The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,
but one who has insight draws them out.
Proverbs 20:5 NIV
Nate Beralas, LMFT, LMHC
Hawaii State Licensure
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #491)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC #393)
Florida State Licensure
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#MT 4445)
Certifications and Trainings
National Certified Counselor (NCC)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapist
Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship
Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
Aloha and Welcome!
I am so glad that you are here. I am passionate about creating safety, connection, and curiosity for individuals/couples seeking healing from trauma and adverse experiences.
Anyone who has experienced deep pain or suffering can tell you that those moments have profoundly shaped their lives.
YOU CAN CHANGE (It's not too late!)
Modern research in neuroscience has uncovered that your brain is able to change if you access NEW EXPERIENCES (Siegel, 2020). Those new experiences create new connections in the physical structure of the brain and we become a more healthy, integrated, and functioning human being.
WHAT TO EXPECT
I am committed to creating the necessary conditions to move you from a story of survival to a story of thriving. For ten years I have journeyed with clients helping them to see their strengths, uncover negative core beliefs, and gently push them to try new ways of relating to themselves and others. I have partnered with people to heal from things like sexual trauma, abuse, neglect, car accidents, divorce, foster care, abandonment, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, blended family issues, intimacy/emotional disconnection in couples, and infidelity (to name a few).
MY APPROACH
To achieve your story of thriving, we will primarily use EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Re-processing) — which is an evidence-based, body-focused treatment designed to unlock the brain’s natural healing processes that have been blocked by trauma. In addition to EMDR, we will also incorporate aspects of Polyvagal Theory and Attachment Theory, Person-Centered, and expressive arts.
If you seek healing with your partner, we will use the Gottman method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). All of the approaches I utilize are grounded in science, and in practice are relational, engaging and (you guessed it) create embodied/felt experiences that heal your brain.
MY STORY
I found my calling as a therapist while I was a college student, after a relationship breakup resulted in intense emotional pain and put me in a dark and vulnerable place. I clearly remember the counselors, friends and family that created the safety I needed to heal and rewrite my story. After I received my Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University in 2012, I worked in both the public and private school settings helping students with severe emotional disorders until 2017 when I launched my private practice part-time. Then in 2021, I made my "leap of faith" to pursue my private practice full-time.
I was raised on the garden island of Kauaʻi, lived and served on ʻOahu for 13 years and in August of 2022 I relocated to Ormond Beach, Florida with my wife and three children (ages 3, 2, and a newborn). In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, cooking, going to the beach, and playing music.
SOLI DEO GLORIA (To the Glory of God Alone)
Lastly, if you are a Christian seeking to integrate your faith with the counseling experience, the bible will be our living and active guide for wisdom and truth.
John Calvin stated that “It is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face, and then descends from contemplating Him to scrutinize himself.” (Institutes of the Christian Religion). Through the Word, God is revealed — we see His beauty, we see our deep need and we receive His grace.
I thank the Lord Jesus for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my calling. All glory goes to Him alone.