Linette Romero
Hi, my name is Linette Romero. I am a native Floridian with a proud Cuban heritage. I was raised in South Florida and currently reside in North Central Florida with my two daughters, two dogs and a sweet cat. I graduated from both Universiyy of Florida (BA ‘93) and Barry University (MSW, ‘97).
My approach to therapy starts with helping you feel truly seen, heard, and understood. Together, we’ll uncover your most authentic, healthy self and help you live with greater purpose, grounding, and joy.
I am licensed in Florida with 31 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, motivation, self esteem, confidence, & depression. My practice approach specializes in the treatment of depression, anxiety & bipolar illness as well as trauma, grief and immigration issues/legal concerns. My goal with with my clients is to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process. If you don’t see an available time slot on my schedule, I’m typically pretty flexible and we can likely adjust times to meet your needs.
First session
Our first session is really about getting to know you and beginning to understand what brings you to therapy. I’ll start by asking what is going on in your life right now and what you are hoping to get from therapy. From there, I’ll ask some questions about your history, including your physical and mental health, family and relationship dynamics, support system, personal resources, and any values, cultural, religious or spiritual beliefs that are important to you. My questions are open-ended and asked with curiosity, not judgment. There is no pressure to share anything you aren’t ready to talk about. Toward the end of our session, we’ll begin identifying some initial goals for therapy based on what feels most important to you. We’ll usually schedule our next 1–3 sessions so we can continue getting to know each other, explore your concerns more fully, and determine how therapy can be most helpful to you. Most of all, I want your first session to feel comfortable, warm and supportive. You don’t need to prepare, perform, or know exactly what to say. Just come as you are, and we’ll figure out the rest together.
Strengths
The best way to describe my approach is that I tend to consistently move between, “Where is this coming from?” and “Okay, what can you do differently with it now?” I bring a lot of real-life experience to my sessions. I am a mom of two adult(ish) daughters, ages 22 and 18, and I am a widow. I’ve spent much of my adult life outside of work caring for family members struggling with physical and mental health limitations and addiction. These experiences have shaped who I am as a therapist. I am compassionate, open-minded, honest and direct, and I work hard to understand you as an individual. I am very interactive in sessions. I strive to help you identify patterns and triggers, challenge limiting beliefs, recognize your own unique strengths, and look at situations from different perspectives. I always say that life is all about perspective. Depending on what you need, we may work on practical coping skills, emotional regulation, setting boundaries, improving communication, or finding healthier ways to respond to difficult situations and relationships. I also believe insight is important. We often need to explore past experiences, relationships, trauma or grief to understand why certain patterns continue to show up in the present. I try to balance that deeper work with practical strategies you can use in your everyday life.
Ideal clients
When choosing your therapist, keep in mind that the relationship you have with your therapist is an important part of the process. We may be a good fit if you are looking for someone who: • Is warm, compassionate and nonjudgmental, but also honest and direct. • Is interactive and will talk things through with you, ask questions and offer different perspectives. • Wants to understand where your patterns, beliefs and emotional reactions come from while also helping you figure out what you can do differently now. • Will help you recognize your strengths while also challenging thoughts or behaviors that may be keeping you stuck. • Can balance deeper conversations about your past, relationships, trauma and grief with practical coping skills you can use in everyday life. • Is comfortable incorporating faith, spirituality and your personal values into therapy when those are important resources for you. • Understands that change takes time and that sometimes you need encouragement, sometimes you need practical tools, and sometimes you simply need a safe place to talk through what you are feeling. Most importantly, you should feel comfortable being yourself with your therapist. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you come to therapy. You just need to be willing to show up, be honest, and work together toward the life you want.
Treatment methods
Psychodynamic
I help you explore how past experiences, family dynamics, relationships, trauma and loss may be influencing the way you think, feel and respond today. We look for recurring patterns and work toward understanding where they came from so you can begin making more intentional choices in the present.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help you recognize thoughts and beliefs that may be contributing to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem or patterns that keep you feeling stuck. Together, we look at whether those thoughts are accurate or helpful, challenge limiting beliefs, consider different perspectives, and work toward healthier ways of thinking and responding.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I incorporate DBT skills when you need practical tools for managing strong emotions or difficult situations. This may include emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, communication, interpersonal effectiveness and learning how to respond rather than react when emotions are intense.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
The relationship we build is an important part of my approach. I work to create an environment where you can speak openly and honestly without fear of judgment. I meet you where you are, respect your individual values and beliefs, recognize your strengths, and allow your needs and goals to help guide our work together.
Location
Virtual sessions