Dr. Figueroa
I am a bilingual Licensed Professional Counselor with a PhD in Counseling Psychology and more than 20 years of experience working with adults and couples. My approach integrates Adlerian theory with evidence-based practices, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and positive psychology strategies, to help clients better understand the patterns that influence their thoughts, emotions, and relationships. I believe therapy is a collaborative process that helps individuals identify and overcome obstacles to reaching their goals. A central part of my therapeutic approach is increasing self-awareness so clients can examine unhelpful behavior patterns, explore new possibilities, make meaningful changes, and learn to accept aspects of reality that cannot be controlled. Lasting growth occurs when clients and therapists work together toward clear and meaningful objectives. Throughout my career, I have helped many individuals and couples navigate life's challenges and build more fulfilling lives. By fostering a supportive, caring therapeutic relationship and drawing on a variety of counseling interventions, I strive to empower clients to become their best selves and improve the overall quality of their lives. I look forward to working with you as you move toward greater clarity, growth, and emotional well-being.
First session
The first appointment is designed to help us get to know one another and begin understanding what has brought you to therapy. While this meeting is not considered a full therapy session, it serves as an important starting point for the work ahead. During our initial meeting, we will review administrative and practice-related information, including confidentiality, consent to treatment, billing, scheduling, and attendance expectations. I will also provide a brief overview of my therapeutic approach and answer any questions you may have about the counseling process. From there, we will discuss the concerns, challenges, or goals that led you to seek support at this time. Together, we will explore your presenting concerns, identify areas you would like to improve, and begin developing a plan tailored to your needs and desired outcomes. This first appointment is intended to create a welcoming, supportive environment where you can share at a pace that feels comfortable to you. Therapy is a collaborative process, and our goal is to work together toward meaningful growth, healing, and lasting change.
Strengths
The biggest strengths I bring to our sessions are empathy, insight, and the ability to create a supportive, nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard and understood. I combine warmth with a practical, goal-oriented approach to help clients better understand themselves, navigate challenges, and create meaningful change. I also bring years of experience helping individuals and couples identify unhealthy patterns, improve communication, strengthen relationships, and develop healthier coping strategies. My integrative approach allows me to tailor therapy to each client's unique needs, goals, and life experiences.
Ideal clients
I work best with adults and couples who want to better understand the patterns affecting their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. Many of my clients feel stuck, disconnected, overwhelmed, or caught in repeated cycles of conflict, anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional distress and are looking for both insight and practical tools for change. My approach is supportive, collaborative, and goal-oriented, helping clients increase self-awareness, improve communication, strengthen relationships, and develop healthier ways of coping. I especially enjoy working with individuals and couples who are motivated for personal growth, emotional healing, and creating more meaningful and balanced lives. As a bilingual therapist, I also value providing culturally responsive care to clients from diverse backgrounds.
Treatment methods
Adlerian
My therapeutic approach is grounded in an integrative, assimilative framework, with Adlerian psychotherapy serving as the foundation that guides my understanding of individuals, couples, and families. Adlerian theory emphasizes the importance of belonging, purpose, encouragement, social connectedness, and the ways early experiences and private beliefs shape current behavior and relationship patterns. From this perspective, symptoms are not viewed in isolation, but as meaningful attempts to cope, protect, adapt, or pursue significance within one's life context. Within this Adlerian framework, I intentionally integrate evidence-based interventions from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), behavioral therapy, positive psychology, and systems theory to meet each client's unique needs. From CBT, I help clients identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns, cognitive distortions, and self-defeating beliefs that contribute to emotional distress and interpersonal difficulties. Clients learn practical strategies to develop healthier thinking patterns, improve emotional regulation, and strengthen problem-solving skills. ACT contributes a mindfulness- and values-based perspective that encourages psychological flexibility. Rather than attempting to eliminate painful thoughts or emotions, clients learn how to respond to internal experiences with greater acceptance, compassion, and intentionality while moving toward behaviors aligned with their values and long-term goals. Behavioral therapy interventions are incorporated to support measurable change through skill-building, behavior modification, communication training, emotional regulation strategies, and the development of healthier relational patterns. This approach is particularly helpful when clients feel "stuck" despite insight and understanding. Positive psychology informs my focus on resilience, strengths, meaning, gratitude, hope, and personal growth. In addition to addressing symptoms and problems, therapy also emphasizes identifying existing abilities and fostering greater fulfillment, connection, and life satisfaction. Systems theory further shapes my work by recognizing that individuals are deeply influenced by relational, familial, cultural, and environmental systems. Whether working with individuals, couples, or families, I explore recurring interactional patterns, communication dynamics, roles, boundaries, and emotional processes that influence functioning and relationships. My experience using this integrative assimilative approach allows me to tailor treatment to each client rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model. I strive to create a collaborative, respectful, and goal-oriented therapeutic environment where clients gain insight into longstanding patterns, increase self-awareness, develop practical coping strategies, strengthen relationships, and build greater confidence in navigating life's challenges.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Licensed in
- PennsylvaniaLicense PC006487