Diana Salazar, LCSW-S, RPT-S is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Qualified Supervisor in the State of Florida. A nationally Certified Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, Certified Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and fully trained in: Gottman’s Method for Couple’s Therapy, Sand Tray Play Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
In 2004 Diana Salazar attained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Pontifical Xaverian University in Bogota, Colombia and in 2012 a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL. On April 2015, Diana Salazar co-founded Sunshine State Counseling Center in Bonita Springs, FL. A center that focuses on providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Through her practice, Diana Salazar empowers clients to build and develop their inner strengths by providing compassionate, ethical, and professional therapeutic services.
Diana Salazar has more than fifteen years of experience providing individual, group, couples, and family psychotherapy. In Bogota Colombia, Diana served children in a school setting by providing psychoeducational groups and developing school based sexual and reproductive health programs. Moreover, Diana utilized prolonged exposure therapy as a psychological approach to reduce post trauma symptoms on active soldiers serving the Colombian National Army.
In the United States of America, Diana served as a clinician at the David Lawrence Center’s statewide inpatient psychiatric program for children (SIPP). Her duties were providing daily group psychotherapy to emotionally disturbed and/or psychiatrically unstable children. Moreover, through the same employer, Diana served juvenile offenders and their parents participating in the Substance Abuse Prevention Program. Furthermore, Diana has provided group and individual psychotherapy to adults enduring mental health disorders and participating in the partial hospitalization program offered by Lee Health’s Behavioral Health Center in Fort Myers, FL. Diana has also served children and adults’ survivors of physical, sexual or emotional abuse through the Children’s Advocacy Center of Fort Myers, FL; and for more than five years, Diana served as an instructor of the level I and II Driving Under the Influence (DUI) School through the Southwest Florida Safety Council in Fort Myers, FL.
Currently at Sunshine State Counseling Center Diana Salazar focuses on the treatment of emotional and behavioral challenges, difficulty adjusting to new and/or challenging life situations, high conflict divorce and co-parenting, relational conflict, grief and loss, trauma, post-trauma stress, and mood disorders such as but not limited to depression, anxiety and bipolar disorders. Diana utilizes research-based modalities to psychotherapy such Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Play Therapy, Sand Tray Play Therapy, Gottman Method for Couple’s Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Mindfulness.
In addition to psychotherapy, Diana has specialized in providing Mental Health Assessments with the purpose of supporting the Immigration cases several individuals within our communities are enduring. These Mental Health Assessments focus on the evaluation of psychosocial factors and current mental and emotional challenges the individual applying and or their families are suffering. The assessments are conducted through interviews, observations of family dynamics and psychometric testing.
Psychotherapy services are comfortably provided in English and Spanish to children 3+, adolescents, adults, couples and families. Diana Salazar strives to offer a collaborative approach to empower clients in finding a path to healing and fulfilling lifestyle.