Clinical care that honors identity, context, and complexity.
I am Mario Alvarez Serrano, MA, JD, LCPC, LMHC, NCC, a bilingual psychotherapist and clinical supervisor providing affirming therapy for adults, young adults, and couples in Illinois and Florida.
My work centers people whose lives often do not fit neatly into one box: LGBTQIA+ people, trans and gender-expansive people, queer and trans Latinx/Latine clients, bilingual and bicultural clients, neurodivergent adults, people navigating trauma, and people working through complex relationships with sex, substances, family, culture, and identity.
My clinical approach
I believe therapy should be both affirming and useful. It should give you room to tell the truth, but it should also help you understand patterns, name what is not working, and practice different ways of responding.
My approach is collaborative, direct, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and identity-affirming. I pay attention to the whole picture: your relationships, family system, culture, body, nervous system, identities, coping strategies, environment, and goals.
Therapy with me is not about pathologizing who you are. It is about understanding what you have had to survive, what you want to change, and what kind of life and relationships you want to build.
Areas of focus
- LGBTQIA+ affirming psychotherapy
- Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive care
- Gender-affirming letters of support
- Bilingual therapy in English and Spanish
- Therapy for queer and trans Latinx/Latine clients
- Neurodivergent-affirming therapy
- Trauma, PTSD, minority stress, and identity-based harm
- Sex addiction concerns and compulsive sexual behavior
- Substance use concerns
- Couples, polyamory/CNM, kink-aware care, and non-traditional relationships
- Clinical supervision and consultation
En español
Soy Mario Alvarez Serrano, psicoterapeuta bilingüe. Ofrezco terapia afirmativa LGBTQIA+ en inglés y español para adultos, jóvenes adultos y parejas. Mi trabajo integra una perspectiva clínica, culturalmente sensible y afirmativa para apoyar a personas queer, trans, Latinx/Latine, neurodivergentes y biculturales.
La terapia puede ser un espacio para hablar con honestidad, entender patrones, trabajar trauma, fortalecer relaciones y desarrollar una vida más alineada con tus valores.
What clients can expect
You can expect therapy to be respectful, engaged, and honest. I will not treat your identity as the problem. I will also not avoid difficult conversations when they matter. We can work on self-understanding, emotional regulation, boundaries, relationship patterns, trauma responses, accountability, grief, desire, shame, and change.
Frequently asked
Who do you work with?
Adults, young adults, and couples. The practice centers LGBTQIA+, trans, neurodivergent, Latinx/Latine, bilingual, and bicultural clients.
Do you only work with LGBTQIA+ or queer clients?
No. While my practice has a strong focus on LGBTQIA+, trans and gender-expansive, Latine, neurodivergent, kink-aware, and non-traditional relationship communities, I am first and foremost a clinical psychotherapist. I work with adults, young adults, and couples across many identities, backgrounds, and life experiences. My specialty areas reflect the depth of my training and experience, but they are not a gate you have to pass through to work with me. If you are straight, cisgender, monogamous, or do not see yourself reflected in every part of this website, you are still welcome here. There is no mold to begin with. Therapy starts with your actual experience, your goals, and the parts of your life that need more clarity, support, and direction.
Do you offer therapy in person or virtually?
Yes. I offer virtual therapy for clients located in Illinois and Florida, including clients in Chicago, Broward County, Palm Beach County, and throughout both states where permitted by licensure. I also offer in-person therapy in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. Some clients prefer the flexibility and privacy of telehealth, while others feel more grounded meeting face-to-face. We can talk about which format makes the most sense based on your location, needs, availability, and comfort level.
Why do you focus on identity, culture, relationships, and neurodivergence?
Because those parts of life often shape how people experience stress, safety, intimacy, family, work, shame, belonging, and self-trust. Therapy is more effective when those realities are understood instead of treated as side notes. My clinical work is grounded in the belief that people should not have to separate their mental health from their identity, culture, sexuality, relationships, or lived experience. Those things are often central to the work, even when the immediate concern is anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, relationship conflict, or a major life transition. This does not mean therapy is only about identity. It means therapy has enough room for the full context of your life.
What is your clinical style as a therapist?
My style is collaborative, direct, practical, and affirming. I try to create a space where clients can speak honestly, be understood in context, and also receive clear clinical support rather than vague reflection alone. Some clients want help naming patterns. Some want support with relationships, identity, trauma, substance use, sex, family, or major life decisions. Others need a therapist who can hold complexity without immediately pathologizing it. The work is not one-size-fits-all. My role is to help you understand what is happening, clarify what matters, and build a way forward that is grounded in your actual life.
What does your background bring to the work?
My background includes clinical training, supervision experience, bilingual care, and years of work with clients navigating identity, culture, sexuality, relationships, trauma, addiction, and complex life transitions. I have worked across a wide range of clinical environments, including private practice, school-based systems, child and adolescent clinical settings, inpatient mental health treatment, substance use treatment, residential programs, and transitional/halfway-house settings. That range of experience helps me bring both clinical structure and human understanding to the work.
Do you take insurance?
Yes. BlueCross BlueShield PPO, Blue Choice, United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Optum, and private pay. Superbills are available for out-of-network reimbursement.
Ready to talk?
Start by requesting an appointment or scheduling a free 15-minute consultation. We'll talk briefly about what you're looking for, answer any initial questions, and determine whether this feels like the right therapeutic fit.