MEET PAULINA
Paulina Butler, MA, LMHCA, LMFTA is a bilingual therapist who works with children, teens, adults, couples, and families. She brings a background in science, a strong interest in how people and relationships work, and a practical, collaborative approach to therapy.
From Science to Therapy
Paulina came to counseling after fifteen years working in biotech. Her scientific background shaped the way she thinks: she is curious, comfortable with complexity, and interested in understanding how different pieces of a person’s experience fit together.
Over time, she became increasingly drawn to work that centered people rather than data. Becoming a therapist allowed her to bring both parts of herself together - careful thinking and genuine human connection.
That background still influences her work today. Paulina values understanding why patterns develop, what keeps them going, and what may help create meaningful change. At the same time, therapy is never about reducing a person to symptoms, diagnoses, or a checklist.
A Therapist Who Understands Families
As a working parent of two neurodivergent children, Paulina brings both professional training and lived understanding to her work with kids, teens, and families.
She understands that children do not exist in isolation. Their emotions, relationships, environments, school experiences, identities, and family systems all matter. When appropriate, Paulina works collaboratively with parents and caregivers so that progress in therapy can carry into life outside the therapy room.
Her approach is supportive and practical, with space for both the individual client and the people who care for them.
EMDR and Trauma-Informed Therapy
Paulina is EMDRIA-trained in EMDR therapy and incorporates trauma-informed approaches into her work with children, teens, and adults.
EMDR can be helpful for people whose past experiences continue to affect how they feel, react, relate to others, or see themselves in the present. With younger clients, EMDR is adapted to the child’s developmental level and may include creative, playful, or more interactive approaches.
Paulina also understands that trauma does not always come from one dramatic event. Ongoing stress, difficult relationships, bullying, loss, family disruption, identity-based experiences, and repeated feelings of being misunderstood or unsafe can all leave lasting effects.
Neurodivergent-Affirming Care
Paulina works with children, teens, and adults with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence.
Her goal is not to force someone to appear more “typical.” Instead, therapy can help clients better understand how their brain works, recognize their needs, build strategies that actually fit them, and reduce shame around differences that may have been misunderstood for years.
Common areas of focus may include:
Emotional regulation
Overwhelm and shutdown
Executive functioning challenges
Masking
Anxiety
Self-esteem
School or work stress
Parent-child conflict
Relationship difficulties
Understanding a new ADHD or autism diagnosis
Couples and Family Therapy
Paulina also works with couples and families experiencing conflict, disconnection, communication difficulties, and major transitions.
Therapy can help people identify the patterns they repeatedly get pulled into, understand what is happening underneath conflict, and develop different ways of responding to one another.
The goal is not to decide who is right or wrong. It is to help people better understand themselves, each other, and the dynamics affecting their relationships.
Therapy in English and Spanish
Paulina is a native speaker of both English and Spanish, and provides therapy in either language.
Being able to speak about emotions, relationships, family experiences, and difficult memories in the language that feels most natural can make therapy feel more accessible and authentic.
She welcomes Spanish-speaking individuals, couples, parents, children, and families.
Paulina’s Approach
Paulina believes therapy works best when clients feel respected, understood, and able to be themselves.
Her style is warm, curious, collaborative, and grounded. She is comfortable asking thoughtful questions, exploring complicated situations, and helping clients make connections between what has happened in the past and what is happening now.
Therapy with Paulina may include EMDR, family systems work, trauma-informed approaches, emotional regulation skills, and practical strategies tailored to the individual client.
Most importantly, therapy is not something she does to a client. It is work done together.
Who Paulina Works With
Paulina works with:
Children
Teens
Adults
Couples
Families
Neurodivergent clients
Spanish-speaking clients and families
Areas of focus include trauma and PTSD, anxiety, emotional regulation, ADHD, autism, family relationships, couples concerns, life transitions, and EMDR therapy.
Ready to Get Started?
Finding a therapist who feels like the right fit matters.
If Paulina’s approach sounds like what you are looking for, you can learn more about fees and insurance or take the next step and request an appointment.