Leonela’s passion lies in empowering individuals to conquer their fears while guiding them towards the discovery of their inner strength and emotional resilience. She believes that her role as a therapist is to foster a supportive space where clients are able to explore past experiences, adversity, and beliefs in order to develop effective coping strategies for the present and future. Leonela looks forward to working with adolescents and individual adults who are seeking guidance for help overcoming obstacles related to trauma, anxiety, panic, and low self-esteem.
Leonela is passionate about learning, and creativity. As a life-long learner, Leonela is dedicated to personal growth and is committed to assisting her clients with their individual and unique goals. Her approach to counseling utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-focused Therapy, Person-centered Therapy, and Play Therapy techniques. She believes that all people can be empowered to find solutions within themselves, and that each individual can practice different ways of thinking to better cope with the stressors of life.
Leonela is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate under the supervision of Maggie Chlebana, M.S., LPC-S, and she graduated from Houston Christian University with a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2023. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing with a Minor in History from the University of Houston in 2013 and worked as an educator in secondary schools in the greater Houston area for 10 years before becoming a counselor.
