Linda Diaz-Murphy
Licensed Professional Counselor
Registered Play Therapist
Trauma Specialist
Sand Play Therapist
Drug & Alcohol Counselor
Who Am I * Safe Place * The Healing Journey
Linda Diaz-Murphy, LPC, RPT, CTTS, LCADC
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Registered Play Therapist, specializing in Trauma Focused Play Therapy and Sand Play Therapy for children, teens and adults. I have my own counseling practice and offer effective outpatient, individualized, psychological care. I treat a number of mental health issues, and provide a neutral perspective to children, teens and adults. I provide individual, family, and couples therapy.
I am a grief counselor for the Victim Witness Assistance Program Office of Military Commissions assisting 9/11 victim family members (VFM) who travel to GTMO, Cuba, to view in person the pretrial hearings of the five prisoners charged with the murder of over 4,000 people who died in the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11/01.
I learned through my experience visiting GTMO, that those who died in the Twin Towers were very much our heroes, who more likely than not, helped others. Although many times there are no witnesses to tell these heroic stories, I believe there are untold heroic stories.
I have been married for 40 years to Brian. I am a mother, grandmother, and have two wonderful grandchildren who helped me write the book, "The Wounded Yellow Butterfly,” a story of a wounded butterfly and other insects and garden animals who rebuild their once peaceful garden after a terrible storm. I am in the process of creating an animation based on "The Wounded Yellow Butterfly" book.
I am providing an audio/video with captions of my book, The Wounded Yellow Butterfly on this website and utube to children who have experienced a storm and/or other disaster or traumatic event in their lives.
A Spanish copy of my book, La Mariposa Amarilla Herida is in the process of being published.
Wishing you all the best, Linda Diaz-Murphy
Safe Place: The Waiting Room
The focus is to help children, teens and adults become aware of their inner strengths to help each individual grow from their struggles, heal from their pain, and move forward to where each person wants to be in their life. To achieve this, each person is provided a neutral safe space where trust can develop and healing can begin.
The Healing Journey
I will be there for you every step of your healing journey. Your journey may include feeling safe, expressing your feelings, learning to cope with anxiety, telling your personal story and making closer connections with others.
Men and Women's Issues
Parenthood
Counseling will help define your role, find comfort, support, and confidence for the choices they make.
Pregnancy choices, Pregnancy Loss and Grief
Counseling helps you make choices about pregnancy including deciding how many children to have.
Counseling provides a safe place to share the loss of a pregnancy and to gain a better understanding of the normal grieving and healing process.
Counseling provides a safe place for sharing your post abortion loss and to gain a better understanding of the normal grieving and healing process.
Safety
Counseling can provide you a safe place to explore what being safe is, who are the safe and unsafe people, and how to keep yourself and others you love safe.
Empowerment and Independence
Counseling is beneficial to everyone seeking to empower themselves and strengthen their commitment in facing injustices i.e., domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, sexism, etc. Men and Women will explore enabling behavior and find the courage to correct injustices, not tolerating, enabling or excusing them.
Identity
Counseling can help understand "otherness" and establish a strong identity.
Therapy for Children, Teens and Families
Sand Play Therapy
Depression, fear, and anxiety are some of the most common and uncomfortable emotions that children, teens and adults may experience at some point in their lives. Through sand play therapy, children, teens and adults may recover motivation, perspective, and joy that they once had in their lives.
Trauma Focused Play Therapy For Children
Many children and teens can experience symptoms associated with painful and traumatic circumstances. Anxiety, fear, and hopelessness are a few emotions that can linger after post traumatic events. Children and teens can overcome these symptoms and helped with caring guidance through the process of grief and healing.
Family Counseling
Family counseling can be beneficial to all members in the family looking to strengthen their emotional connections. Therapy sessions are held with family members in a supportive environment to discuss issues and solutions to better relate to one another.
The Five Themes of Trauma Focused Play Therapy
Understanding Therapy
Therapy helps you find hope and balance in your life!
#1 Safety
Therapy can help you feel safe again.
#2 Coping
Therapy can help you cope with your loss.
#3 Expressing Your Fellings
Therapy can help you express your feelings.
#4 Connecting With Others
Therapy can help you feel closer to others.
#5 Telling Your Story
Therapy provides a safe place to tell your story.
The Wounded Yellow Butterfly, a story of hope after a storm
Testimonials
School Bullying
Mother and child said, "Attending therapy helped us feel as if we had built a kaleidoscope as the animals and insects in the story had done after the storm. We have picked up the pieces of broken glass, built our kaleidoscope and saw a new way to care for ourselves
by attending another school which helped us move on with our lives." -Karen and Fran
Sexual Abuse
I realized in therapy, "I may be wounded like the wounded yellow butterfly, but I too can still fly even after the abuse." - Anne
Divorce
"Therapy helped me find peace living in two homes just like the butterfly, the animals and insects rebuilt and found peace in their garden." -John
Loss of a Pet
"Losing my pet was like going through the terrible storm in the story. But I feel better today. Therapy helped me through the sad days and to remember the happy days just like the garden insects and animals remembered things in the past." -Marco
Unloved
"In therapy I learned I am lovable and have value even if both of my parents neglected and abused me. I am with a new family now and it is a new day just like the new day in the peaceful garden where the the wounded yellow butterfly, the
rainbow butterflies and bird family live.
I got a second chance just like
the wounded yellow butterfly." - Pedro
Mother has a Mental Illness
"I can love my mother and rebuild my relationship with her just like the animals and insects in the story when they built loving friendships. Therapy helped me understand my mother better. She is a lot like the wounded yellow butterfly and I am too." -Mary
The Wounded Yellow Butterfly Book
$12.00
