Ciara Watkins, M.S.

Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern (IMT3623)

Ciara has worked with individuals, couples, families, children, and other dyadic relationships (i.e., parent-child) with diverse backgrounds and experiences over the last few years, helping them to navigate and improve a wide range of concerns, ranging from mild to severe. She is especially passionate about couples therapy, and has an enhanced focus in the areas of anxiety, self-esteem, pre-marital counseling, affairs and infidelity, intimacy issues, communication, separation, and divorce. She enjoys supporting clients in navigating concerns with parenting, life transitions and change, relationship issues, and dating concerns. Utilizing a systemic perspective, she incorporates an integrative approach to best fit each client’s goals and needs. Theoretically, her work is comprised of up-to-date clinically effective interventions, often including an attachment and emotionally-focused approach. Ciara is highly client-centered, accepting, and believes that her role of support within a safe, open, and nonjudgmental space throughout the therapeutic process enables practical and desired changes to occur. In conjunction with this work, she integrates mindfulness-based techniques and interventions into her practice when deemed desirable by the client.

Ciara earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Child Sciences with a minor in Psychology at Florida State University, as well as her Master of Science degree in Couple and Family Therapy from the COAMFTE accredited program at the University of Kentucky. While at the Family Center Clinic at the University of Kentucky, she provided therapy to the surrounding community. Additionally, she worked as a research assistant, teachers assistant, and guest lecturer to undergraduates on various topics, such as family stress and family responses to community violence, and is in the process of further publishing her Master’s thesis study on the experiences of birth mothers of adoption in regard to the support they received before, during, and after adoptive placement. She is currently a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in the state of Florida, working towards permanent licensure. She is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).