Paula Averruz-Genie

Every day, I strive to help individuals, families, and teens to rekindle their hope while facing life’s obstacles. For over 9 years, my comprehensive experience in community based counseling services, and private settings have enabled me to successfully treat: anxiety, depression, trauma, improved relationships, anger management, parenting skills, sexual orientation, gender identity, self-esteem, dissociation, divorce, substance misuse, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. To further my dedication in helping others, I am a registered MFT Intern in the process of completing my state licensure obligations. My passion to help individuals, families and children began in California where I worked with individuals from all walks of life dealing with issues of dissociation, feelings of emptiness, self harming behavior and inability to feel or recognize emotions. I offer a safe environment for my clients in which they feel supported and understood. I have helped several clients gain awareness, understanding, and the skills needed to thrive. I earned my B.A in Psychology at Mills College in Oakland, California with an emphasis in Developmental Psychology and Clinical Psychology and my Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California with an emphasis in systemic family therapy. I have had the privilege to have worked for UC San Francisco and San Francisco General Hospital with dually and triply diagnosed individuals living with HIV/AIDS, while providing psycho-education, harm reduction strategies and medication management. As part of my clinical training and work experience, I have worked with individuals, couples, family and children facing acute trauma and PTSD. During my last year of my masters program, I was selected among several applicants within the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care services in California with a financial reward stipend for “demonstrating expertise in resiliency, recovery, and wellness models, as well as experience working with underserved populations in integrated care settings. To further enrich my professional experience, I have lived and worked in Brazil for 4 years providing psychotherapy services to children, adults and families in the Portuguese language. I truly believe that empathy is a vital part of the healing process, and as your therapist, I want to help you reach your fullest potential. I utilize holistic and research based techniques that are tailored to your needs such as Affirmative Therapy, Internal Family System, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT), mindfulness techniques, attachment theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I offer my services in English, Spanish and Portuguese.