20: Tania Diaz, Psy.D. – Clinical Psychologist who Finds Her Purpose by Following Her Heart

Masters in Psychology Podcast

Dr. Tania Diaz started her journey by pursuing business but soon realized that she wasn’t happy. When asked what ignited her interest in psychology, she contemplated if she picked the discipline or if the discipline picked her. In this podcast, Dr. Diaz answers this question and shares her academic and professional journey in hopes that it will help others find their purpose by following their heart. She explains how many of her experiences, including her internship and residency, helped to solidify her drive to become a clinical psychologist. With over 25 years of clinical experience in the mental health field, Dr. Diaz is the founder, and owner, of the Comprehensive Assessment Center (CAC), a private practice in Miami Lakes, FL. During our discussion, she reveals the reasons why she founded the Center and explains some of the challenges of opening your own business. She also provides advice to those interested in opening their own business or practice. Dr. Diaz is unique in many ways. She is Hispanic, Cuban by descent. She shares how her internship at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital impacted her view, and focus, on helping families, adolescents, and children deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit, depression, anxiety, and other conditions. Dr. Diaz also shares her experiences during her residency at Everglades Correctional Institution, an all-male maximum security prison. She said that one of the biggest takeaways was “my inner transformation and how my lens changed about the prison system and the inmates within the prison system. And I thought to myself, you know, there are a lot of good people that make really poor choices.” Throughout the podcast interview, Dr. Diaz provides valuable insight and advice to those who are having a difficult time figuring out what they should do with their lives. She believes that if you want to find your purpose, you should follow your heart or gut. She shares how, and why, she followed her heart as an 18- or 19-year-old to become a teacher and a licensed clinical psychologist. Dr. Diaz reveals that she is now taking a leap of faith and making another change in her life and professional journey based on her intuition. She is focusing more on her clinical work and is exploring how quantum psychology may help her clients. She also discusses why she became a Certified Heartmath Trainer and how it can help individuals “gain higher levels of what we call coherence.” She further explains the role the amygdala plays in heart rhythm technology and how it can help people reduce and avoid stress in their lives. She then suggests checking out the app called Smiling Mind if you are interested in mindfulness and meditation. Connect with Dr. Tania Diaz: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YoutubeConnect with the Show: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn https://vimeo.com/671617917 Interests and Specializations Dr. Tania Diaz has over 25 years of clinical experience in the mental health field. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and offers assistance and mentoring to help her clients find their life purpose and find meaning in their daily activities. As founder, and owner, of the Comprehensive Assessment Center (CAC), the team of bilingual licensed clinicians specialize “in the areas of Clinical Psychology, Child Psychology and assessment. We provide an array of services to children, adolescents, and adults.” Education Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Psychology (1993); Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL.Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Clinical Psychology (1999); Carlos Albizu University, Miami, FL. Other Sources and Links of Interest Dr. Tania Diaz at NSU Podcast Transcription 00:00:12 BradleyWelcome to the Master’s in Psychology podcast where psychology students can learn from psychologists, educators, and practitioners to better understand what they do, how they got there,