Alexandra Maestre, Psy.D.
Dr. Alexandra Maestre is a Licensed Psychological Associate with over 10 years of experience in the mental health field. To ensure her skills had the breadth to work with diverse populations, Dr. Maestre has worked in various clinical settings including private practice, community outreach, mental health centers, state hospitals, juvenile court systems, juvenile justice detention facilities and probation departments, and residential treatment centers. She holds a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a focus in forensic psychology and Latino mental health, a master’s degree in Forensic and Counseling Psychology, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Dr. Maestre has experience providing psychotherapy services and conducting comprehensive/individualized psychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults across a wide range of areas including mood disorders, substance abuse, trauma-related disorders, behavioral disorders, and AD/HD. Her areas of particular interest include the impact of childhood trauma, substance abuse, life transitions, cultural issues, cross-cultural adjustment, and underserved populations. Dr. Maestre is fully bilingual and provides therapy and assessment services in both English and Spanish.
Utilizing evidence-based treatments, Dr. Maestre emphasizes providing services that are tailored to meet each client’s individual needs. She integrates a range of therapeutic modalities including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-Based strategies. Dr. Maestre values the importance of a strong therapeutic relationship and believes in the benefits of collaborative work in treatment. She aims to foster a genuine and welcoming environment that facilitates a safe space for clients to experience self-exploration, personal growth, and positive change while acquiring the tools they need to navigate these transitions in life.
Dr. Maestre has worked with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds across different stages of the life span including children, adolescents, and adults. She has experience providing individual psychotherapy services to clients who have struggled with an array of challenges such as emotional or behavioral problems, mood disorders, trauma, adjustment or acculturation difficulties, personality disorders, and substance abuse to name some of the most common. Dr. Maestre has also provided group therapy services to adolescent and adult populations to include substance abuse counseling and prevention, anger management/emotion regulation, dialectical behavior therapy skills training, and didactic group counseling for juveniles.
Therapy with Couples: Dr. Alexandra Maestre aims to create a warm, non-judgmental, and empathic environment for couples. At the onset of treatment, she focuses on exploring with the couple the struggles that led them to seek therapy, while also highlighting the couple’s past successes and strengths that have helped them overcome obstacles. Dr. Maestre encourages each person to share their perception of the relationship and what they wish to achieve through therapy. In addition, she places great emphasis on communication and developing empathy for one another to reduce struggles, reconcile differences, and strengthen the relationship.
Dr. Alexandra Maestre works with children and families to improve behaviors, emotional functioning, learning and social-emotional outcomes. Through a systematic, problem-solving approach, she seeks to understand the source of unique difficulties and address the system as well as improve coping skills to improve understanding of behaviors, distress tolerance for the child and family, acceptance of diagnoses/challenges, and emotional regulation to facilitate more positive outcomes for children and families. Dr. Maestre helps children learn adaptive coping skills which can be used throughout their lives in various circumstances and settings. Children will find new ways of understanding their own behaviors and those of others, and parents will learn how to support growth so changes can be sustained.
Dr. Maestre works with teenagers and families to improve behaviors, emotional functioning, learning, and social-emotional outcomes. Through a systematic, problem-solving approach, she seeks to understand the source of unique difficulties and address the system as well as improve coping skills to improve understanding of behaviors, distress tolerance for the teen and family, acceptance of diagnoses/challenges, and emotional regulation to facilitate more positive outcomes for children and families. Dr. Maestre helps adolescents learn adaptive coping skills which can be used throughout their lives in various circumstances and settings. Teens will find new ways of understanding their own behaviors and those of others, and parents will learn how to support growth so changes can be sustained.
Just as every relationship is unique, every separation comes with its own challenges and grief. In the life of a family, separation or divorce is invariably a major event, affecting not only the couple but also their relatives and any children they may have. Seeking therapy around a separation or divorce can help all people involved process the experience and navigate the future. Dr. Maestre has experience working individuals, couples, children and families undergoing separation and divorce. She is interested in helping children understand and cope with divorce in age-appropriate ways, supporting separating couples in their communications around co-parenting and other important decisions, and helping each individual adult formulate a plan for their next life chapter.
Dr. Maestre has ample training and experience conducting comprehensive psychological assessments with children, adolescents, and adults. She has worked in diverse settings conducting full psychological and psychoeducational evaluations for diagnostic clarification and treatment recommendations. Evaluations have aimed to explore areas such as, but not limited to, psychological/emotional functioning, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention difficulties (AD/HD; ‘ADD’), learning differences (LD), developmental deficits, behavioral disruptions, risk assessment, delinquent predispositions, and a myriad of forensic evaluation topics for courts. Dr. Maestre also has extensive experience conducting assessments for pre-adjudicated children and adolescents in the juvenile justice system including juvenile waiver evaluations.
Dr. Alexandra Maestre is both a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, with doctoral and master’s degrees specifically in Forensic Psychology. She holds a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Forensic Psychology, and a master’s degree in Forensic and Counseling Psychology. Dr. Maestre has experience in conducting forensic evaluations and providing court- mandated therapy for varying ages. She aims to create a non-judgmental and empathic environment to decrease discomfort frequently associated with court-mandated services. Dr. Maestre has experience in conducting psychological, substance abuse, risk assessment, delinquent predispositions, and a myriad of forensic evaluation topics for courts. She also has extensive experience conducting assessments for pre-adjudicated children and adolescents in the juvenile justice system including juvenile waiver evaluations. In addition, she has experience providing court-ordered psychotherapy for a wide array of concerns, including substance abuse, anger management, domestic violence, criminal recidivism, and community reintegration. Dr. Maestre has worked in forensic settings and is comfortable providing expert testimony in court.
Dr. Maestre’s doctoral research focused on exploring language and cultural considerations in the juvenile justice system. As part of her dissertation, she also developed a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Manual in Spanish for adolescents involved in the legal system. Dr. Maestre has also participated in conference presentations, workshops, and papers with a general focus on areas including reentry and treatment for juvenile justice-involved youth, waiver evaluations, and culturally diverse/ minority studies.
Dr. Maestre enjoys spending time in nature, camping, exploring new areas, traveling, spending time with family, and has an exceptional love for animals, having several pets of her own.