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About Me

Hi, I’m Claudia

I am a clinician, a seeker, and someone whose understanding of mental health has been shaped by the life I have lived as much as the work I have done.


My path to psychiatry was anything but linear. It has crossed countries, cultures, careers, motherhood, loss, reinvention, and more than a few unexpected turns. This winding path is part of what made me the clinician I am today.




MY STORY


Those experiences eventually led me to work with mental health. As I found my place in psychiatry, I realized I wanted more time to listen, understand the whole person, and explore what might be happening beneath a diagnosis or symptom list. Terra Nova grew from that desire.

Before psychiatry, I spent fourteen years in emergency and trauma nursing. Caring for people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives gave me an extraordinary education in medicine, human behavior, fear, trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and overwhelming circumstances. I came to understand that there is often much more happening beneath what we observe, and how deeply our experiences and relationships can shape both emotional and physical health.

I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and moved to the United States in my twenties. Building a life across cultures, raising my daughter as a young single mother, and navigating my own share of unexpected turns taught me early that human beings are extraordinarily resilient, and that continually pushing through has a cost.

Those experiences eventually led me to work with mental health. As I found my place in psychiatry, I realized I wanted more time to listen, understand the whole person, and explore what might be happening beneath a diagnosis or symptom list. Terra Nova grew from that desire.


MY PERSPECTIVE


My own experiences with anxiety, depression, grief, and emotional overwhelm have also shaped how I listen and the questions I ask. Lived experience does not replace clinical training, but it can deepen the way we understand another person’s story.

I understand what it is like to feel stretched thin by caring for others, managing responsibilities, and pushing through while running on empty. While we can look completely functional from the outside we are becoming increasingly exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from ourselves. I want those I work with to understand what brought them to that point, why certain patterns may have developed, and how to begin making choices that do not require them to keep pushing until they burn out.




ON EMOTIONAL EATING


My interest in emotional eating is also personal. I understand how food can become intertwined with stress, comfort, coping, identity, and emotion. My own experience with significant weight loss and maintaining it for over four years deepened my interest in understanding what happens beneath eating behavior, not simply focusing on weight or willpower.




Life Beyond the Practice


Outside of psychiatry, I am drawn to the things that help me feel connected and alive: yoga, reading, theater, cooking, nature, learning, laughter, and meaningful conversation.

I share my home with my dogs, Gustavo and Shiloh. I speak Portuguese and Italian, and my Brazilian roots remain an important part of who I am.



My Credentials

 

  • Master of Science in Nursing, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner — Norwich University, Vermont
  • Integrative Psychiatry — Dream Practice Academy, Dr. Elana Miller
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing — Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey
  • Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences — Mercy College, New York
  • Trauma-Informed Therapy / Neurobiology of Attachment — NICABM
  • Training and Supervision in Psychogenealogy and Transgenerational Therapy — Dr. Manuela Maciel, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Schema Therapy Training and Supervision — Dr. Alessandra Cieri, PsyD, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Holistic Life Coaching
  • 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training — West Hartford Yoga, Connecticut
  • Transcendental Meditation — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Kriya Yoga Meditation — Self-Realization Fellowship
  • Graduate Studies in Logotherapy — In Progress — Instituto Freedom, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Working together

 


Alignment Intensive

A Focused Three-Hour Session for Clarity, Direction, and a Way Forward


The Alignment Intensive is a focused, three-hour private-pay session designed for adults navigating burnout, overwhelm, cognitive overload, a major life transition, or a period of feeling stuck and needing space to understand what is happening.

Three uninterrupted hours allow us to step back from the immediate demands of daily life and look at the larger picture. Together, we can identify the patterns, pressures, and competing priorities that may be contributing to how you feel, explore what may need to change, and clarify what deserves your attention now.

Rather than trying to address a complex situation piece by piece, the intensive gives us time to connect the dots and develop a thoughtful, practical direction forward.

This May Be a Good Fit If You Are



  • This May Be a Good Fit If You Are
  • Feeling burned out, overwhelmed, or mentally overloaded
  • Facing a major personal or professional transition
  • Functioning on the outside but feeling increasingly disconnected or stuck
  • Trying to make sense of several overlapping stressors or patterns
  • Wanting focused, strategic work without committing to ongoing weekly sessions

What We Do


We step back and look at the full picture rather than focusing on one symptom or problem at a time.

Together, we identify the most important themes, patterns, stressors, and decisions in front of you. The work may draw from psychotherapy, trauma-informed and relational perspectives, education, and integrative thinking depending on what is relevant to your situation.

The goal is clarity: a better understanding of what is happening, what deserves attention first, and what a realistic next step might look like.


Investment

3-hour private intensive | $1,500

Schedule a Complimentary Consultation

 



FAQ

Yes. I offer insurance-based psychiatric care in North Carolina and Washington State through participating insurance plans.

Insurance-based care includes thoughtful psychiatric treatment, substantial psychotherapy, and medication management when appropriate. It is distinct from my private-pay integrative psychiatric care, which allows additional time and flexibility for broader integrative assessment and treatment.

Because insurance participation can change, current coverage will be confirmed before your first appointment.

If I am not in network with your insurance plan, private-pay options may also be available. Depending on your plan, you may be able to use out-of-network benefits or submit a superbill for possible reimbursement, or you may use FSA/HSA or use a credit card.

Integrative psychiatry means looking beyond symptoms and diagnoses to consider the broader factors that may be contributing to how you feel.

Mental and physical health are deeply connected. Depending on your individual needs, this may mean considering sleep, nutrition, physical health, hormonal changes, stress, relationships, trauma, movement, lifestyle, and other factors alongside traditional psychiatric treatment.

It does not mean that everyone needs laboratory testing, supplements, or multiple additional treatments. The goal is not to do everything. It is to understand what may actually be useful for you.

All Terra Nova appointments are conducted through secure video visits, allowing us to meet without the time and inconvenience of traveling to an office.

Before your appointment, you will receive information about how to access your visit. You will need a private space, a reliable internet connection, and a device with video and audio.

Any location requirements related to your care or insurance coverage will be reviewed with you before your appointment.

Telehealth allows us to do the same thoughtful, relationship-based work we would do in an office without the time and inconvenience of traveling to appointments.

My approach is relational, therapy-oriented, and collaborative. I want to understand not only what you are experiencing, but also your story, relationships, experiences, patterns, and the factors that may be contributing to how you feel.

Psychotherapy is an important part of my work, and medication is used thoughtfully when appropriate. I also place a strong emphasis on education because I want you to understand what may be happening, why it may be happening, and the choices we have for moving forward.

I teach as much as I treat.

I work with adults experiencing a range of emotional and psychiatric concerns, with particular focus on depression, anxiety, burnout, trauma and relational wounds, grief and loss, major life transitions, and emotional or stress-related eating patterns.

Because symptoms do not always fit neatly into a single diagnosis, I am also interested in understanding the patterns, experiences, relationships, and other factors that may be contributing to what you are experiencing.

Treatment is centered on the person, not simply the diagnosis.

Terra Nova offers insurance-based psychiatric care and private-pay integrative psychiatric care, as well as the private-pay Alignment Intensive.

Depending on the type of care and your individual needs, our work may include psychotherapy, thoughtful medication management, education and practical strategies, and attention to relevant lifestyle and health factors.

Private-pay integrative care allows additional time and flexibility for broader exploration of factors such as sleep, nutrition, physical health, hormonal changes, stress, movement, and lifestyle, with laboratory evaluation or nutritional and supplemental strategies considered when clinically appropriate.

Care is individualized rather than built around a predetermined set of services.

The first step is a complimentary 20-minute consultation. This gives us a chance to briefly discuss what you are looking for, answer your initial questions, and decide whether working together feels like a good fit.

If we decide to move forward, we will schedule your comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. We can also discuss whether insurance-based psychiatric care or private-pay integrative psychiatric care best fits what you are looking for.

Your first appointment is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation with time to understand more than a list of symptoms.

We will talk about your current concerns, psychiatric and medical history, relationships, experiences, lifestyle, goals, and what you hope will be different. Depending on the type of care you choose, we may also explore broader factors that could be contributing to how you feel.

This is also a time for you to ask questions and understand my recommendations. By the end of the evaluation, we will begin developing a treatment plan together.

The goal is to understand what is happening and decide where we go from there.

If you are experiencing a psychiatric emergency or feel that you may be in immediate danger, call 911, go to the nearest emergency department, or call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Terra Nova is not an emergency or crisis service, and messages may not be reviewed immediately.

Once the immediate crisis has passed and you are safe, please contact me so we can discuss what happened and determine what support or changes to your treatment plan may be helpful.

If you need to cancel or reschedule, please provide at least 24 hours’ notice whenever possible.

Appointments canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice and missed appointments may be subject to a late-cancellation or no-show fee, according to the policies that apply to your care.

If you are more than 15 minutes late, we may need to reschedule your appointment.

Specific cancellation and no-show policies will be reviewed with you before beginning care.

  • For private-pay integrative psychiatric care, current fees are:
  • Comprehensive Integrative Psychiatric Evaluation – 90 minutes | $450
  • Integrative Follow-Up – 60 minutes | $300
  • Focused Follow-Up – 30 minutes | $200
  • Alignment Intensive – 3 hours | $1,500
Insurance-based care is billed through participating insurance plans, and your individual cost will depend on your coverage and benefits.

HSA and FSA funds may be used for eligible services. Private-pay patients may also be able to use out-of-network benefits or request a superbill for possible reimbursement, depending on their insurance plan.