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.<\/p>\n
Hello. My name is\u00a0Gabriela Bernier, but you can call me Ella<\/strong>. I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist,\u00a0AMFT 151084<\/strong>, practicing under clinical supervision.<\/p>\n I work with teens, young adults, adults, couples, and individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, communication difficulties, relationship concerns, and major life transitions.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n My approach draws primarily from:<\/p>\n Our work may include:<\/p>\n Although therapy can sometimes feel challenging, I trust in your ability to develop new skills, discover different perspectives, and create meaningful change.<\/p>\n Narrative Therapy<\/strong>\u00a0recognizes that you are not the problem\u2014the problem is the problem.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Narrative Therapy can help you:<\/p>\n You are more than your anxiety, depression, mistakes, or relationship struggles. Together, we can explore your full story\u2014including the courage, resilience, and strengths that may be difficult to recognize right now.<\/p>\n Our earliest relationships can influence how we experience emotional connection, trust, safety, and vulnerability as adults.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Attachment-based therapy can help you explore:<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Family Systems Therapy<\/strong>\u00a0recognizes that our emotional well-being is influenced by the relationships and systems around us.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In therapy, we may explore:<\/p>\n Understanding these dynamics can help you make more intentional choices while remaining connected to the relationships and values that matter to you.<\/p>\n Relationships can become strained when partners feel unheard, misunderstood, emotionally disconnected, or unable to communicate without conflict.<\/p>\n Couples therapy provides a structured environment where both partners have space to express their experiences and better understand one another.<\/p>\n I support couples experiencing concerns such as:<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Low self-esteem can affect how you see yourself, make decisions, establish boundaries, and experience relationships.<\/p>\n Therapy may help if you are experiencing:<\/p>\n Together, we can explore what may be contributing to these experiences while developing healthier ways of thinking, coping, communicating, and relating to yourself.<\/p>\n Adolescence and young adulthood can bring significant emotional, social, academic, and family-related changes.<\/p>\n Teens and young adults may be navigating identity, relationships, independence, family expectations, school pressure, and uncertainty about the future\u2014all while trying to understand who they are becoming.<\/p>\n Therapy may support teens and young adults experiencing:<\/p>\n I work to create a space where teens and young adults feel respected, heard, and actively involved in their therapeutic process.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Therapy can provide space to explore:<\/p>\n My goal is to provide culturally responsive therapy that respects your background and honors the identities, values, and relationships that are important to you.<\/p>\nYou Are Not Alone<\/h2>\n
My Approach to Therapy<\/h2>\n
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Narrative Therapy<\/h2>\n
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Attachment-Based Therapy<\/h2>\n
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Family Systems Therapy<\/h2>\n
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Couples and Relationship Therapy<\/h2>\n
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Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Esteem<\/h2>\n
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Therapy for Teens and Young Adults<\/h2>\n
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Bicultural and Multicultural Therapy<\/h2>\n
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Start Therapy with Ella at Paloma Therapy<\/h2>\n