Embracing her roots... Building a legacy... Impacting humanity
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As a Paterson NJ native Dr. Maria Inosencia Amarante grew up in NJ’s third largest inner-city which was plagued by drugs, gang violence, and high teenage pregnancy. During her elementary and high school years she attended public schools that were full of compassionate teachers that embedded in her the drive to overcome obstacles associated with poverty and being the child of immigrant parents who struggled to navigate in America. She was determined to beat the odds to become the first in her family to attend and graduate college and ultimately become a doctor. She embraces the storms of life as a training ground that have developed in her tenacity and the desire of giving back to her community and humanity as a whole through the art of clinical counseling. It was her mission to create a strong legacy as successful member of her community and in doing so she was inducted into her high school’s (Rosa Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts) Hall of Fame in 2016. She knew then that her nieces and nephew had a tangible role model that highlighted the reality that there was nothing you could not overcome through perseverance. Today she embraces that same stance with her clients and staff. She believes with her support her clients and their families can overcome any adversity they encounter.
What differentiates Dr. Amarante is she is one of the “realest” clinical counselors of our modern day. She is relateable to all walks of life and believes effective therapy incorporates: experience, expertise, a clear diagnosis, concise goals, and the knowledge and the tools to effectively navigate through difficult life issues. It’s also about possessing a genuine concern for her client and their pain. She uses a unique and effective approach to counseling in order to maximize outcomes and provide genuine healing and wholeness to individuals and their families.
Dr. Maria Inosencia Amarante earned a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where she focused her work with inmates incarcerated in a super-maximum security prison. After the completion of her doctorate degree, she decided to commit her life to working with inmates, children who are victims of sexual and physical abuse, neglect and are in the Wisconsin foster care system. In addition, she provided mental health treatment to women struggling with alcohol and drug use and were recently released from prison. She also supervised master level interns as they service women in a residential treatment facility.
Dr. Amarante has over twenty years of counseling experience with a wide range of patients in a variety of treatment settings. In addition, she works with teens and women in abusive relationships who are at all stages of domestic violence. Her work includes counseling teens at risk for teenage pregnancy as well as teen moms and their families and or significant others.
Dr. Amarante’s love of her Latino roots and inner city community motivates her to maintain close ties to Paterson NJ as she visits often and has worked with “Teens to Be Heard” and has also volunteered at various events that have focused on encouraging teenagers living in Paterson NJ to pursue their dreams. Her relationship with her family and commitment to her nieces and nephew’s success continue to be a driving force to create a legacy for the Amarante family as well as the Paterson Community which gave her the motivation to open her own private practice that is near and dear to her heart. She is dedicated to uplift individuals struggling with mental illness and/or substance use disorders and other addictions through a Trauma Informed Care approach. Multicultural Trauma and Addiction Treatment Center of Wisconsin is currently offering a wide range of services. The trauma-informed approach to treatment will ensure that individuals struggling with an array of mental illnesses will feel understood and supported within a safe atmosphere conducive to healing.
EDUCATIONAL TRAINING
Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Degree completed in August of 2007.
Dissertation: Rehabilitative Counseling: A qualitative analyses of inmates in a super-maximum-security correctional institution.
Advisor: Dr. Kim Asner-Self; Master of Arts, Counseling.
Specialization: Community Counseling. Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut. Degree completed in May of 1999.
Research Paper: HIV epidemic and sexual behavior among inner-city minorities.
Advisor: Dr. Lynn Haley-Banez; Master of Science, Health Education.
Specialization: Community Health. William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey. Degree completed in May of 1995.
Advisor: Dr. Joanna Hayden; Bachelor of Science, Health Education.