Meet Your Therapist
Elizabeth Gaitan is the owner of Essential Growth Therapy LLC. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 11 years of experience in the mental health field. She became a social worker because she enjoys helping others find resources and solutions to their everyday problems. As a Mental Health Therapist her work involves using therapeutic modalities to provide individual counseling, couples counseling, and teen counseling to those in the states of Florida and Texas. She offers Telehealth, or online therapy services, communicating via phone or video. Her expertise include working with those suffering from depression, anxiety, ADHD, anger, and grief. She has also have helped many work through domestic violence issues, divorce, and relationship problems.
Her Story
Elizabeth’s roots started in Puerto Rico growing up in her great-grandfather’s land. Her parents came from humble beginnings and, due to family obligations, dropped out of school in their middle school years. Her parents married young and worked hard to provide for Elizabeth and her sister. When employment was hard to come by in the island, her parents would relocate the entire family to Florida for work. Thus, Elizabeth grew up between Florida and Puerto Rico for most of her childhood. Where her parents did not finish their education, they strongly desired for Elizabeth and her sister to attain a high school diploma. And they did. Growing up in a small town with a mostly Caucasian population, Elizabeth knew college should have been next, but she was not sure how she could afford that. Nevertheless, the hope was there. College was something she aspired to do. However, with pressures mounting at home, she did what was most relatable, she married young and had a family. After seven difficult years she found herself divorced and a single mother to five young children. By this point she had become more resourceful and solution focused. She put herself through college with the help of grants and scholarships did not stop until she got her Masters degree in Social Work.
The next step to obtain her license and open her own practice. As a child, Elizabeth saw her grandfather’s entrepreneur skills at work. He never worked for anyone. Neither did her great-grandfather. Thus, it was only natural for Elizabeth to also desire to work for herself and open her own practice. She wanted to help others the way she was helped when she needed it. As of today she has helped many with diverse mental health challenges. Elizabeth looks forward to helping many more and to contribute to the community where she serves.
