Karina is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Florida Supreme Court Family Mediator with over two decades of clinical experience. Originally from Brazil, she began her professional work in clinical psychology within private and public psychiatric hospitals, supporting individuals and families facing significant mental health challenges.

After relocating to South Florida in 1993, Karina earned her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University and continued advanced training in trauma treatment. Her clinical career includes work with Broward County’s Nancy J. Cotterman Sexual Assault Treatment Center, where she provided services to survivors of sexual violence. She later served as Director of the Broward County program “Friends of Our House,” overseeing therapeutically supervised visitation services in complex custody, abduction, and high-conflict family cases.

As a Florida Victim Advocate, Karina has collaborated closely with state and local agencies to support victims and their families. She is the Founder and Clinical Director of South Florida Counseling Agency, where she provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families while also assisting courts, attorneys, judges, and social workers in matters involving trauma, abduction, and reunification.

Karina has extensive experience working with Hague Convention abduction cases and is an official provider for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Her work includes supporting children and families through rescue, removal, reunification, and reintegration processes across jurisdictions.

In addition to trauma-focused psychotherapy, she conducts psychological evaluations for immigration proceedings, including VAWA petitions and waivers of removal. She provides services in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Karina’s clinical approach emphasizes a strong therapeutic alliance, structured assessment, and trauma-informed care designed to promote stability, insight, and long-term healing.