Meet Our Team

The Tree of Life symbol represents our personal development, uniqueness and individual beauty. Just as the branches of a tree strengthen and grow upwards to the sky, we too grow stronger, striving for greater knowledge, wisdom and new experiences as we move through life.

Maria "Mica" Istre began Tree of Life Counseling and Consulting with this aim in mind, hoping to reach and help underrepresented minorities in the Acadiana Region find the support and strength already within to flourish and grow. Her practice has also flourished - with a diverse team of counselors, office administrators, and interns helping hundreds of clients in the Lafayette region since opening in 2021. Click through to learn more about each of our counselors, how they can help you, and to book a consultation today.

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Maria "Mica" Salazar Istre, LPC, NCC, CFRC

Founder & CEO, Clinical Director

Specializations: Trauma Recovery, Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Mindfulness CBT, Veterans and First Responders, Immigration Mental Health Evaluations

Qualifications: Masters of Science: Counselor Education with Concentrations in Clinical Mental Health, Certified First Responder Counselor (CFRC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Florida

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Reginald Lemelle, LPC-S, TF-CBT

Assistant Clinical Director

Specializations: individual, family, group psychotherapy, teen crisis intervention, grief/bereavement, men’s issues, racial trauma, Solution-Focused Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Person-Centered Therapy Available

Qualifications: Licensed Professional Counselor and graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor: LPC-S in Louisiana
Certified in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: TF-CBT

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Joy Norwood, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Specializations: Adolescents, Adults, divorce, grief and loss, trauma, suspensions and alternative placements, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Sand Tray therapy, Mindfulness

Qualifications: Masters of Science: Counselor Education with Concentrations in Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling, Licensed Professional Counselor-Louisiana

Ashli King, LPC, NCC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Specializations: Individuals, families, toddlers, adolescents, teens, grief, loss, anxiety, depression, anger management, behavioral management, social skill development

Qualifications: Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Studies from Southern University and A & M College

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Southern University and A & M College

Currently pursuing Ph.D. in Clinical Supervision and Education through the University of Holy Cross

National Certified Counselor (NCC), Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana and Florida

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Mariam "Reem" Abdo-Pitre, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Specializations: Individual Therapy, LGBTQIA+ Counseling, CBT Therapy, Creative Interventions, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Qualifications: Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana and Colorado

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Gabrielle Lee, PLPC

Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor

Specializations: Children and Adolescent Counseling, Play therapy, Sexual Trauma, Life Transitions, Trauma & PTSD, Relationship Issues, Family Counseling, Expressive Arts Therapy

Qualifications: Master’s-Loyola University New Orleans. National Certified Counselor (NCC), Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia and Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana.

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Aureyon Conner, PLPC

Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor

Specializations: Children and Adolescent Counseling, Play Therapy, Adult Counseling, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Racial Trauma, Marginalized Communities, interpersonal conflict, career and academic concerns

Qualifications: Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Louisiana State University

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Karina Santiago-Velazquez, PLPC

Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor

Specializations: Children, adolescent, and adult counseling, Solution Focused Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, bilingual therapy, Multicultural therapy for marginalized communities, depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, interpersonal conflict, life transitions.

Qualifications: Master’s in Counseling from University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Madhulika Injeti, MDS

Counseling Intern

Specializations: Children (Age 5+) , Adults, Depression, Anxiety, Relationship Issues, Child-Centered Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness

Qualifications: Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Bachelor of Science-Psychology in December 2022

Mario Roche, BA

Counseling Intern

Specializations: Children (Age 5+) , Adults, Depression, Anxiety, Relationship Issues, Child-Centered Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness

Qualifications: Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Bachelor of Science-Psychology in December 2022

Tanya Castaneda, BS

Counseling Intern

Specializations: Children (5+), Adolescents, Couples, Families, and Members of the LGBTQ+ community, anxiety, depression, life transitions, minority stress, boundary setting, and self-exploration

Qualifications: Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Bachelor of Science-Psychology in December 2022