Monica Buttafava

Monica Buttafava holds a conviction that lasting change begins when a young person feels genuinely understood — not managed, not redirected, but truly met. A Licensed Mental Health Counselor based in Wellington, Florida, Monica has spent her career working at the intersection of emotional development and family life, building a practice rooted in depth, creativity, and developmental attunement. Her training spans clinical psychology in Italy, a four-year post-master’s program in child and adolescent psychotherapy at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, and direct work with grieving children through the Barr-Harris Children’s Grief Center.

She works with toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, and their families navigating trauma, anxiety, grief, abuse, attachment difficulties, behavioral challenges, and the strains of family transitions such as divorce or blending households. Monica also notices how children and teens who appear constantly reachable — always texting, always online — can still arrive in her office carrying a deep sense of not belonging anywhere. Her sessions draw on expressive and age-appropriate methods, giving every individual room to process what they carry.

For parents struggling to reach or understand their child, Monica offers both direct therapeutic support and parenting consultation — practical, grounded guidance aimed at strengthening the relationship between them. Online sessions are available.