At a young age, Edelys experienced her own trauma and began therapy at the age of 6 years old. With the help of her therapist, along with a lot of art and play therapy, she became more confident in herself over time. This experience and personal story are what inspired her to become a child therapist. Edelys is very familiar with how children think and feel when they go through tough times. Not only on a personal level but because she has been working with children and teenagers for the past 8 years. She has made it her life goal to provide children with what she was offered as a child in order to help them heal their emotional wounds.

Just like her childhood therapist, Edelys incorporates play and art into her services. She has vast training in play therapy techniques and art therapy techniques. She firmly believes “Art and play are a child’s language, and toys and colors are their words.” Using art and play, Edelys helps children and teens process their thoughts and feelings. She teaches kids healthy ways of coping, relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and how to feel better about themselves.

Edelys obtained her bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology in the Dominican Republic. She then moved to Miami, where she obtained her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Carlos Albizu University. In addition, she is trained in a variety of trauma treatments, including  Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EFT: Tapping, and EMDR. Edelys has been able to incorporate these modalities and make them fit into art and play in her services.

Edelys firmly believes that parent engagement is very important for the success of their child. “When parents become involved, it makes the child feel supported and that there is a team of people that have their back.” She also provides space and resources for parents in order to help them navigate through their thoughts and feelings about what their child is experiencing and explore better ways to support their child. As she likes to say, “Happy parent, happy child; unhappy parent, unhappy child.”

Edelys calls herself a “human diary” (a diary is a place where you express personal things you may be going through free of outside judgment and criticism). She refers to herself as such since that is exactly what she feels she is to her therapy clients. Edelys likes to provide a space for children and teens to express all the things they are too afraid to put into words and say out loud. Her loving and nurturing traits make children and teens feel safe, understood, loved, and accepted. Most importantly, she makes therapy fun!