CLINICAL INTERN
Pronouns: She/Her
A note from Angelica: "You are a cultural being with many intersecting identities of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, socioeconomic status, geographic location, national origin, language, immigration status, etc. You come from a specific historical, cultural, and family background that has brought you to this point in your life and shaped who you are. My training is in systemic therapy, which examines how the many facets of our lives interact. My place in your therapy is to see you, hear you, and reflect your power back to you. I partner with my clients to help them find their voice, tell their stories, re-engage their strengths, and cultivate new ways to stay mindful and grounded."
Angelica Paulo is a BIPOC Marriage and Family Therapist Intern native to the Hawaiian Islands. She understands the struggles of feeling isolated, underrepresented, and misunderstood due to historical oppression. Considering the culture and values each client identifies with, Angelica integrates several forms of psychotherapy that adapt to each person’s unique needs depending on their challenges, goals, expectations, and motivation. She works with clients (individuals, couples, families, groups) anywhere on the spectrums of age, gender/sexuality, (non)religion, ability, and cultural and racial identity.
Angelica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and is pursuing a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Capella University. In addition, she holds certifications in the areas of Grief Recovery, Ho’oponopono, Coming of Age Mentor for Youth, Positive Parenting Coach, Crisis Counselor for the Trevor Project, and soon, Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Her background as a grief recovery specialist, in specific, has informed her understanding that many of the reasons that bring people to therapy are related to grief – the conflicting feelings caused by the end of, or change in, a familiar pattern of behavior related to a significant emotional loss of any kind.
Angelica aims to provide culturally-aligned and trauma-informed care through a social justice framework that allows her clients to feel understood, safe, hopeful, and empowered. She is equipped to help unpack how clients experience the weight of social injustice, systemic racism, or intergenerational trauma. Utilizing client-centered, evidence and strength-based, narrative, and trauma-informed practices, Angelica guides her clients not just to alleviate symptoms but to create self-care routines and coping skills habitually, which allows them to sustain meaningful lives.
Angelica uses a narrative therapy lens to access the many stories informing a client’s identity. Difficult patterns become easier to shed as we develop understanding of their conscious triggers and unconscious roots. Her areas of practice focus on supporting those struggling with grief and loss, developmental or attachment trauma, relationships, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and the complex experiences of those who hold multiple identities. She strives to bridge the gap between Western therapeutic models and Indigenous ways of healing so that clients can remember their inner strengths, become their own healers, and reconnect with their roots.
Angelica is a bachelor's-level mental health counseling intern at Twin Lakes Counseling. She is supervised by Cherie McKale, LMHC (NPI 1528620010, License LH61317695).
