Today we’d like to introduce you to Alessia Vivod.
Hi Alessia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Alessia Vivod. I grew up in a small town called Saint Clairsville, Ohio. I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.
After graduation, I was excited to move south to grow and experience life outside of my town and state, which led me to end up in Miami, FL.
I pursued my M.S. in Clinical Psychology where my focus became the social and environmental connection between exercise, obesity, and health. My thesis, entitled “The Effects of Culture on the Motivation for Exercise,” solidified the premise that combining the benefits of exercise with psychological awareness created the unique holistic approach that she was seeking. I was curious to discover even more about the unconscious emotional reasons that cause overeating, food addiction, and eating issues in general.
After graduating, I knew I always wanted to start my practice and had such a passion to help others entangle their deep-rooted issues and grow in awareness, self-esteem, confidence, and overall well-being in all aspects relating to mental health issues in general. I found an amazing woman, Sandy Canfield, with her practice in Winter Park, Fl. Knowing I wanted to learn the emotional-based therapy of PBSP, which focuses on techniques to explore the body and mind on a deep, rooted basis, I was determined to grow my practice.
I decided to make the exciting, yet intimidating move from Miami to Winter Park and started my practice from nothing. I started to build a business while learning from Sandy, who is a Licensed Supervisor in Florida as well as a trainer in PBSP therapy. Although the move was scary, as well as the thought of starting a practice from nothing and knowing no one, it was by far the best, yet most intimidating risk I’ve taken. I learned so much from my supervisor for years, and after becoming fully licensed, I kept on with training and connections to help me grow even more as a therapist, business owner, and overall person.
I’ve learned a lot about life, obstacles, and myself. Now, seven years after my move, I have a full practice that continues to keep growing and growing. I love the fact that I get to lead clients to their souls, If someone asks me what I do all day long, that’s usually my go-to response. We all have struggles. Depression, anxiety, addictions, stress, life adjustments, self-esteem, family dynamics, etc. are all things that everyday people have on their plate. I love and feel strongly passionate that I am lucky enough to get to know people in such depth, as well as have the tools, personality, ambition, and training to lead clients to their souls and sort out all the chaos that life throws our way. There is so much about the mind, body, nature, nurture, and experiences that impact each individual and cause so much distress emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Currently, I have expanded, and continue in expanding my group practice which is named Uplift Psychotherapy Center. It is important for me as a boss to have genuine, relatable therapists in my group that own their own humanity and can be relatable. Uplift Psychotherapy Center offers therapy that is personal. We treat you as the person you are. We take a human-centered approach and show up as real people. Our goal is that you never feel alone in your individual process.
We are determined in showing up as real people, regardless of our titles, educational backgrounds, and clinical knowledge. Putting all of that aside, it is beyond important for us to provide a safe environment, where our clients understand that we all have stuff and that you are never alone. We know, and want it to be known, that we all are humans with so much happening. Life is filled with so many curve balls, issues, and emotions. My goal for anyone entering a therapeutic setting is that we strive to assist clinically, but also provide raw and real connections dedicated to each client’s needs.
I love all the obstacles I have encountered and faced as a therapist, business owner, and boss. I am constantly challenged, and growing, as well as confident, grateful, and appreciative. I look forward to helping clients, as well as therapists and future students, learn and grow in awareness, emotional intelligence, and overall well-being.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It for sure has not been a smooth road for anything I have made steps do. Leaving my family in Ohio, I always still encounter and struggle with the grief of doing life and growing, learning to love them from a distance. I always have a similar feeling with the close friends who helped me in super hard times when I lived in Miami.
I was a young, broke girl just trying to get by and in school thousands of miles away from where I originally knew life. I made genuine connections with friends I now call my family, who took me through the hardest times. Knowing I didn’t want to stay in Miami, and struggling with the lifestyle that the city has to offer, leaving still wasn’t easy. I knew I wanted to start my practice outside of Miami, yet leaving the family I made and starting over again, was again a grief I was unprepared for.
Struggling financially since I moved away from my family, every decision I made for sure seemed like a life-altering and scary decision. I had the pressure of so many people saying I was “crazy” for trying to open a practice right out of graduate school, it was hard to at times feel like I was making a “responsible” decision. I didn’t know much about business, or marketing, yet alone how to start something alone. Putting this aside, I pushed into the discomfort and fears and chose to have the confidence to try and put my energy into making it happen anyway.
It was hard building a client basis in a town knowing no one. Practicing patience and making connections was key for me, but at times for sure scary and overwhelming. There were so many unknowns and obstacles of being the first time opening a business, as well as feeling at times alone in it. Finding more support and leaning on people was never easy at times, but always necessary emotionally.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Uplift Psychotherapy Center provides services in mental health counseling, in-person and virtually. We understand that every person has their own journey and we are privileged and invested in helping you start living an overall better life.
Uplift Psychotherapy Center offers therapy that is personal. We treat you as the person you are. We take a human-centered approach and show up as real people. Our goal is that you never feel alone in your individual process. At Uplift, we are determined in showing up as real people, regardless of our titles, educational backgrounds, and clinical knowledge.
Putting all of that aside, it is beyond important for us to provide a safe environment, where our clients understand that we all have stuff and that you are never alone. We know, and want it to be known, that we all are humans with so much happening. Life is filled with so many curve balls, issues, and emotions – and here at Uplift, we strive to assist clinically, but also provide raw and real connections dedicated to each client’s needs.
I, Alessia Vivod, am the founder of Uplift Psychotherapy Center and currently have therapists who specialize in a variety of different therapeutic approaches such as DBT, CBT, EMDR, PBSP, and other holistic approaches that combine other varieties to treat trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction, stress, family dynamics, couples, etc.
As the Clinic Director, I am also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. I have 6+ years of postgraduate experience as a psychotherapist working within a variety of settings and health-related issues including depression, anxiety, substance use/abuse, eating/food disorders, workplace and adjustment stress, interpersonal conflict, parenting challenges, self-esteem, grief, and other life stressors, as well as trauma. I am also trained and licensed in clinical supervision.
I have a passion for working to help people feel seen and understood, confront their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, and be motivated for change and overall growth. I love providing a safe space for all of this to be possible.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I love to connect with others. People can collaborate, support, or reach out to work with me by finding me on social media, email, or phone below- and also check out my website listed as well.
Email: admin@upliftpsychotherapy.net and alessia@upliftpsychotherapy.net.
Website: upliftpsychotherapy.net
Phone: (407) 205-7292
linktr.ee/upliftpsychotherapycenter
https://www.facebook.com/upliftpsychotherapycenter
https://www.instagram.com/uplift_center/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/alessia-vivod-winter-park-fl/1026032
Contact Info:
- Website: www.upliftpsychotherapy.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uplift_center/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upliftpsychotherapycenter
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessia-vivod-4b0170227/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/upliftpsychotherapycenter.net
