Biography

Dr. Mott completed his internship at the Clemson University counseling center in South Carolina, and finished his residency requirements in private practice. He recently worked as the Associate Director of a large group practice in Naples, Bonita Springs, and Fort Myers, Florida. While at this position, he provided individual and family therapy, marital and couples counseling, conducted psychological assessments and bariatric evaluations, and provided supervision to post-doctoral residents. In addition, he worked in the community providing psychological services to those in assisted-living facilities and at a renowned ALS Clinic.

In addition to work in college counseling and private practice, Dr. Mott has experience in a variety of clinical settings which include working in inpatient psychiatric facilities assessing and treating those who suffer from serious mental illness and self-injurious behaviors. Dr. Mott also has clinical experience with those who suffer from substance-related problems, addiction, and co-occurring disorders.

Dr. Mott is a published author and at times appears in media reports and news publications. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), Florida Psychological Association (FPA), and Mental Health Counselors of Central Florida (MHCCF)

Dr. Mott works from a humanistic solution-focused approach that employs Interpersonal and Cognitive-Behavioral interventions which attend to one’s own culture, individual differences, and preference. He believes in a collaborative therapeutic process in which the client and therapist work together in identifying presenting problems and establishing goals. The goal is to help the person come to new insights about one’s issue in a safe and supportive environment while resolving them in a collaborative manner with the therapist. This process helps to build confidence and empower the person in taking control of one’s life.

Dr. Steckler’s previous clinical experiences working from both brief and long-term models have allowed her to be thoughtful, creative, and flexible in her approach to therapy. She has a strong foundation in evidence-based practices including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-based strategies. Dr. Steckler conceptualizes clients predominantly from a cognitive-behavioral perspective, which she has found to be useful when working with individuals who are challenging their beliefs about themselves and the world as they navigate a multitude of life transitions. She frequently combines this perspective with Interpersonal Process and Strength-based approaches, empowering her clients to take steps towards meeting their personal goals.

Dr. Castro completed his predoctoral internship at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System with rotations in Primary Care Psychology, Substance Abuse Treatment and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinic. He completed his post-doctoral training at the Daytona Beach VA Outpatient clinic, continuing his training in general mental health as well as Primary Care-Mental Health Integration.

Most recently, Dr. Castro held his position as Graduate Psychologist in the Primary Care-Mental Health Integration program at the William Chappell VA Outpatient Clinic in Daytona Beach, Florida. Here, he functioned as the mental health provider responsible for the direct psychological patient care in Patient Aligned Care Teams, providing consultation services to physicians on complex cases, educating staff on suicide prevention, as well as providing psychotherapy, assessment and crisis intervention to clients.In addition to his work in the VA healthcare system, Dr. Castro has had years of experience working for various agencies in various capacities throughout his career. Experience includes: providing intensive, in-home crisis intervention, counseling, and life-skills education for families who have children at imminent risk of placement in state-funded care; Lead clinician and supervisor of transitions program housing and treating psychological and adjustment issues with Unaccompanied Alien Children through the US Customs and Immigration Services; providing school counseling services and resource accommodations to students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade; providing direct service to undergraduate students presenting with issues consistent of a general mental health student counseling center; and Professor of Psychology and Guidance Counseling.

Dr. Castro works from a client-center, solution-focused approach that using empirically validated treatments through Interpersonal and Cognitive-Behavioral. His individualistic approach allows for him to focus on clients specialized needs centered on client’s culture and preferences. He uses a here-and-now approach to bridge gap between client’s desired goals and overcoming issues preventing them from reaching said goals.

Bilingual in English and Spanish

Dr Castro has experience in working with children, adults and the geriatric community in treating issues related to anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, identity issues, psychosexual disturbances, impact of chronic illness and pain on mental health and adjustment to changes in life. Psychological and counseling services are based on a wide range of approaches that can include:

• Individual therapy for a variety of emotional difficulties, including depression, anxiety, and stress, attention, and behavioral problems, issues regarding psychosexual concerns and identity issues, chronic pain and adjustment to chronic health issues.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy for other specific psychological disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder.
• Evaluation and treatment for attention and behavioral disorders, learning disorders, academic difficulties or developmental disorders, social and emotional difficulties.
• Pre-employment, disability, academic, and psychological evaluations
  Consultations related to school/academic issues, organization/structural change, and medical/health consultations with other health providers.

Dr. Ramdihal’s experience includes providing therapy and psychological evaluations with clients across all ages and diverse backgrounds. This includes working with populations that experience severe mental illness, anxiety, depression, trauma, childhood behavioral issues, couples counseling, and geriatric services. She has worked in settings such as community mental health, an alternative-day school, private practice, and assisted living/skilled nursing facilities.

Dr. Ramdihal believes that an important component of mental health is learning and understanding one’s experiences, emotions, and styles of coping. Through a cyclical psychodynamic approach, Dr. Ramdihal is able to address a client’s needs through the utilization of Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Family Systems Therapy. Dr. Ramdihal also practices from a culturally informed perspective and is an advocate for particularly marginalized communities. She understands that navigating one’s mental health is not an easy task. Dr. Ramdihal’s goal is to help you process where you are in your mental health journey and how she can help you achieve your ideal mental wellness.

Dr. Ramdihal provides services to individuals from adolescence to later adulthood. She specializes in treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and bereavement, relationship concerns, and women’s issues. She has provided therapy to special populations such as young children, older-adults, and individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. She specializes in working with individuals who identify as South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, and/or West Indian. Dr. Ramdihal offers community outreach and trainings to help inform the community of mental health resources.

Dr. Amodeo has worked in private practices, hospitals including inpatient/outpatient and forensic settings. Her clinical experience includes working with children, adolescents, adults and couples. Dr. Amodeo also has experience evaluating and treating first responders. She specializes in bereavement and previously worked for Montgomery Hospice in Norristown, PA where she provided counseling to terminally ill patients and their family members. In addition to her clinical experience, Dr. Amodeo has conducted presentations on bereavement in hospitals and for the Florida Psychological Association. She also presented at Ethics Conferences for the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. Dr. Amodeo is a member of the Florida Psychological Association.

Dr. Amodeo’s approach to treatment is based on the individual needs of her clients. Some of the treatment approaches that she utilizes include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, grief therapy, solution focused and mindfulness based practices. She is dedicated to providing a caring, supportive and collaborative environment in therapy. Dr. Amodeo helps individuals gain insight into the nature of their issues in order to increase self-awareness and to achieve treatment goals.

Dr. Amodeo’s clinical experience includes working with individuals with relationship issues, depression, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, perfectionism, bipolar disorder, grief, trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic medical conditions. She has assessment experience in psychological, educational, cognitive and bariatric evaluations.

Dr. Zuluaga completed her internship at the CenterPlace Health Clinic in Sarasota, FL. Currently, she is completing her Postdoctoral Fellowship. Dr. Zuluaga has worked in various clinical settings, including private practices, an emotional/behavioral alternative school setting, and community mental health. She has also worked with clients across the lifespan, including children, adolescents, college-aged students, young adults, adults, and older adults. Dr. Zuluaga also utilizes telehealth platforms to provide therapeutic services.

In addition to her passion for therapeutic work, Dr. Zuluaga cherishes spending quality time with her family and friends. As someone who values strong interpersonal connections, she recognizes the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This commitment to fostering meaningful relationships in her personal life also informs her approach to understanding family systems and interpersonal dynamics in her professional practice.

Dr. Zuluaga believes a treatment approach should best suit the client. Therefore, she employs an integrative approach that draws on cognitive-behavioral, family systems, interpersonal, and solution-focused approaches. While also considering her clients’ cultural views and values. Within this diverse approach, she emphasizes integrating common or core factors in psychotherapy. These factors include fostering a strong therapeutic alliance, instilling hope, facilitating emotional processing, and cultivating positive expectations for change. This combination of techniques has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in bringing about substantial therapeutic progress while empowering clients to attain their treatment goals and gain profound insights into their issues.

Bilingual in English and Spanish

Dr. Zuluaga’s clinical experience includes working with individuals with depression, anxiety, challenges with adjustment, trauma, grief, family and interpersonal discord, learning difficulties, attention, and behavioral problems. She also has extensive assessment experience in psychological, academic, and cognitive evaluations for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Administration of clinical assessments includes intelligence and academic tests, autism assessments, neurological and memory screens, trauma screens, mood and symptomology reports, and personality tests.