Every person carries a story. Sometimes anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, family expectations, or painful experiences begin taking up so much space that it becomes difficult to recognize your own strengths.

Hello. My name is Gabriela Bernier, but you can call me Ella. I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT 151084, practicing under clinical supervision.

I work with teens, young adults, adults, couples, and individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, communication difficulties, relationship concerns, and major life transitions.

The most important part of therapy for me is hearing your story and collaborating with you so you can become the hero of that story. My role is not to tell you who you should be. It is to help you understand yourself, recognize your strengths, and feel empowered to become the person you want to be.

You Are Not Alone

There are moments in life when we may feel alone, misunderstood, or disconnected from the people around us. These experiences can feel isolating and dark, especially when you have been trying to manage everything by yourself.

You do not have to have everything figured out before beginning therapy. Therapy gives you a place to slow down, explore what you are feeling, and receive support without judgment.

As your therapist, I would like to walk alongside you on your journey of self-discovery, reconnection, and personal growth. Together, we can begin bringing light into the places that currently feel difficult to navigate.

My Approach to Therapy

My therapeutic style is collaborative, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. I provide a safe space where you can explore different perspectives, identify emotional and relationship patterns, and better understand the experiences that have shaped you.

My approach draws primarily from:

• Narrative Therapy
• Attachment-Based Therapy
• Family Systems Therapy
• Strength-Based Therapy
• Client-Centered Therapy

Our work may include:

• Improving communication
• Identifying and expressing emotions
• Challenging unhelpful beliefs
• Understanding attachment patterns
• Exploring family roles and expectations
• Establishing healthier boundaries
• Strengthening self-esteem
• Developing healthier relationship skills
• Reconnecting with yourself and others
• Finding new ways to respond to conflict

Although therapy can sometimes feel challenging, I trust in your ability to develop new skills, discover different perspectives, and create meaningful change.

Narrative Therapy

Narrative Therapy recognizes that you are not the problem—the problem is the problem.

We all carry stories about who we are, what we deserve, and what we are capable of accomplishing. Some of these stories may have developed through painful experiences, family expectations, cultural messages, relationship conflict, or moments when you felt misunderstood.

Over time, these stories can begin to feel like facts. You may start believing that you are not good enough, that you are difficult to love, or that your circumstances will never change.

Narrative Therapy can help you:

• Separate your identity from the problems you are experiencing
• Understand how certain stories developed
• Challenge beliefs that no longer serve you
• Recognize strengths that may have been overlooked
• Explore alternative perspectives
• Reclaim your voice
• Develop a more empowering understanding of yourself

You are more than your anxiety, depression, mistakes, or relationship struggles. Together, we can explore your full story—including the courage, resilience, and strengths that may be difficult to recognize right now.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Our earliest relationships can influence how we experience emotional connection, trust, safety, and vulnerability as adults.

You may notice that you become anxious when someone feels distant, withdraw when conflict occurs, struggle to express your needs, or feel uncomfortable depending on others. These responses often developed for understandable reasons.

Attachment-based therapy can help you explore:

• Fear of rejection or abandonment
• Difficulty trusting others
• Anxious or insecure attachment patterns
• Emotional withdrawal
• Difficulty expressing your needs
• Repeated relationship patterns
• Fear of vulnerability
• Challenges with emotional intimacy
• Difficulty feeling secure in relationships

The purpose is not to blame your past or your family. It is to understand how earlier experiences may be affecting your present relationships so you can develop healthier and more secure ways of connecting.

Family Systems Therapy

Family Systems Therapy recognizes that our emotional well-being is influenced by the relationships and systems around us.

Every family develops roles, expectations, communication patterns, and ways of managing emotions. You may have learned to become the caretaker, the peacekeeper, the responsible one, or the person who keeps difficult feelings hidden.

These roles may have helped maintain stability in the past, but they can sometimes make it difficult to recognize your own needs or establish healthy boundaries.

In therapy, we may explore:

• Family roles and expectations
• Intergenerational patterns
• Communication difficulties
• Parent-child relationships
• Family conflict
• Cultural and family expectations
• Boundary-setting
• Emotional expression
• Patterns affecting current relationships

Understanding these dynamics can help you make more intentional choices while remaining connected to the relationships and values that matter to you.

Couples and Relationship Therapy

Relationships can become strained when partners feel unheard, misunderstood, emotionally disconnected, or unable to communicate without conflict.

Couples therapy provides a structured environment where both partners have space to express their experiences and better understand one another.

I support couples experiencing concerns such as:

• Recurring arguments
• Communication difficulties
• Emotional disconnection
• Difficulty expressing needs
• Boundary concerns
• Trust-related challenges
• Unresolved conflict
• Differences in family or cultural expectations
• Major life transitions
• Difficulty identifying or expressing emotions

Couples therapy is not about deciding who is right or wrong. It is about understanding the patterns happening between partners and developing healthier ways of communicating, connecting, and responding to one another.

Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Esteem

Anxiety can leave you feeling restless, overwhelmed, or unable to quiet your thoughts. Depression may create feelings of sadness, isolation, low motivation, or emotional disconnection.

Low self-esteem can affect how you see yourself, make decisions, establish boundaries, and experience relationships.

Therapy may help if you are experiencing:

• Excessive worry
• Overthinking
• Racing thoughts
• Persistent sadness
• Low motivation
• Social withdrawal
• Negative self-talk
• Low self-worth
• Difficulty making decisions
• Fear of disappointing others
• Difficulty establishing boundaries
• Feeling emotionally disconnected
• Feeling stuck or uncertain about the future

Together, we can explore what may be contributing to these experiences while developing healthier ways of thinking, coping, communicating, and relating to yourself.

Therapy for Teens and Young Adults

Adolescence and young adulthood can bring significant emotional, social, academic, and family-related changes.

Teens and young adults may be navigating identity, relationships, independence, family expectations, school pressure, and uncertainty about the future—all while trying to understand who they are becoming.

Therapy may support teens and young adults experiencing:

• Anxiety or depression
• Low self-esteem
• Family conflict
• School-related stress
• Relationship difficulties
• Identity exploration
• Communication challenges
• Difficulty expressing emotions
• Boundary-setting concerns
• Major life transitions
• Feeling misunderstood or alone

I work to create a space where teens and young adults feel respected, heard, and actively involved in their therapeutic process.

Bicultural and Multicultural Therapy

I come from a bicultural and multicultural background, and I understand that therapy may carry different meanings depending on your culture, family, identity, and community.

You may have been taught that personal or family concerns should remain private. You may feel responsible for meeting family expectations while also trying to understand what you need as an individual.

Therapy can provide space to explore:

• Cultural identity
• Family expectations
• Intergenerational differences
• Conflicting cultural values
• Belonging and identity
• Family roles
• Communication across generations
• The balance between connection and independence

My goal is to provide culturally responsive therapy that respects your background and honors the identities, values, and relationships that are important to you.

Start Therapy with Ella at Paloma Therapy

You do not have to navigate everything alone. Whether you are experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, communication difficulties, relationship conflict, family concerns, attachment challenges, or a major life transition, therapy can provide a supportive place to begin.

Ella works with teens, young adults, adults, individuals, and couples. She provides therapy as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist under clinical supervision.

Paloma Therapy offers in-person and virtual therapy depending on clinician availability.

Book a consultation with Paloma Therapy to learn more about working with Ella and determine whether her therapeutic approach is right for your needs.

Email: ella@palomatherapy.com

Paloma Therapy — Where Healing Begins.