Lisa is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Art Therapist. She received her training at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven Connecticut, graduating with a dual Masters degree in Clinical Art Therapy and Counseling.
Lisa specializes in the treatment of teens, adults and families from diverse backgrounds, lifestyles, and problems. Her practice utilizes a unique, creative and eclectic approach to dealing with challenges and exposures surrounding people and today's society. Having worked for a reputable mental health organization for 15 years, Lisa has vast knowledge of helpful clinical resources and programs offered throughout the state, including information related to therapeutic foster care and adoption. Working with foster families and people who struggle with separation, disruption and abandonment issues is a passion of Lisa’s. She is trained in evidence-based models designed to effectively treat mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as, complex psychiatric issues. By examining one's attachment style and using a combination of psychoanalysis and unique psychotherapy approaches, Lisa helps clients gain insight into unconscious behaviors, destructive patterns, motives, defenses, memories and underlying issues that could be hindering personal growth and development.
TRAUMA and ATTACHMENT:
As a specialist in complex and childhood trauma, Lisa uses methods based in the latest neuroscience research. Her passion in this area drives her to spend hundreds of hours studying, and training throughout the year, allowing her to fine tune and identify clear patterns and diagnostics. Relational, Complex and Abandonment trauma symptoms can be elusive and often gets missed. This chronic and highly toxic type of stress occurs as a result of ongoing adversity starting at an early age, which dysregulates a person’s nervous system, causing them to live in an activated threat response (fight, flight and freeze) through their adult life. Feelings of emptiness, procrastination, chronic digestive issues, self-sabotage, unsatisfied relationships are almost always related to this highly toxic kind of stress. Due to differences in experience, treatment requires a variety of modalities and is tailored to the symptoms and needs of the individual. Using alternative means like art therapy is especially important when treating trauma and shame-based conditions because these therapies give access to those regions of the brain where memories are stored. Traditional talk therapy is always incorporated in treatment and provides clients with needed relief. However, when working with trauma, where symptoms are buried in the body, talk therapy alone will likely limit progress. Methods like, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is incredibly effective in reducing stress, anxiety, panic and intense emotions that often comes with hidden trauma. Lisa has had excellent results in helping clients quickly stabilize and process their emotions using this technique. Psycho-education and understanding your "attachment style" is an essential component to trauma treatment. Attachment refers to how a person connects and relates to others, as well as, trusts and feels secure. The interesting thing is, many people can grow up in very happy, healthy homes and can still develop a sense of feeling "disconnected" or alone. No matter how independent or stable a person is, all humans are born to connect, relate and feel like they belong. A person can understand themselves and their relationships a lot better just by exploring their unique "Attachment Style".
THE CHALLENGING PERSONALITY:
Another area of interest and expertise of Lisa is helping people better relate to a loved one or someone in their life who is diagnosed with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality (covert or overt type). This could be a partner, friend, coworker or anyone who might be perceived as controlling, difficult to get along with, inflexible, unreasonable, talks in circles, tells half-truths, unrealistic, dramatic, manipulative, sneaky, intelligent and witty, emotionally unstable, needy, self-centered, potentially sociopathic and dangerous. **Just because a person exhibits these personality traits does not mean they have a personality disorder. It is very important to seek support from specialists in this area because of how difficult it can be to explain your circumstances. These relationships are often unhealthy and even toxic where the partner themselves could develop changes in personality and hidden mental trauma due to mental head games, confusing, convoluted conversations, challenging dynamics and stressful interactions.
PERSONAL NOTE:
Her personal struggles, cultural influences, raising her own children (now in their 20's), combined with her professional background, has provided Lisa with a realistic perspective into the pressures and complications of life. It is her goal and mission to support her clients so that they can express themselves freely, gain an integrated sense of self, develop healthy relationships and overcome obstacles to make room for happiness and success.
Lisa is first generation in her family. Her parents were born and raised in Marsala, Sicily. She grew up with her italian-speaking parents, younger brother Giuseppe, Nonna and Nonno, Zie and had large family gatherings in her finished basement. She speaks two dialects (Sicilian and Italian) and tries to visit her relatives in Italy every few years. Before starting her career as a therapist, Lisa was a hip-hop dance choreographer, back-stage /theater prop artist and nail technician.
