outpatient mental health services in Orlando and telehealth throughout Florida letstalkcounseling.org
03/25/2026
Masking is when a child hides their real feelings, struggles, or personality to “fit in” or avoid getting in trouble.
It can look like:
• Acting calm at school but melting down at home
• Copying how other kids talk, dress, or behave
• Forcing eye contact even when uncomfortable
• Saying “I’m fine” when they’re clearly not
• Being the “perfect” child in public
• Extreme exhaustion after social situations
Many neurodivergent children (ADHD, autism, sensory differences) mask, but so do anxious, bullied, or highly sensitive kids.
Why do kids mask?
💛 To avoid being teased
💛 To avoid disappointing adults
💛 To prevent rejection
💛 To feel accepted
💛 To stay safe
Masking is not manipulation.
It’s protection.
The problem?
Long-term masking can lead to anxiety, burnout, low self-esteem, depression, and identity confusion.
How to gently catch masking:
• Notice big emotional releases after school
• Pay attention to “people-pleasing” patterns
• Ask open-ended questions like:
“Do you feel like you have to act different at school?”
• Watch for chronic fatigue or irritability
How to help them feel safe being themselves:
✔️ Validate their feelings without correcting them
✔️ Avoid forcing eye contact or social performance
✔️ Celebrate differences
✔️ Teach emotional vocabulary
✔️ Create a home environment where mistakes are safe
✔️ Let them decompress after social days
✔️ Seek therapy if masking is causing distress
The goal is not to make kids “blend in.”
The goal is to help them feel safe being who they are.
Children shouldn’t feel like they need to hide to be loved.
If your child seems exhausted from “holding it together,” we’re here to help.
Couple’s Therapy in Lake Nona 💛
Strong relationships don’t happen by accident.
They’re built, and sometimes rebuilt, with support.
Couples therapy isn’t just for when things are “falling apart.”
It’s for when you want to:
• Improve communication
• Break unhealthy patterns
• Rebuild trust
• Heal from betrayal or past hurt
• Strengthen emotional connection
• Navigate life transitions together
• Learn how to fight fair
Every couple experiences conflict.
What matters is how you repair.
Therapy provides a safe space where both partners feel heard, without blame, without defensiveness, without escalating the same argument over and over.
At Broken Wings, we use evidence-based approaches to help couples understand emotional triggers, attachment styles, and communication blocks, so you can move from reacting… to connecting.
Healthy love takes work.
The right support makes that work easier.
If you’re in Lake Nona or the surrounding areas and want to invest in your relationship, we’re here.
Art is more than paint and paper.
For many neurodivergent children, it’s a powerful regulation tool.
Kids with ADHD, autism, sensory processing differences, or anxiety often experience the world intensely. Art gives them a safe, structured way to process that intensity.
Here’s why it works:
🎨 Helps with emotional expression
Some children struggle to put feelings into words. Drawing or painting lets them communicate without pressure.
🧠 Supports nervous system regulation
The repetitive motion of coloring, painting, or sculpting can calm the brain and reduce stress.
🌈 Encourages focus and flow
Creative activities can activate deep concentration, helping improve attention and reduce impulsivity.
🖐 Provides sensory integration
Textures, colors, and movement help kids explore sensory input in a safe, controlled way.
💛 Builds confidence
There is no “wrong” way to create art. That freedom builds self-esteem.
Art therapy is especially helpful when combined with professional guidance. At Broken Wings Counseling, we integrate creative and evidence-based approaches to support emotional regulation, trauma processing, and social development.
Neurodivergent does not mean broken.
It means differently wired, and beautifully so.
If your child struggles with big feelings, focus, or sensory overwhelm, we’re here to help.
Therapy for kids isn’t about “fixing” them.
It’s about giving them tools.
It’s about helping them understand their feelings.
It’s about building confidence, resilience, and safety.
The earlier we support a child, the stronger their foundation becomes.
If you’ve noticed changes in your child’s mood, behavior, or emotional well-being, you don’t have to wait until it gets worse.
Special thanks to Rebuild Yourself for coming out with the capybaras!
They were so cute, and we had so much fun!!
Little moments like this can bring so much joy.
Sometimes teens don’t want to talk.
But they will sit next to an animal. They will pet. They will breathe slower.
And that’s where healing can begin.
Animal-assisted therapy helps teens:
🐾 Lower anxiety and stress
🐾 Feel safer opening up
🐾 Improve emotional regulation
🐾 Reduce feelings of loneliness
🐾 Build trust and connection
🐾 Regulate their nervous system
Research shows that interacting with animals can lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and increase oxytocin, the “bonding” hormone that promotes feelings of safety and calm.
For teens struggling with:
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Trauma
• Social challenges
• School stress
• Emotional shutdown
Animal-assisted therapy can create a softer entry point into deeper healing work.
Sometimes it’s easier to talk when your hands are petting an animal.
We Are a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit And Your Donation Is Tax-Deductible
When you give to Broken Wings Counseling, you’re not just making a donation.
You’re investing in healing.
As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your contribution may be tax-deductible according to IRS guidelines, and it directly supports access to mental health services for individuals and families in need.
Your donation helps us:
• Provide trauma-informed therapy
• Support children and teens struggling with anxiety, depression, or bullying
• Offer EMDR for PTSD survivors
• Assist families who cannot afford full-fee services
• Expand community education and prevention programs
Mental health care changes lives.
It restores families.
It gives children tools.
It gives survivors hope.
When you donate, you help someone move from surviving… to healing.
If you believe in accessible mental health care, join us.
💛 Donate.
💛 Share.
💛 Become a volunteer.
Together, we are making a better world, one conversation at a time.
Broken Wings Counseling was not created as just another therapy center.
It was born from loss. From love. From a story that changed everything.
Jimbo was a bright, beautiful soul. A son. A friend. A life full of potential. His story reminds us that mental health struggles do not always show on the outside. And when pain goes unseen or unsupported, the consequences can be devastating.
Broken Wings was created in his honor.
Our name represents something powerful:
Even when wings feel broken, healing is possible.
Our mission is simple but urgent:
💛 To provide accessible, trauma-informed mental health care
💛 To support children, teens, and families before crisis happens
💛 To educate communities about anxiety, depression, PTSD, bullying, and su***de prevention
💛 To make therapy a safe, stigma-free space
💛 To ensure cost is never the reason someone goes without help
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit because this work is bigger than business.
It’s about prevention.
It’s about awareness.
It’s about saving lives.
Jimbo’s story fuels our commitment to early intervention, compassionate care, and community education.
Every session.
Every child helped.
Every family supported.
Every life stabilized.
That is why we exist.
If you or someone you love is struggling, please don’t wait.
Together, we honor his story by protecting others.
***deprevention
03/20/2026
🌸 Why Spring Can Affect Your Emotions And What To Do About It
Spring is often seen as a season of renewal and sunshine, but the transition from winter into warmer months doesn’t affect everyone the same way. Changes in light, hormones, immune responses, and routines can all impact mood and stress levels.
🌞 Seasonal Mood Shifts:
Your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) and brain chemicals like serotonin and melatonin change as daylight increases and patterns shift, and this can affect mood, energy, sleep, and motivation. Not everyone feels instantly “happier” in spring, and for some the opposite can happen. Studies show that some people experience increased anxiety or depressive symptoms during spring, a less-recognized form of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
🌿 Allergies & Mental Well-Being:
Spring brings rising pollen counts and seasonal allergies. Research shows that allergies don’t just affect the body, inflammatory responses can influence mood and brain function. People with allergic symptoms often report higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, partly because poor sleep, fatigue, and discomfort affect emotional health.
📌 So what can you do?
✔️ Maintain consistent sleep and routine
✔️ Get regular fresh air and sunlight exposure
✔️ Manage allergy symptoms early with your doctor
✔️ Stay mindful of mood changes, they are not a personal failure
✔️ Reach out for support if emotions feel overwhelming
🧠 If seasonal changes are affecting your quality of life, especially if anxiety or sadness feels intense or persistent, it’s okay to ask for help. Therapy can offer tools for emotional regulation, stress management, and support through these transitions.
You are not alone.
You don’t have to wait until symptoms get worse to get support. 💛
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
That means when you support Broken Wings Counseling, you’re not just giving, you’re making a tax-deductible contribution that directly helps children, teens, and families access mental health care.
Your support helps us:
💛 Provide therapy for kids struggling with anxiety, trauma, or bullying
💛 Offer EMDR for PTSD survivors
💛 Support families who need sliding-scale services
💛 Expand mental health education in our community
Every donation helps a child feel heard.
Every contribution helps a family feel supported.
Every act of generosity makes healing possible.
Mental health care should not be a luxury.
It should be accessible.
When you give, you become part of that mission.
Together, we’re building stronger, healthier futures, one human being at a time.
Is It Just a Diet… or Something More?
How to Identify if Your Teen May Be Struggling with an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders often don’t start with obvious signs. They can look like “healthy eating,” “fitness goals,” or “just being picky.” But there are cues parents should not ignore.
🚩 Signs to Watch For:
• Sudden restriction of food or skipping meals
• Obsessing over calories, weight, or body image
• Rapid weight loss or frequent weight fluctuations
• Excessive exercise beyond normal sports routines
• Avoiding eating in front of others
• Irritability, mood swings, or increased anxiety
• Frequent bathroom trips after meals
• Wearing baggy clothes to hide body changes
• Comparing themselves constantly to others
Sometimes the emotional signs show up before the physical ones.
💬 How to Talk to Your Teen:
✔️ Choose a calm, private moment
✔️ Lead with concern, not accusation
✔️ Use “I” statements
Example:
“I’ve noticed you seem stressed around food lately, and I’m concerned about you.”
✔️ Avoid commenting on weight or appearance
✔️ Listen more than you speak
✔️ Stay regulated, even if they get defensive
The goal is connection, not control.
💛 How We Can Help:
Eating disorders are not about food.
They are often about control, anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, or emotional pain.
At Broken Wings Counseling, we:
• Provide therapy focused on emotional regulation and body image
• Address underlying anxiety, trauma, or depression
• Support parents with guidance on communication
• Create a safe, non-judgmental space for teens
• Collaborate with medical providers when needed
Early intervention makes a powerful difference.
If you’re wondering whether something is “serious enough” to seek help, that’s already a sign to talk to someone.
You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Your teen deserves support, and so do you.
Lady Gaga Opened Up About EMDR
In interviews, Lady Gaga has shared that she used EMDR therapy (which we do in Lake Nona at Broken Wings) to help address PTSD related to past sexual assault. She described how trauma left her feeling disconnected from her body and how EMDR helped her feel more grounded and present again.
🧠 That’s powerful. Because PTSD isn’t just “a bad memory.”
It’s when the brain’s alarm system stays stuck in survival mode.
Trauma can become frozen in the nervous system.
Triggers can make the body react as if the danger is happening right now.
🧠 EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose emotional intensity. Instead of reliving it, the memory becomes something that happened in the past.
🧠 Research supports EMDR as an evidence-based treatment for PTSD, and many people experience symptom reduction in fewer sessions compared to traditional talk therapy.
Lady Gaga speaking about her healing helps reduce stigma.
Survivors deserve:
• To be believed
• To be supported
• To have access to effective treatment
• To feel grounded again
🧠 If trauma still feels present in your body, there are options.
You are not broken. Your brain just needs help processing what it survived. And we can help with EMDR treatment centers throughout Central Florida.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Broken Wings Ministry posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
This is my story. It all began in a community garden with my clients in the summer of 2014. God drew me to this picture above of the butterfly. The butterfly had a ripped wing and God spoke Broken Wings to my spirit, but that is all the Lord had given me at that time. I went home later that day and pondered what I had seen and heard and hid it in my heart.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Tammy Carvalho. I am a licensed mental health counselor with the State of Florida. During the summer of 2014, I was the Director of Operations/Mental Health Counselor for an outpatient clinic for adults who suffered from anxiety and or depression. My clients and I were out in a community garden. This particular day was like any other, but this was not a ordinary day. This day would now be my song.
Fast forward several months, I was home sick on Christmas Eve with the stomach flu. My husband was in South Africa burying his dad. Then, I got the life changing phone call from my father. Jimbo, my brother, died of a he**in overdose! I thought to myself, “God, can this all really be happening to me right now?” My husband immediately flew home from burying his dad in South Africa and we took the next flight up to NJ for my brother’s funeral. It was at this time my husband and I knew Broken Wings was about Jimbo and remembering him. At the funeral we dedicated Broken Wings Ministry, a 501c3 non profit organization, to help people like my brother.
I’m praising my savior all the day long! Growing up my brother had extreme anxiety and depression along with trauma he couldn’t escape from. He would use his drug of choice to numb his pain. We begged him to come out of his house to try and love on him. However, he wouldn’t budge. His home was a safe place. We wanted him to try and go to AA meetings. He did go one time, but couldn’t return due to his social anxiety. He also had another darkness, his he**in use that none of us knew about. We offered to pay for residential treatment centers and to exhaust all of our assets to try and save him but in the end, it was his choice and he didn’t want to go.
My saving grace and blessed assurance is knowing Jesus is mine! Jesus was also my brother’s savior! Jimbo accepted Jesus into his heart when he was a young child. I know when God takes me home to be with the Lord in heaven, I will also see my brother again! Therefore, I write this foretaste of glory divine as a humble servant to my Master and as a calling to fulfill a purpose for mine, my family, and so many other lives!
God has given me bits and pieces of His bigger plan for Broken Wings! We have an outpatient counseling center up and running. This center offers healing from trauma with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), animal therapy, and garden therapy. Jimbo would have never gone into a traditional counseling office! But, he would go out in a garden or play with some animals! As a mental health counselor, these environments are extremely healing and beneficial to heal ones mental health! Not to mention, to also break a stigma in our society that says going to a therapist/counselor means your crazy or you can’t handle your problems! At our outpatient center, we offer services for people who can afford or have the means along with people who can’t afford our services.
We want to add more puzzle pieces to God’s bigger picture! He has given me 3 holistic, residential homes that we would like to get up and running. The first will be the Freedom Home! This will house 10 women. 7 will have means and 3 will not have means. This will be a home for women who have suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues. Where they can heal in a natural and holistic (looking at the whole person, body, mind, and spirit) way in a family/home like environment! We stress family/home environment in a professional manner due to the healing element and the need for restoration of ones soul! After discharge and graduation, we will offer our alumni services such as subsidized outpatient counseling for life and alumni services. We want to stick by our clients sides for life, knowing that recovery is a life long process! We believe the traditional residential centers lack this vital element.
After the Freedom Home is bought, established, and running in the community, a second home for children will be purchased. Lastly, a home for men as well. We need your help in building this Freedom Home! Please consider donating today. Thank you for listening and letting me tell my story! Many blessings to you and your life as we all live for such a needed time as this!
