Madelena Miniats, CMHC Candidate

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Graduate Student

Madelena is a second-year graduate student at the University of New Haven, pursuing a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. With a Bachelor’s in International Relations from Bard College, she brings a fresh and dynamic perspective to counseling, shaped by her experiences as a bartender and summer camp counselor.

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As a bartender, Madelena witnessed the value of authentic conversations, particularly with working-class, middle-aged clients, gaining insight into how safe, trusting relationships foster healing—a realization that inspired her path toward counseling. Her passion for working with children and adolescents grew after returning to her childhood summer camp following the COVID-19 pandemic. There, she supported children ages 6-13 navigating heightened anxiety, confusion, and sadness while observing young counselors managing their own challenges. This experience reinforced her desire to create safe, creative spaces for emotional expression.

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Madelena integrates playful, hands-on activities, like drawing, painting and friendship bracelet-making, into therapy sessions to promote engagement and self-expression.

 

Diagnosed with ADHD in fourth grade, she offers empathy and insight into neurodivergence, along with practical coping strategies.

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Rooted in an artistic Latvian family, she participates in youth art initiatives in the US and Canada and folk dancing with Jumalite in NYC. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, playing board games, reading, swimming at the beach and visiting friends and family.

 

Therapy Styles:   Talk Therapy,  Internal Family Systems, Online Teletherapy, Brief Solution-Oriented Trauma Resolution, Biofeedback, Pokemotions