Licensed to practice in Florida and accepts 17 insurances. Specializes in Career Counseling, Couples Counseling, Life Transitions and 4 more.
New to Grow
My name is Maria Elena Manrique, LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with over 30 years of dedicated clinical practice. I am deeply passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families transform their relationships and overcome life's challenges. Originally born in Colombia and fully bilingual in English and Spanish, I bring a rich cultural perspective and a compassionate, seasoned approach to my therapeutic work. Throughout my three decades in the field, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact of healthy relational dynamics on a person's overall well-being. My ultimate goal is to put my knowledge, diverse toolkit, and decades of practical experience directly to your service. Whether you are navigating couples' conflict, facing family transitions, or seeking to break old generational patterns, I am here to guide you and walk with you. Together, we will work to cultivate healthier, more resilient connections so that you and your loved ones can live life to your fullest potential. Soy Maria Elena Manrique, Terapeuta de Pareja y Familia con más de 30 años de experiencia profesional. Soy nacida en Colombia y completamente bilingüe. Algo que me caracteriza es que mi trabajo clínico me apasiona profundamente. Mi objetivo es poner todo mi conocimiento y experiencia a su servicio para lograr que usted, como individuo y/o en sus dinámicas de pareja o de familia, sea más saludable, permitiéndole superar conflictos y vivir la vida a su máximo potencial.
Your first therapy session is a collaborative, foundational step designed to establish a safe space, gather essential information, and map out a clear path forward. This initial meeting is structured around three key pillars: 1. Informed Choice and Therapeutic Alliance: We will begin by discussing the therapeutic process itself. I will provide you with clear information regarding the advantages and limitations of therapy so that you can make a well-informed, educated decision about your care. This is vital opportunity for us to explore what I can offer you within our therapeutic alliance, ensuring that my clinical approach aligns with your personal needs and that you feel confident and comfortable moving forward. 2. Comprehensive Assessment: Next, we will conduct a thorough assessment to understand your unique story. I will ask questions about your family history, as well as your past and present experiences. Together we will explore the beliefs and expectations you hold about yourself, your relationships and the therapeutic journey. This holistic view helps me understand not just the challenges you are facing, but the strengths and history you bring with you. 3. Collaborative Treatment Planning: We will conclude the session (some times 2) by looking toward the future. Therapy is a partnership, and we will work collaboratively to develop a customized treatment plan. Together we will establish reasonable, concrete objectives tailored to your life. Having these clear, measurable objectives ensures that we both know exactly what we are doing to achieve your fullest potential.
30 plus years of experience as a mental health clinician first (10 years) in Colombia as a Clinical Social Worker and then the last 20 years here in United States practicing, gives me an unique dual clinical lenses that allows me to look my clients as a "person-in-environment" understanding systemic issues, socio-economic factors and how the culture and community shape a person's mental health, and as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I look at the "Person-in-relationships" being able to understand how the family dynamics, attachment styles, communication patterns, and generational loops have an impact on the person's well-being. As a practitioner in two different countries I don't just speak Spanish, I understand the deep nuances of cultural transition and acculturation, equipping me to support bicultural families, immigrants individuals and cross-cultural couples. I understand the specific tension that can happen in immigrant families such as when parents hold traditional values from their home country while their children grow up immersed in American Culture. With 30 years of experience in the field I have worked with clients through decades of changing societal pressures, economic shifts and evolving therapeutic methodologies. When you "sit on my couch", you are benefiting from a deeply seasoned, culturally fluent perspective that honors where you come from, understand the systems you live in and the challenges you are immersed.
I am best positioned to serve the following clients: Individuals navigating life transitions; families experiencing difficulties during family life cycle transitions, such as newlyweds, expecting parents, and parents of young children feeling overwhelmed; couples going through difficult times, such as conflicts due to major decisions, infidelity, and extended family; individuals experiencing grief; and young adults exploring career options. In addition, treating the elderly population experiencing difficulties with major lifestyle changes.
After a comprehensive assessment, if CBT is chosen as the treatment method, both the client and the therapist design a structured, goal-oriented treatment plan based on the core concept: How we think and how we act directly affect how we feel, all aimed at achieving the client's therapy goal.
After a comprehensive assessment, if Attachment-based approach is chosen as the treatment method, both the client and the therapist design a structured goal-oriented treatment plan based on the core concept: How early experiences and bonds with caregivers shape their ability to form healthy emotional bonds as adults, with the objective to rebuild a person's inner template for relationships now. All aimed at achieving the client's therapy goal.
After a comprehensive assessment, if Couples Counseling approach is chosen as the treatment method both the client and the therapist design a structured goal-oriented treatment plan based on the core concept: Help partners improve their relationship, resolve interpersonal conflicts, and deepen emotional intimacy with the premise that the relationship itself is the client. All aimed at achieving the client's therapy goal.
After a comprehensive assessment, if Structural Family Therapy approach is chosen as the treatment method, both the client and the therapist design a structured goal-oriented treatment plan based on the core concept: If you change the structure of the family, you change the experiences and behaviors of its individual members, with the premise that the family structure itself is the client. All aimed at achieving the client's therapy goal.