Paola Colunga
Paola Colunga is a bilingual Clinical Mental Health Counseling intern currently working towards her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from NC State University. She is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Mexico with a Humanistic approach.
Paola was born and raised in Mexico City. Coming from a dysfunctional family, she discovered her passion for psychology by trying to create her identity and find a personal way to heal. As a client of psychotherapy herself, she has experienced how therapy can be a calming balm when life gets tough and a powerful tool for building resilience after the storm has passed. There’s nothing more powerful than knowing deeply who you are and reinventing yourself when needed. Paola moved to the US in 2012, and is now raising a bicultural family with strong and proud Mexican roots. As a Mexican woman residing in the US, Paola has a profound understanding of the challenges that come with navigating language barriers and cultural differences. Her personal experience has cultivated resilience and a strong desire to support others going through a similar process.
Paola’s specialties include Person-Centered, Gestalt, and Somatic therapies with a systemic and Family Constellations perspective. With a humanistic therapeutic background, she aims to support clients in discovering their own potential and embarking on their personal healing journeys. She values and respects the transformative power of the therapeutic encounter, where she can help clients transition into different stages of their lives and overcome existential crises. As a Gestalt Therapist, her clinical perspective is focused not only on the individual but also on the environment where a client experiences their personal issues. In therapy, she also helps clients understand the importance of their somatic experience and why a grounded and flexible body is necessary to function fully as an individual. Her training in Family Constellations has helped her understand how family systems influence people’s experiences and how the systemic approach provides an expanded view of personal issues. With a strong commitment to advocate for representation, diversity and access to mental health services, Paola is committed to create a safe space for others to be treated with empathy and compassion.
Paola provides services in Spanish and English. She works with adults who want to heal their relationship with food and their body image, including individuals seeking to increase their self-awareness. She also works with clients facing life transitions and those undergoing the acculturation process.
