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.

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”.

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.

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.

I believe that the heart of successful counseling and psychotherapy is a trusting, professional relationship with thier therapist . More than ever, people need a safe, private place to talk about what really matters. As a therapist for over thirty years, I have experience working with clients presenting a wide range of concerns. Together we will work to replace ineffective patterns with successful coping skills. I am experienced working with individuals, families; adolescents and parent child relationships. In my experience with couples I have seen a wide variety of styles. A key to most successful couples is thier ability to communicate and work through issues. When issues are resolved they seldom reappear in future interactions. Couples generally come into therapy becasue they want to improve or change something in thier relationship. Couples will learn to identify strengths in themselves and each other, improve listening skills; and learn more effective problem solving techniques. My clinical training and specialty is treating anxiety, depression, and issues related to traumas and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.