Expert on Mental Health, Success & Relationships
Dr. Belle, PhD, LMFT
Certified EFT Supervisor & Therapist
Founder of We Heart Therapy
Meet Dr. Belle
LMFT, Certified EFT Supervisor & Therapist
& Relationship Expert
In addition to her successful private practice, as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Anabelle Bugatti, "Dr Belle" is the host of the We Heart Therapy show for Therapists, EFT Talk. Dr. Belle is releasing her second book Using Relentless Empathy to connect with Challenging and Difficult Clients, in the Fall of 2020, and has been a guest on in several television shows, including New York's Fox News' Good Day Street Talk. Dr. Belle is a well loved and regular expert on relationships, love after divorce, and the intersection of politics and mental health on radio, podcasts and written media and is the President of Southern Nevada Community for Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Dr. Belle completed her PhD in Couples Therapy at Northcentral University, and her masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in New York at Long Island University CW Post. She is highly and extensively trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, and is an ICEEFT certified EFT Supervisor and Therapist.
Dr. Belle was raised in a small town in San Bernardino County, California, has resided in Brooklyn, New York and currently lives in Las Vegas, NV. She became passionate about helping people heal from divorce and find love again after unexpectedly experiencing divorce herself. She uses her own experiences of divorce and successful remarriage to help others heal and have the healthy and successful love relationships they want.
My Philosophy as a Therapist
It's an incredible blessing to be a part of a person or couple's journey to healing and happiness. When someone comes in feeling like their life is completely falling apart, and they leave feeling hopeful, it has been a great day.
I see people when they are usually at their most vulnerable,
and it is an honor to me to be able to help them.
I am a counselor and therapist in Las Vegas with specializations
in helping couples and individuals mend broken relationships, and
overcome issues such as chronic stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, or challenges with their career or personal life.
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People often ask what led me to become a therapist and
counselor, and why I love working on healing relationships.
While I have always had a keen interest in psychology,
it was my own experience with divorce and remarriage
that led me to want to be a counselor and therapist, specializing in restoring relationships.
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I was 20 years old when I said my first "I do", and at the time I
had expectations it would be my only, "I do". These expectations were disappointed when my happily ever after shattered, just four years later.
Growing up with an active faith in God, I struggled with painful feelings and decisions when my first marriage ended. One of the most difficult aspects to face was the value conflict with my spiritual upbringing.
As I learned to heal and forgive myself, I also learned that I was not doomed or condemned. I learned that I didn't walk around with a big sign over my head that broadcasted the word "divorced".
I was able to overcome, grow, and change. I am remarried to a wonderful man and we have been celebrating our beautiful marriage for going on nine years now.
My Training and Qualifications as a Psychotherapist
As a couples counselor, therapist and relationship expert in Las Vegas, I have extensive graduate and post graduate level training, as well as additional certifications.
I earned my PhD in marriage and family therapy at Northcentral University, and am the President of the Las Vegas community of therapist's learning and training in the model of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). My dissertation research focus was on Competing Attachment in romantic relationships and how this impacts relationship satisfaction and security.
I also hold a Bachelors degree in psychology with a minor in marriage and family therapy from the University of Nevada, at Las Vegas (UNLV). Additionally, I earned my Masters of Science degree in clinical mental health counseling at Long Island University, CW Post Long Island, New York. During my time in New York I participated in extensive training in couple's therapy in addition to completing a clinical internship at a substance abuse counseling center in lower Manhattan.
I hold several certifications in addition to my graduate work. I am a Nationally Certified Counselor through the NBCC, and an ICEEFT Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Supervisor and Therapist (EFT). Emotionally Focused Therapy is the gold standard of counseling, and is demonstrated through rigorous outcome research to be the most effective model of counseling, who's interventions and methods are proven to last over time. I continue to maintain the highest level of training in EFT because I want to use what works. Before I became a therapist, I went through marriage counseling, and I'm sorry to say not all of my experiences were positive. I want to offer my clients the best there is and I want to use what's proven to work. EFT is the best there is. To learn more, visit: www.drsuejohnson.com to find out why EFT so amazing and effective.
In addition to my experience in couples therapy and marriage counseling, I have training in working with anxiety and stress, and helping those concerned about the direction of their life.
My first book, "Basic Academic and Professional Writing with APA Format" was published in 2015.
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My second book, "Using Relentless Empathy in the Therapeutic Relationship; Connecting with Challenging and Resistant Clients" (2020), is available for purchase by clicking here.