Serena Yeager, MA, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
Accessible, innovative mental healthcare and personal growth programming
Serena Yeager, MA
Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
&
Learning Experience Designer
Counseling
I’m a trauma-focused behavioral therapist with 4 years’ experience in inpatient and residential settings working with individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. I have additional training in sexual assault victims’ advocacy, foster care, play therapy, and crisis intervention. I understand therapy as a collaborative process honoring clients’ lived experiences while opening space for growth and change.
I specialize in affirmative therapy for LGBTQ+, polyamorous/ethically non-monogamous, and kinky individuals, as well as providing inclusive education for practitioners who would like to work with these populations.
I provide individual and group therapy to Florida residents, working on a sliding scale to encourage equitable access to mental health services. My office is located in downtown Orlando. Learn more.
Learning Experience Design
I design and facilitate courses for wellness and professional education. I’m passionate about improving lives through design and education, approaching problems with creativity and empathy to arrive at innovative solutions from a human-centered perspective. My deep understanding of human behavior allows me to design systems to meet needs and empower individuals to reach their fullest potential. I believe experiential learning provides an accessible and effective way to learn positive skills in mental health.
I partner with clinicians, academics, coaches, and startups to design and develop evidence-based, experiential education programs.
About Me
I hold a Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of South Florida. I am certified in user experience design through Springboard. I am currently working towards a certificate in behavioral economics for healthcare from Irrational Labs.
My Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based practice that focuses on how an individual’s thoughts and perceptions affect the way they feel and behave. It’s based on the idea that we respond to external stimuli and our behavior is a result of learning and conditioning. If behavior is learned, it can therefore be unlearned. Using this model, I help clients recognize and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors to develop more positive ways of interacting with themselves and the world.
Learning Experience Design
Learning experience design (LX design) is the process of creating experiences that enable learners to achieve learning outcomes in a human-centered and goal-oriented way. I use design thinking to research, prototype, test, and refine courses and educational products, specializing in working with helping professionals to help them reach a wider audience and help more people.
Upcoming Groups
CBT Fundamentals: A 7 Week Series to Retrain Your Brain
An introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for individuals who experience anxiety and/or depression.
Based on Dr. Seth Gillihan’s workbook Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks
You will learn the basics of CBT and how to apply CBT skills to cope with anxiety and depression. Group sessions are part didactic and part practical application, integrating experiential exercises and peer feedback into the learning process.
By the end of this course you will:
Understand the principles of CBT
Learn fundamental CBT skills
Apply CBT skills to real-life challenges
Create a CBT tool-kit to use in your daily life
This course is not a replacement for therapy and is primarily intended to teach coping skills. Contact us for more details about individual therapy or referrals for services.
Start Date TBD
7 week psychoeducational group (online)
Tuesdays 7:30pm-8:30pm
Price for 7 week group: $105
Partial scholarships available
Counseling Package (optional)
120 minutes of solution-focused counseling to reinforce concepts, answer questions, and provide one-on-one support.
Time can be broken up as needed: weekly, biweekly, or monthly sessions for the duration of the group. Can also be used as deep dive/goal setting sessions prior to starting or afterwards.
Price for 7 week group and 120 minutes of counseling: $225