ELIZABETH MAHANEY: TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE • Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with a specialty in marriage, parenting, children and couples. • M.A. Degree in Mental Health Counseling with a concentration and dual enrollment in Marriage and Family Therapy. • B.A. Degree in Psychology from The University of South Florida. • Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator. Training from The University of South Florida. • University of Tampa minor in marketing with concentrations in athletics and personal growth. • Clinical Consultant at Worker’s Health. • Cognitive Behavior Therapist (CBT) for various mental health issues and medical issues including pain management, fibromyalgia and chronic pain. • Certified as a Master Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner among other therapeutic applications. •Founder and CEO of Real L.I.F.E. inc. Where Real Learning Is Found Everywhere~ A Non-Profit Organization~ . • Entrepreneur & Author. • Ph.D in C.h. • National Certified Counselor (NCC). • Completed Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. • Qualified Supervisor • State Approved Clinical Supervisor for B.A. and M.A. Registered Interns/ Practicum/ Field Study Students. • SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Certified for Feeding/ Eating Issues and Assess for Development, Learning, Behavior, Cognition, Nutrition, and Environment. • Holistic Health Coach focusing on Lifestyle, Wellness & the Psychology of Eating and Nutrition. • Former President and Director of The Missing Piece of Counseling and Well-Being, Inc. A non-profit Organization. • Experience working with several different types of clients and organizations including; *Private Practice. *Success for Kids and Families Inc. - a community wrap-around strength based program. *Kathy's Place- a center for grieving children and families leading both adult and children's groups. *The Children's Cancer Center bereavement and oncology support team. *Served on the Board of The Tampa Bay Association for Psychotherapists and affiliated with several different professional organizations (see Affiliations link). *Member of Chi Sigma IOTA- International Counseling Academic & Professional Honor Society. ABOUT MY SERVICES “I enjoy working with individuals, couples, families, teens & children. I provide therapy in a comfortable, flexible, and down-to-earth manner. I have a sense of humor when appropriate and tend to be easy going, gentle, and supportive. I am honest, non judgmental, a great listener, and highly confidential. I'll let you know what I hear going on. I will give you suggestions either for how we can approach your problems together, or for ways you can deal with them yourself. You won't be alone in the work that we do together - I will be an active participant in your therapy. If some part of your life is not working for you, maybe you've received poor instructions. The good news is we can re-educate ourselves. GOAL: Recover satisfaction in all your relationships, including with- yourself! I can also help when you just need a new perspective on a situation. I'll tell you if I think that you are following any patterns and suggest ways to interrupt those patterns. I welcome the opportunity to use my skills to help enhance your existing lifestyle, and to teach you and/or your family members the process for getting the very best out of life”.

Carrie employs a warm and engaging style in her approach to therapy. She seeks to connect with each of her clients in a way that makes them feel comfortable and understood. Carrie’s philosophy is grounded in psychodynamic psychotherapy, meaning that therapy is utilized to understand not only the symptoms presented, but also the roots of the symptoms, leading to longer-term change. Carrie’s hope is that she helps clients not only resolve the immmediate challenge for which assistance is sought, but that she can also help them develop the tools necessary to carry the skills forward and apply them to other challenges they may face in the future. Carrie’s specialties include marriage counseling and couples therapy, child and adolescent play therapy, parent-child therapy, family therapy and therapeutic parent coaching. She also offers individual and group therapy sessions.

Positive change and growth are possible at any age or stage in life. I work with children, adolescents, adults, families, and couples to help with anxiety, depression, stress, relationships, life transitions such as divorce, adjustments to various situations, childhood behavioral and academic concerns. As a registered play therapist, I work with children as young as 3 years old in a way that is natural and developmentally appropriate. My treatment approach is practical, short term and solution focused. My office, centrally located and easily accessible via I-275, is comfortably furnished, with a separate play room and sandtray area. Call today for a free phone consultation. I look forward to working with you!

Families Benefit When Children Play! Just as adults feel better when talking through their problems, Children Play! Playful Therapy in St. Pete, Fl provides children the space and experienced counseling to help explore, express and work through their situation in their own way. This allows for increased confidence and creative problem solving skills. Through play therapy, children learn to manage their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Children regain a sense of control and safety in their lives, which leads to increased self-understanding and better relationships with friends and family. Play Therapy is not just for children! Adults benefit from exploring their concerns in artistic and expressive ways as well. Sometimes, talking is just not enough. When a problem in our lives arise, it is more than helpful to be able to stand back and view it from many different angles. That is what Play Therapy allows. Sand Tray work allows the creator to build the world that is being experienced currently. Through discussion and reflective observation with a trained therapist the creator has the ability to change or even just recognize obstacles that are causing barriers to moving forward. It is powerful, and empowering in a way that can only be experienced. Other art creations allow the same, in a different way. Sometimes, we just don’t really know how to verbally express what is REALLY the problem, logic and emotion work together. It can be very helpful to allow your right brain to assist in life.

Today you are one step closer to an improved you where you feel empowered and on a positive path to healthy growth and well-being . . . As solution-focused and cognitive-behavioral therapists, our goal is to help you uncover your true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. While we can't change difficult events and circumstances of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges in your life today that will lead to a more promising tomorrow. By applying effective complementary therapeutic approaches and techniques, we will discover and modify long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that maybe holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life. If you're looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or you're just ready to move forward in a new direction in your life, we look forward to working with you to achieve your goals!

Individuals, couples, and family therapy. I help with mood disorders, anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, depression, post traumatic stress, sexual abuse, sexual disorders, lesbian and gay issues, eating disorders, relationship issues, dissociative disorders,addictions and personality disorders, life stressors, relationship issues, women's issues, men's issues, grief and loss, stress management, as well as self esteem issues. I use cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, hypnosis, rational emotive, short term solution focused therapy depending on the clients needs and goals, and rapid trauma resolution. I am also a Certified Employee Assistance Professional and accept EAP referrals. I prefer to work as a team with the psychiatrist or M.D. of the client in cases of mood disorder, anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress and other diagnoses which may necessitate medication. I also can administer tests for personality disorders using the MMPI 2 which will be interpreted by a psychologist, and administer and interpret career inventories for those wishing to change career paths. I also do SAP evaluations for DOT personnel/companies, with appropriate, recommendations. The therapy I provide is interactive, solution-focused, and my treatment approach is to provide support and practical feeback to help clients address current life challenges and long-standing issues.

Advantage Mental Health Center provides general psychiatric and addiction recovery services in a confidential, comprehensive, compassionate manner.  Services include psychiatric evaluations, medication management, psychotherapy, counseling, and medication and counseling based addiction recovery services.  Advantage Mental Health has a team of dedicated, highly-qualified physicians, psychiatric nurse practitioners and mental health counselors who are committed to providing outstanding patient care.  Advantage Mental Health is open 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday and Saturday.

Areas of expertise: ■Individual and Couple Counseling ■Addictions, Eating disorders, Self-Mutilation In home interventions ■Post-traumatic stress ■Expressive and Healing Art Therapy ■Depression, Anxiety, Phobias, Sexual Identity Issues ■Relationship issues ■Mind Body disorders ■Sexual Trauma and Deviancy It is my belief that life throws us many different situations and circumstances, some of which we can deal with ourselves and some of which we need an outside source to help guide us along the way. Asking for help by society is viewed as a crutch, but in essence asking for help is the strongest characteristic we could have within ourselves. Not asking for help symbolizes the ultimate form of weakness and fear. By admitting our imperfections and need for help it is my belief that we enable ourselves to live fuller and happier lives. “We neither get better or worse as we get older, but more like ourselves.” Buddha

Working with individuals, couples, and families. Life is a journey of discovering more about yourself and your connection with others. There are difficult situations along the way, and you may just want to discuss some things, or you may be really struggling with a particular situation that you would like to work through. Either way, you will find that counseling is an investment in yourself and one that will always payoff as long as you keep using the tools. Sometimes just a few sessions can be really helpful, and other times things may take awhile longer. It often takes time and commitment to make changes.Anything worth doing takes effort. You can make changes in your life and feel better. Office sessions available weekly and some weekends. Counseling or Life Coaching, provided with insurance or self-pay. Conditions and situations where counseling can help - Therapy for depression, sadness, anxiety and bipolar - Counseling for stress reduction, relaxation, breathing techniques - Treatment for better communication, anger management, and coping patterns - Relationships, relationship therapy, co-dependency and relationship patterns - Family therapy and family dynamics - Exploration of emotions and feelings - Holistic treatment, life coaching, life confusion and life direction - Mind, body and spirit counseling - Biofeedback training EMDR