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I find that CBT in my practice provides clients with practical tools to better understand and shift unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. My experience with CBT has focused on helping clients recognize the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and actions and how small, intentional changes can create meaningful improvements in daily life. In sessions of I often guide clients to identify negative or distorted thinking patterns, challenge them with real/ evidence-based strategies, and practice healthier ways of responding.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a respectful, collaborative approach that helps clients move through ambivalence and reconnect with their inner drive for change. It’s about creating space for reflection and choice, not pushing or convincing. In essence, allowing change to comes from within. In our sessions, I use MI to help identify what truly matters to each, strengthen self-trust, and take steps that feel aligned with client's values and readiness.
Adlerian
Adlerian Therapy is a holistic, insight-oriented approach that helps clients understand the “story” they've been living ; the beliefs and early experiences that shape how we move through the world. It’s about reclaiming agency, fostering self-compassion, and cultivating the courage to live in alignment with our values. Adlerian work emphasizes connection, purpose, and true belonging.