Leonardo Custidiano , LMHC

Leonardo Custidiano brings hands-on experience across multiple counseling settings, including work in a residential program that provided housing for adults managing mental illness and addiction. He has offered family counseling for parents and teenagers facing behavioral challenges and currently delivers family counseling and prevention services for households involved with the Department of Children & Families. This background has given him direct experience addressing domestic violence, trauma, parenting concerns, life transitions, addictions, and the day-to-day demands of coping with mental illness.

Leonardo practices with an eclectic, integrative framework that adapts to each person’s needs. He combines approaches so that cognitive behavioral techniques can be used when immediate symptom relief is needed, while psychodynamic principles can be brought in to explore underlying causes of emotional distress. Throughout treatment he emphasizes the therapeutic relationship as a central element, focuses on present concerns without losing sight of personal history when it matters, and uses collaborative goal setting to guide progress. Leonardo holds the LMHC credential - Licensed Mental Health Counselor - and works in Florida, offering services in both English and Spanish.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Options

Leonardo uses evidence-based methods tailored to individual needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought and behavior patterns to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress-related symptoms; it is often practical and goal-oriented for people seeking symptom relief. Psychodynamic Therapy explores how past experiences and relationship patterns influence current feelings and behavior, helping clients examine deeper sources of distress and recurring life themes. Dialectical Behavior Therapy - DBT - teaches skills in emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can help with impulsivity, intense emotions, and relationship challenges.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Leonardo collaborates with each client to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and adjusts methods over time so the treatment fits the person rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to attend during work, school, or caregiving responsibilities. For many people, remote formats increase access to licensed professionals, allow more consistent scheduling, and provide multiple ways to stay connected between sessions when support is needed.