Hi there! My name is Ceresa González and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 20 years of experience working in mental health. I am also the owner of MINDbody Wellness Therapy. I have been very fortunate to recognize early in my life that my ability to intuitively understand and connect with people would lead to a lifelong career helping others do the same. I have had a colorful career dedicated to helping others in many different capacities, including inpatient, outpatient and psychiatric emergency room care, trauma clinics, shelters, residential centers, schools, courtrooms, prisons, and criminal justice reform. I have had opportunities to supervise and train other clinicians, educate communities, oversee programs and development, and contribute to social policy change. At its core, I believe the relationship with ourselves is what determines how we interact with our environment, other people, and the world. If you’re feeling stuck, you will be amazed at how capable you are of exploring parts of yourself you never knew existed. I would like to be your guide and offer the chance to uncover patterns you may not be aware of, learn control over your emotions, stop ruminating thoughts, resolve past traumas, confront avoided thoughts, feelings, and conflict, communicate effectively, improve relationships and boundaries, and embrace life transitions - to name a few! Those interested in learning more about my services can contact me via Grow messaging. If you are interested in services and see that I am not currently accepting clients, you may also contact Grow's intake department at 786-244-7711 and they will forward your inquiry to me directly. Please note that right now I am accepting cash only payment, other than Aetna in New York, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
I strive to create a comfortable environment where you feel safe to be your truest self. In our first session together, we’ll start with brief introductions, then dive into the specific challenges you’re facing. This will help you and I create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions. I find much value in combining talk therapy with teaching tangible skills so that you can begin to feel more in control. And because one hour a week pales in comparison to the amount of time clients spend outside sessions, I like to sometimes give assignments in between sessions. This helps to encourage practice and solidify these new skills. This may include monitoring thoughts, feelings and behaviors, use of specific skills, body work, completing worksheets, and/or journaling exercises to help you better recognize and manage stress. For my active clients, I’m also available to be contacted any time via Grow messaging, phone or email in between sessions and I do my best to respond within 24 hours.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
It’s true that the therapeutic process takes time and focused work, and it's not always easy. But I promise you are worth it, and you will not have to do it alone. You will have a trusted partner and ally by your side, someone who will gently challenge you when needed, and always listen with empathy. These are my greatest strengths and I'd like to share them with anyone open to receiving them. You can have more balance and control in your life. You can create a version of yourself that makes you proud and smile. I may not know you yet, but I'm certain you are capable of change in your life. If you are ready to start our work together, so am I!
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Young and middle-aged adults of any gender identity, race or spiritual background experiencing trauma, depression, anxiety, and grief, including the LGBQT+ community.
About Ceresa Gonzalez
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Mind-body approach
In the spirit of holistic integration of the mind and body, for those interested, I offer a variety of more widely accepted, progressive, and now evidenced-based approaches, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Polyvagal Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), meditation, spiritual healing, and energy-based practices.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Regarding more traditional methods, CBT is often the underpinning of my overall practice, as well as many other evidence-based treatments. I use CBT to help identify unhelpful thought patterns, question them as programmed ideas or beliefs rather than fact, understand how they ALWAYS contribute to our emotions and inform our personal reality (or "personality"), learn how to escape this matrix by replacing these ideas with more helpful or accurate stories, and learn healthier ways of responding to life challenges. Our thoughts can be a conscious choice, we do not have to be held captive by them.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
CPT is an offshoot of CBT and is utilized to treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), specifically. Using this approach, I will first help you understand trauma and how it can (but not always) result in PTSD, and what that can look like in a typical day. PTSD is often referred to as the “invisible wound.” I will help to identify and challenge inaccurate unhelpful beliefs about the traumatic event(s) that are causing distress and keeping you stuck in the trauma, and reintegrate healthier beliefs about safety, trust, control, self-esteem and intimacy so that you feel in control and recognize yourself again.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT, also rooted in CBT, emphasizes the concept of "dialectics," which is finding a balance between ACCEPTING and tolerating our thoughts, feelings, and circumstances as they are, while also working to change behaviors that are problematic and what's in our control. Here, I primarily utilize and teach techniques such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness to help better manage intense emotions, cope with challenging situations, and improve relationships. DBT is particularly helpful for people experiencing significant difficulty controlling their emotions.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
ACT stems from the same overarching philosophy of CBT and shares similar techniques. However, ACT is rooted in the belief that the attempt to get rid of “symptoms” results in labeling and pathologizing struggles with human experiences. Trying to avoid or get rid of uncomfortable emotions and experiences can lead to unhelpful behaviors and feelings of guilt or shame. ACT doesn’t aim to help you manage or control unwanted feelings, thoughts, or sensations. It teaches ALLOWING distress and other uncomfortable emotions to coexist as part of life, with compassion and kindness, thus improving your tolerance for stress. You will learn to accept the reality of your experiences through mindfulness, acknowledge your thoughts and feelings as an appropriate response to certain situations, learn how to face problems rather than avoid, resist, suppress, or change them, and commit to pursuing your values instead, making more choices aligned with them.