About Eri Çela
Hi, I’m Eri
I find purpose in knowing that the impact of my work goes beyond the individual—I specialize in relationship and couples therapy because I believe that strong bonds and thriving relationships are the bedrock of a happy, healthy life.
Approaching my practice with care and respect for the full humanity of my clients, I aim to create a transformative psychotherapy experience. I do that by inviting you to feel, to know yourself better, to confront the beliefs, actions, and attitudes holding you back, and to respond to what matters to you with courage and purpose.
My Background
I have lived a life full of loss, endings, and new beginnings.
As a teenager, my country of birth, Albania, transitioned out of authoritarian rule. These formative years were shaped by observing people forced to confront who they were and come to terms with their lives, loss, anger, and disillusionment while simultaneously responding to a call for a new beginning. Later, as an immigrant, I came to a deeper understanding of how sudden disruptions in life can alter one’s experience of self.
One of the invitations in therapy is to connect us with our resources– ultimately empowering us to imagine our best quality of life and then bring that idea to actualization. Such potential captivated me as a young person, and after witnessing it over and over again throughout my career, my feelings very much remain the same.
For me, psychotherapy is a calling, a vocation. On a personal level, it’s served as a meaningful intersection of my knowledge, experiences, skills, and curiosities. On an interpersonal level, it offers value to others while fulfilling my life with a profound sense of purpose.
My Approach
My first specialty, somatic psychotherapy, developed from a natural integration of my interests in the mind and body. In a whole-person model, somatic therapy recognizes the confluence of mental, emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual elements of a person’s life. This kind of approach is dynamic and interactive, often leading to deeper, faster change in clients.
Over time, I’ve developed my specialty further through applying somatic therapy in a relational context. I work primarily with couples and individuals looking to explore their challenges through a relational lens. I find that when clients actively work on their relationships, they experience relief from anxiety, depression, and trauma at higher rates. Going beyond individual objectives, relationship-oriented therapy has the potential to radiate compassion and healing into every part of life.
It's also important to me that play gets incorporated into the therapeutic process. One way I do this is by incorporating interventions like role play and movement. Another way is by inviting levity and humor into the counseling space. This work can be hard, so having fun, when appropriate, is important.
Outside Of Work
Relationships are not only essential to my counseling practice—they’re a huge part of my personal life as well. I find that I’m most effective at just about everything when I’ve had my social fill, so I prioritize spending quality time with loved ones.
I’m easily amused, deeply curious, and always up for appreciating wonders big and small. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved walking around and discovering what the neighborhood has to offer. I’ve even been told I look like a tourist, even in the areas where I work and live!
Heal Your Relationships, Heal Your Life
Viewing your concerns through a relational lens can encourage growth and compassion in your life. To find out more about my approach to therapy for couples and individual adults, contact me. Intensives are available.
Eri Çela is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) serving clients throughout Florida and California. In addition to having master’s level training in psychology, Eri is certified in:
Psychobiological Approach To Couple Therapy (PACT) through The PACT Institute, Level II
Developmental Model of Couples Therapy through The Couples Institute
Gottman Method Couples Therapy through The Gottman Institute, Level II
Assessing and Treating Sexual Issues in Psychotherapy, Level I
Somatic Experiencing™ Professional Training through Somatic Experiencing™ International, Level II