Elisa Rosado, APCC
Associate Therapist
A grounded, relational space to make sense of who you are—on and off the field.
Hi, I’m Elisa. My approach to therapy starts with a simple belief: people make sense. The ways you think, feel, and cope didn’t come out of nowhere, they developed in response to your experiences, relationships, training environments, and systems you’ve had to move through.
I work from a non-pathologizing lens, helping you build a compassionate, contextual understanding of yourself and your history.
Rather than seeing symptoms or behaviors as problems to eliminate, I view them as self-protective strategies. They are tools that may have once been necessary for survival, performance, or belonging, even if they no longer serve who you want to be now.
Building Identity, Power, and Context in Therapy
This work may be especially supportive if you:
Are an athlete or former athlete navigating pressure, burnout, injury, transition, or life beyond sport
Feel your identity has long been shaped by performance, discipline, or achievement, and you’re unsure who you are without those structures
Want a therapist who sees your experiences in context and not as something “wrong” with you
Identify as LGBTQIA+ and/or BIPOC and want a space where identity, power, and systemic impact are openly acknowledged
Are carrying the effects of trauma, including relational, developmental, or institutional trauma
Feel stuck in patterns that once helped you succeed or endure, but no longer reflect who you are or want to be
Want therapy that goes beyond talking and may include somatic, creative, or experiential approaches
Value a therapeutic relationship that is collaborative, honest, and gently challenging while still being deeply supportive
If you’re looking for a therapist who understands both the internal world of athletes and the broader systems that shape identity, we may work well together.
How I Work
Our work together is collaborative and relational.
Using psychodynamic and narrative approaches, we’ll explore the unconscious beliefs, patterns, and stories you carry about yourself and your body—many of which were shaped within competitive, evaluative, or high-performance environments.
As a relational therapist, I place a strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship itself. I strive to create a grounded, authentic space rooted in curiosity, care, and gentle accountability. Healing often happens not just through insight, but through being seen and met in real time.
When talk alone feels limiting or we feel stuck, I welcome experiential approaches such as:
art or creative expression
role play or parts work
playfulness and movement
somatic practices
These methods can be especially helpful for athletes and embodied people, allowing us to work with the body, not against it, and access deeper layers of understanding and integration.
Identity, the Body, and Life Beyond Achievement
As a former college and professional athlete, I have a particular passion for supporting athletes at all stages of their journey.
Whether you’re actively competing, injured, transitioning out of sport, or redefining yourself beyond it, I am here for you.
Together, we can explore identity beyond achievement, performance, or productivity, and work toward developing a kinder, more attuned relationship with your body, your limits, and your sense of self—especially if your worth has long felt tied to doing, winning, or pushing through.
My Areas of Focus
I have a deep passion for working with:
Athletes and former athletes navigating identity, transition, injury, or burnout
LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities
BIPOC clients and those navigating racialized experiences
Trauma and its impact on identity, relationships, and the body
Sexuality, desire, and sexual identity exploration
Nontraditional and consensually non-monogamous relationship dynamics
Shame, self-criticism, and internalized oppression
Life transitions and identity shifts
As a queer, mixed-race person, I understand therapy as something deeply connected to collective liberation.
I remain attentive to my own blind spots within oppressive systems and am committed to ongoing multicultural learning, humility, and accountability.
Embrace What Healing Can Look Like
I believe healing isn’t about becoming “good” or fixing yourself.
Healing is about becoming more whole. That means making room for the parts of you that feel messy, contradictory, tender, or hard to love, including the parts shaped by competition, discipline, and survival.
Change is hard, but it can also involve rediscovering joy, pleasure, rest, and connection—to yourself, your body, and the people in your life.
I’m here to walk alongside you with care and honesty as we face whatever feels scary, alive, or deeply meaningful.
Please reach out to start your journey.
