
Empowering Families and Individuals
Amy Aracena
LCSW
Bilingual Therapist Helping Children, Teens, and Adults Heal, Grow, and Thrive
Hi, I'm Amy.

I grew up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the daughter of a Costa Rican mother and a Puerto Rican father, raised in NYCHA housing by a woman who did everything with very little and still managed to make it feel like enough. She was a single immigrant mother who graduated college cum laude at 46, despite English being her second language and living with ADHD. She was my greatest example of what is possible when you refuse to give up.
When I lost her to cancer in 2015, something shifted in me. I felt called to go back to school, to finish what I had started, and to build something in her honor. I started at Essex County College, graduated with a 4.0, earned a full scholarship to Rutgers Newark where I graduated summa cum laude, and then earned my MSW from Fordham University. I became a therapist at 45, and I named my practice Pura Vida, pure life, after her homeland and the philosophy she lived by every day.
But before all of that, I was a stay-at-home mother for over ten years, a teacher's assistant for 15 more, and a woman who built her life in Newark, NJ alongside her husband of over 30 years and their three children. I have sat in IEP meetings fighting for my own child. I have navigated systems that were not designed for people like us. I have code-switched in rooms that were not built for me. I know what it feels like to be dismissed, and I know what it feels like to keep going anyway.
I bring all of that into the therapy room with me.
Today I specialize in working with Latina women and urban families navigating anxiety, ADHD, grief, and life transitions. My heart is especially with those who have been dismissed by systems and are ready to advocate for themselves and their children. I also work with BIPOC clients navigating predominantly white academic and professional spaces, adults processing late ADHD diagnoses, and anyone who has ever felt like the room was not designed for them.
Who I work with
I specialize in working with Latina women and urban families navigating anxiety, ADHD, grief, and life transitions. I have a particular passion for those who have been dismissed by systems and are ready to advocate for themselves and their children. I also support BIPOC individuals navigating predominantly white spaces, adults processing late ADHD diagnoses, and anyone sitting with grief who is ready to find purpose on the other side of it.
How I work
I offer virtual therapy in English and Spanish to adults and families throughout New Jersey and New York. Sessions are available on a private-pay basis as well as through insurance.
Fees and Insurance
My fee is $150 for a 50-minute session for private-pay clients.
I also accept the following insurance plans:
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In both New York and New Jersey: Aetna, Meritain, and 1199.
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In New Jersey: United Optum, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Oxford.
If you do not see your plan listed, please reach out. I am happy to discuss your options and help you understand your benefits.
Ready to take the next step?
You do not have to have it all figured out before you reach out. That is what we do together. I would be honored to walk alongside you.

My Services

Family Therapy
Families are complicated, beautiful, and sometimes deeply stuck. I work with families to improve communication, navigate conflict, and strengthen the relationships that matter most. Whether you are a blended family, a family in crisis, or simply a family that wants to do better by each other, therapy offers a space to be heard, understood, and supported together. Strong families are built one honest conversation at a time.

Faith-Based Therapy
For many of us, faith is not separate from our mental health. It is woven into how we make sense of suffering, find hope, and keep going. I offer therapy that honors and integrates your spiritual beliefs, whatever form they take, without judgment and without pressure. We can hold both your faith and your struggles in the same space, because healing and belief are not opposites.

Child Therapy
Children feel everything, even when they do not have the words for it. I work with children to help them identify and express their emotions, navigate behavioral and social challenges, and build the coping skills that support healthy development. I also work closely with parents and caregivers, because the family system matters. As a mother who advocated fiercely for her own child within school systems that were not always responsive, I bring both professional training and personal understanding to this work.

Senior Care Therapy
Getting older brings its own kind of wisdom, and its own kind of weight. Loss, loneliness, health changes, and shifts in identity and purpose are real and deserve real attention. I offer compassionate support for older adults who are navigating this season of life, helping them process what has changed, reconnect with what matters most, and find meaning and resilience even in the hard moments. You have lived a full life. This chapter deserves care too.

Teen and Young Adult Therapy
The teenage and young adult years can feel like a lot, especially when you are figuring out who you are while the world keeps moving. I offer a warm, nonjudgmental space where young people can express themselves honestly, work through anxiety, stress, identity, and relationship challenges, and build the coping skills that will carry them forward. I meet teens and young adults where they are, with honesty and without judgment.

Adult Therapy
Life does not come with a manual, and some seasons are harder than others. Whether you are navigating grief, a major life transition, burnout, anxiety, or the quiet exhaustion of carrying too much for too long, therapy offers a space that is entirely yours. Together we will slow down, make sense of what you are experiencing, and build the tools and insight you need to move forward with clarity and confidence. You deserve support that meets you where you are, not where someone else thinks you should be.
Contact Me
Whether you’re a parent seeking help for your child, a young adult navigating transitions, or an adult coping with life’s challenges, I’m here to support you.