Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Las Cruces, NM covered by United Healthcare

Michael M. Zavala, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC is a Texas and New Mexico based Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner focused on holistic integrative psychiatry.

I help adults experiencing obesity, anxiety, depression, trauma/PTSD, and burnout/moral injury rediscover their sense of excitement and engagement with work, loved ones, and life by offering a specialized approach for those motivated to uncover the root cause of their symptoms, with medication as an option, NOT the only option.

My name is Carolina. I've been a therapist for nearly 9 years in NM.

I'm a social worker with over a decade of fieldwork with various populations in numerous settings. My breadth of experience affords me special insight into and a deep passion for infertility, perinatal and postpartum struggles, chronic illness, and military life. Working together is mutually beneficial: I get to put years of schooling and experience into practice, and you get to work towards improved overall wellness.

Therapy should be a place where you can talk honestly about the things that are difficult to say out loud without being judged or reduced to a diagnosis—or to the hardest chapter of your life.

I work with adults and couples experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, suicidal thoughts, sexual trauma, intimacy and sexual-health concerns, grief, life transitions, military and veteran concerns, first-responder stress, and relational distress. Relational distress can include communication breakdown, recurring conflict, loss of trust, emotional distance, intimacy concerns, separation or divorce-related stress, changes within a family, parenting-related strain, or simply reaching a point where you are unsure how to move forward.

My role in therapy is to help you understand what is happening, identify what you want to change, strengthen your ability to respond differently, and work toward healthier functioning and relationships. My clinical style is direct, collaborative, trauma-informed, practical, and shame-free.

I am independently licensed for clinical social-work practice in Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida; EMDR-trained; a Certified Psychosexual Assessment Specialist (CPAS); a Board-Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator (CFMHE); a Board-Certified Forensic Psychometrist (CFP); and a U.S. Army veteran.

My broader professional practice includes forensic mental-health evaluation and consultation. Those services are separate from psychotherapy. Once I am retained as your treating therapist and a clinical treatment relationship has been established, I cannot also serve as your forensic evaluator, expert witness, or child-custody evaluator in the same matter. Therapy is treatment-focused and is intended to support your clinical needs—not to generate an independent forensic opinion for litigation.

I believe that optimal mental health is achieved through an ongoing, multi-pronged approach. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner I am well trained in the art and science of prescribing medications to improve mental health symptoms. I also encourage adjunctive treatment modalities such as CBT. Empowering patients to care for themselves is part of my goal. I embrace opportunities to help my patients gain greater personal insight, because when you can see yourself, you can change yourself.

I have worked in the mental health field for over 15 years. I have worked with several different clientele including age ranges. I specialize in teenagers, LGBTQ+, women issues and young adults 18-55.

A very warm hello! I’m so glad to meet you, and I look forward to teaching you fascinating techniques to help you accomplish your counseling goals. Psychology is my passion, and for 25 years, I’ve worked to learn the most effective therapies. I use the latest in Neuro Psycho therapy along with Cognitive Behavioral therapy, EMDR, and other therapies to help my Clients. As a ‘mature’ woman, I have plenty of real life experience to back up professional training, as such, I specialize in all areas of Women’s issues.