Admelyz (Mel) Bueno

Culturally, we are used to seeing highlight reels of people’s lives all over social media. If I had to highlight the moments that bring joy to my life, it would sound something like this: I love nature. I love animals. I love food. I especially love learning how to make food from different countries, and most importantly, connecting with people over food. (I am getting hungry as I am writing this!) For part of my life, I grew up on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico and have a background in Elementary Education and Psychology. Yes, I love children! I also enjoy serving the community and am an active volunteer in assisting the homeless with SALT Outreach. I am also excited to be a registered mental health counselor intern, a recent graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University, and I am happily married. 

    While all of that is true, highlight reels are not always reality. Reality says that often, life feels like a very heavy load to carry and sometimes, the load has become too heavy to carry on our own. Growing up in a broken home, I believed my load was heavy and that I could not have a healthy marriage. I struggled with self-acceptance and feelings of doubt. I can attest to the pain that unhealthy relationships can bring. However, I am also a walking testimony to the healing power of therapy and healthy relationships.

Throughout my life, I have learned that we are often wounded through relationships whether it be from our parents, family members, friends, acquaintances, peers, teachers, coworkers, bosses, or our relationship with ourselves. Yet, ironically, we are also healed through relationships. For me, counseling is more than just a job title. I have personally invested in my own growth through therapy and am now in a fruitful marriage, loving who I have become and am still being molded to be. I have learned that I am more than my life circumstances, and likewise, your life circumstances don’t have to define you either. 

Every individual is unique, and every life event brings on different wounds, traumas, and hurts. In therapy, one size does not fit all and different therapeutic methods are utilized for every client. Working with children, I enjoy using play therapy because children communicate best through play. It may be difficult for them to find the vocabulary to express how they feel or process a situation, but play allows them to demonstrate their view of the world and to communicate what words cannot articulate. I also incorporate elements of play, art, and mindfulness into my sessions with adolescents and adults. I love working with clients who are struggling with their identity, codependency, chronic pain, and childhood wounds. My desire is to create a healing environment, where you or your child can articulate your hurts, pains, and thoughts. It is imperative that the counseling environment is a safe and secure place that empowers you to have the necessary tools to face the wounds in your heart, mind, and soul that are weighing you down, while teaching you to give yourself grace in your healing journey. 

If no one has told you this, then please hear it from me for the very first time: You are enough. You are worthy of love. You are valuable. You deserve to heal, and I would love to join you on your journey towards a whole, meaningful, and healed life. Give me a call today so we can begin this journey of healing together!!!