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A former intern in marriage and family therapy at Manhattan Beach Community Counseling, Nadine Macaluso gained valuable experience counseling patients who experienced abuse, anxiety, depression, and codependency. Currently pursuing her PhD in depth psychotherapy at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Nadine Macaluso presently serves as a therapist in private practice. One of the first steps to finding the right therapist is to conduct research and collect a list of names of providers in the area. Aside from asking friends and family for referrals, the Internet is a good place to begin searching for a therapist. Visiting websites of established industry organizations such as the American Psychological Association or American Psychiatric Association can be helpful, as both can provide lists of qualified professionals who have met educational requirements for membership. Once a therapist has been selected, it is a good idea to speak with the therapist on the phone. A brief chat provides the opportunity to ask initial questions, as well as get a sense of the type of rapport that can be expected with that particular therapist.

Trained as a marriage and family therapist, Nadine Macaluso currently treats patients in her private practice in Manhattan Beach, California. In order to keep abreast of the latest developments in her profession, Nadine Macaluso maintains membership in organizations such as the International Association for the Study of Attachment and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) will celebrate its 50th anniversary at its 2014 Annual Conference, which is scheduled for May 1-4, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort and Spa in Indian Wells, California. In addition to commemorating the group’s anniversary, the CAMFT annual conference will feature a number of guest speakers who will discuss such topics as how to approach addictive disorders and how the advent of technology has affected dating, sex, and relationships. Dedicated to promoting the profession of marriage and family therapy, CAMFT is one of the largest independent professional organizations in the state. Supporting approximately 30,000 members, CAMFT strives to advance the professional interests of these individuals and to serve as an advocate for members with regulatory organizations such as the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

A psychotherapist in private practice, Nadine Macaluso possesses an extensive background in counseling psychology, somatic psychology, depth psychotherapy, and marriage and family therapy. Nadine Macaluso meets with families, couples, and individuals who are learning to cope with trauma and depression while also building healthier relationships. Emotional and psychological traumas result from intense stress and extraordinarily harrowing events that linger in the psyche. Experiences that can lead to trauma or extended periods of depression are generally life-threatening, or they pose some danger to a person’s physical safety and overall sense of security.  However, there are a number of subtler scenarios that can have lifelong impacts on the mind. Individuals who undergo surgery within the first three years of their life can experience trauma, for example. In fact, surgery at any point in life can generate the required stress levels to create a traumatic event.  Additionally, the trauma of being in a car accident often is overlooked after the physical and financial damage has been handled, but such an event can trigger stress and panic for years afterward. Sports injuries and painful falls might not seem harrowing enough to cause trauma, but those events can stay with a person for extended periods of time as well.  Trauma is not caused by physically threatening events in all cases. For instance, the death of a loved one is enough to cause trauma and depression.

A family psychotherapist based in southern California, Nadine Macaluso concentrates on helping individuals and couples achieve strong relationships and overall satisfaction in life. Her approach to therapy utilizes the neuro-affective relational model, which integrates somatic and cognitive elements. Through this approach, Nadine Macaluso helps clients overcome identity distortions such as chronic self-judgment, pervasive shame, and low self-esteem. In practice, clients come to her with a range of psychological issues, including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic attacks, and general anxiety. Early in her career, she worked as a therapist intern at the Cancer Care Community in Redondo Beach, California. Currently, she serves as a therapist at a private practice in Manhattan Beach, California. Nadine Macaluso is affiliated with the Depth Psychology Alliance, the International Association for the Study of Attachment, and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Her academic history includes earning a master’s in counseling psychology and she is currently completing her Ph.D. in somatic and depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Undergoing marriage counseling may seem a little intimidating to some couples, but seeking professional help for relationship problems offers several benefits and is important for struggling couples. Unfortunately, only around 5 percent of divorcing couples seek help, even though counseling increases the chance that a couple stays together. As a marriage and family therapist intern and doctoral candidate, Nadine Macaluso provides quality therapy services to clients who are struggling in relationships. Focusing on individualized help, Nadine Macaluso helps couples recover from affairs, serious conflicts, and miscommunication. Marriage and family therapists allow couples to experience change and growth that may not otherwise occur. The safe environment provided by marriage counselors allows couples and individuals to talk about feelings, issues, and behaviors within relationships that are causing problems. Marriage counseling helps couples learn a variety of beneficial techniques for communication and conflict resolution. Through coaching, feedback, and instruction, qualified therapists teach couples how to argue in a healthier way, express themselves clearly and openly, and resolve past issues. Even through marriage counseling does not always prevent divorce, it can teach individuals how to maintain healthy and effective relationships.

A marriage and family therapist intern, Nadine Macaluso counsels clients in a private practice in Manhattan Beach, California. She earned her MA in counseling psychology/depth psychology at the Pacifica Graduate Institute, where she is presently a doctoral candidate in depth psychology with an emphasis in somatic psychology. As she completes the final stage of licensing requirements, Nadine Macaluso is undertaking clinical training in the neuro-affective relational model (NARM). Laurence Heller, PhD, developed NARM as a unified systemic approach for working with clients experiencing shock trauma and problematic developmental issues. A fundamental premise of NARM is that, within all humans, there is a natural impulse to move toward health and connection. Unlike other therapeutic models that center their work on the client’s pathology, NARM shifts the attention to the client’s strengths. In NARM, the therapist focuses instead on how the client distorts their present experience with an outdated survival style. In the client’s development, these survival styles were initially adaptive. However, since the brain applies past experiences to forecast the future, these patterns persist in the nervous system and form a false identity. Consequently, these survival styles cause the client to disconnect from his authentic self and from others. NARM posits that humans create survival styles to manage the dysregulation and disconnection resulting from problems that arise when five basic needs are not met. Humans first need a sense of belonging in the world and a consistent connection with others. Secondly, humans must recognize their needs and pursue their fulfillment. Third, individuals must cultivate trust in themselves and others. Fourth, humans require the autonomy to set limits and to freely communicate. Finally, humans must have an open heart that allows them to express love and sexuality. The NARM approach works holistically with the psychological and physiological aspects of the individual. This model brings the client into an active process of inquiry through a dual awareness process. First, there is a mindful awareness concerning the client’s survival styles. Next, NARM uses somatic mindfulness to modify the nervous system and alter identity distortions such as shame and low self-esteem.

MFTI at Manhattan Beach Community Counseling