After graduating with a psychology degree from the University of Southern California, I went on to pursue my Master’s Degree in Marriage & Family Therapy at the University of Miami. Once I completed my degree in 1993, I dedicated myself to helping individuals and families who were dealing with different kinds of trauma and emotional distress. A large part of my work has involved working with trauma. This began with the many families and children who were affected by Hurricane Andrew and continues today with patients who suffer with a variety of childhood traumas.
The other area I focused my training and experience in is in working with couples. I have also been helping couples get their relationship back on track for the past two decades. Since graduate school, when I decided to earn my degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, I have been interested in the idea that if you can change the dynamics in a relationship you can change how you feel about and see yourself. Through the years I have found that this is what happens time after time. The distress people feel when their relationship is in trouble is very real and usually very intense. The other thing I find when working with couples is that because I am seeing the couple together and watching what is actually happening, how they communicate and relate to each other, it is much easier to see where things are going wrong and therefore change happens quicker if both parties put into practice what we talk about in session. My goal as a therapist is to help my clients learn to manage their own emotions while we come up with possible solutions. On an individual basis that means becoming more conscious and aware of your thoughts and emotions and using techniques to not react to them right away. It is easy to believe our thoughts and emotions are reality and to act upon that. Therapy is about becoming clearer about our blind spots having a clearer picture of what is affecting you and what you can and cannot do about it. When couples turn to me for guidance, my focus is to help them identify and understand the dynamics in their relationship. This helps them to identify obstacles as well as learn new ways of responding to each other. I believe that it is important for each person to take responsibility for his or her own actions and to understand that it is only their own behavior that they can change. With that, each person is able to reclaim their own power and feel they have a better sense of control in the relationship. Focusing on solutions with compassion and genuine care helps my clients gain clarity and reach their goals. Please note that I am fluent in Spanish and all services are available in Spanish as well.
Rosemary Barreras Reiss Reaches
Pembroke Pines FL