Dr. Christina Z. Atti, a Licensed Psychologist in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, has a broad range of experience in which makes her well-equipped to help a diverse clientele. Because there is no manual to life, you can expect that she will provide individualized care that is collaborative and comprehensive which is designed to help you meet your unique goals. She will support and challenge you in an environment that is both safe and confidential. Dr. Atti practices from an integrative treatment approach, which focuses on skills and techniques that will increase one's ability to live a life full of emotional and physical well-being.
In utilizing an integrative treatment approach to therapy, Dr. Atti is able to maximize results with her clients. She draws on several schools of psychology which enables her to attend to the unique personality and characteristics of each person she works with. Her areas of ongoing proficiency include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT-Informed), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), and Humanistic Client-Centered.
Dr. Atti believes that every client is worthy of empathy, genuineness, and a judgement-free therapeutic environment. She also believes that therapy should involve the development of increased self-awareness and coping skills in order to help deal with everyday life. Although therapy and progress takes time, Dr. Atti emphasizes the importance of building on life skills slowly and progressively. In her experience, effective therapy involves more than just an intellectual understanding of one's problems. A better understanding of the thoughts that keep a person "stuck", along with the allowance of an emotional experience, is what will help move an individual to work through issues and conflicts, and behave in more adaptive ways. Because the patterns that keep a person unable to change in life are often rooted in early emotional experiences, it can be extremely freeing and therapeutic to explore these in order to develop a new way of living and viewing ones-self, and the world. This can only happen in the context of a safe relationship in which a person feels understood and accepted.
LICENSE
AFFILIATIONS
EDUCATION
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
ON A PERSONAL LEVEL
Dr. Atti is a transplant to south Florida, by way of Buffalo, New York. She loves being outside and going to the beach since this is a stark contrast from her life up north. She is a devoted fan of the Buffalo Bills (insert obvious joke here :) and Buffalo Sabres, and enjoys not just watching sports but also being physically active in her life as well. She is an avid baker and enjoys creating masterpieces in the kitchen that she can share with friends and family. Traveling is an important part of her life and has, what some might call, wanderlust; dreaming and planning for another trip is her favorite past-time. A real "dog-person", Dr. Atti can often be found at home playing and cuddling with her family, including her four (yes, four) miniature long-haired Dachshunds Rozee, Frankee, Winnee, and Doree; if having that many four-legged friends at home is wrong, she doesn't want to be right!
In utilizing an integrative treatment approach to therapy, Dr. Atti is able to maximize results with her clients. She draws on several schools of psychology which enables her to attend to the unique personality and characteristics of each person she works with. Her areas of ongoing proficiency include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT-Informed), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), and Humanistic Client-Centered.
Dr. Atti believes that every client is worthy of empathy, genuineness, and a judgement-free therapeutic environment. She also believes that therapy should involve the development of increased self-awareness and coping skills in order to help deal with everyday life. Although therapy and progress takes time, Dr. Atti emphasizes the importance of building on life skills slowly and progressively. In her experience, effective therapy involves more than just an intellectual understanding of one's problems. A better understanding of the thoughts that keep a person "stuck", along with the allowance of an emotional experience, is what will help move an individual to work through issues and conflicts, and behave in more adaptive ways. Because the patterns that keep a person unable to change in life are often rooted in early emotional experiences, it can be extremely freeing and therapeutic to explore these in order to develop a new way of living and viewing ones-self, and the world. This can only happen in the context of a safe relationship in which a person feels understood and accepted.
LICENSE
- Licensed Psychologist # PY 9167
AFFILIATIONS
EDUCATION
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) - Nova Southeastern University - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- Master's in Psychology (M.S.) - Nova Southeastern University - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- Master's in Mental Health Counseling (M.S.) - The University at Buffalo - (SUNY at Buffalo) - Buffalo, New York
- Bachelor's in Psychology (B.A.) - Ithaca College - Ithaca, New York
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
- Post-Doctoral Residency at a private group practice in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Provided therapy and assessment to individuals, couples, and families who needed help dealing with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, relationship problems, work-related stress, anger problems and many other issues.
- Psychologist and Group Leader with the Alliance for Eating Disorders, a nationally recognized non-profit organization in West Palm Beach, Florida that focuses on advocacy, outreach, and assistance for individuals and families with eating disorders.
- Pre-Doctoral Internship at The Renfrew Center, a residential treatment facility in Coconut Creek, Florida with adults, adolescents and families suffering with severe eating disorder and other related disorders.
- Facilitator and consultant in the Geriatric Medicine Clinic and Fall Prevention Clinic at Nova Southeastern University, a clinic that assesses older adults for mental health issues, cognitive functioning and their risk of fall.
- Therapist at the Faulk Center for Counseling (formerly the Center for Group Counseling), in Boca Raton, Florida, a non-profit community mental health center that provides therapy and other services to individuals at low-cost.
- Therapist at The Watershed, in Boynton Beach, Florida, a residential treatment facility for adults suffering with substance use disorders and other related disorders.
- Mental Health Counselor at The Buffalo Psychiatric Center in Buffalo, New York, an inpatient psychiatric hospital that helps stabilize, treat and rehabilitate individuals with chronic and severe mental illness.
ON A PERSONAL LEVEL
Dr. Atti is a transplant to south Florida, by way of Buffalo, New York. She loves being outside and going to the beach since this is a stark contrast from her life up north. She is a devoted fan of the Buffalo Bills (insert obvious joke here :) and Buffalo Sabres, and enjoys not just watching sports but also being physically active in her life as well. She is an avid baker and enjoys creating masterpieces in the kitchen that she can share with friends and family. Traveling is an important part of her life and has, what some might call, wanderlust; dreaming and planning for another trip is her favorite past-time. A real "dog-person", Dr. Atti can often be found at home playing and cuddling with her family, including her four (yes, four) miniature long-haired Dachshunds Rozee, Frankee, Winnee, and Doree; if having that many four-legged friends at home is wrong, she doesn't want to be right!
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude".
- Maya Angelou