Giselle Belanger, RN, LCSW

Giselle is a registered nurse and a licensed clinical therapist specialized in addiction, family, and couples work. In addition to her Masters degree in education, she pursued studies in a post-graduate diploma program in Family Systems Therapy and received special training working with victims of in domestic violence. In order to establish credibility, she obtained and maintained her CADC (certified alcohol and drug counselor) credential for many years, however, no longer believes that it is necessary to continue to maintain active status.

Giselle has written over fifty articles related to these subjects, which were printed weekly in English and Spanish in the Puerto Vallarta newspapers, "Vallarta Tribune" and "Tribuna". She believes it is important to reach out to a larger community beyond the actual clients she interacts with directly. She hopes her readers can easily identify with some of the topics and would feel encouraged to make changes in their lives.

One of the greatest gifts and lessons Giselle received was the importance of treating the patient as a whole; beyond the disease, recognizing that there was a person with a life, family and friends, all of whom needed attending. This powerful and invaluable experience became the foundation for her future career choice as an empathic psychotherapist. She understands the direct relationship between treating the emotional, mental, and spiritual health of a person, and each of their impact on one’s physical health.