serenitywellness

  • sheri.serenitywellness@gmail.com
  • (813) 504-4913
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About Sheri Lawrence , LMFT & Team

Sheri Lawrence is the owner and founder of Serenity Wellness, she is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has practiced for over 20 years.

Experienced in several areas of counseling with extensive training specifically in couples counseling, is an expert in the field of marriage therapy. Sheri also works with individuals who have depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, and many other mood disorders.

Main modes of therapy practiced are Family Systems, Emotionally Focused and Mindfulness Based- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, DBT and Ketamine Assisted Therapy.


Sheri’s formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Social Science, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Social Work from USF and a Masters of Arts from Argosy University with a major in Mental Health & Marriage and Family Therapy. Sheri is a certified supervisor for the state of Florida Mental Health and Marriage and Family Therapy Registered Interns. 

Sheri has personal experience raising a family that includes 3 young men. She has experienced in her own life divorce and remarriage, creating a blended family. Keeping a marriage at any stage in any situation is one of the most difficult things most of us will experience. Sheri is able to relate to you where you are and can bring compassionate guidance to the struggles you are experiencing. Sheri is very thankful for the supportive and loving family and friends that she is blessed to have been surrounded by to make her journey all it is today.

Karly Parada

Hello, my name is Karly Parada, and I am a graduate level Mental Health Counselor intern. I am a holistic focused counselor who is drawn to the depth and complexity of each person. I would love to hear more about you. Whether that be through exploring deep-seated issues or if you just need a space where strong emotions can be held with care, explored and expressed. I provide nonjudgmental and safe environment to guide you through your journey. I am committed to helping people make sense of their inner world, deepen their self-understanding, and cultivate their self-acceptance and insight needed to flourish. I am also a certified sound healer and I love to facilitate sound baths in my free time to help with grounding, body scanning and self-awareness to allow for the nervous system to feel relaxed and at rest.
I specialize in trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, nervous system dysregulation, self-awareness, stress, and more. While practicing techniques such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, among many other therapeutic applications for various mental health issues. With the use of Mindfulness-Based techniques, I am able to follow emotional undercurrents, explore emerging patterns and listen closely to what is both spoken and felt. I look forward to meeting you and I look forward to introduce you to a world of healing. I will be accepting clients, starting August 1st.

Amanda Effertz

Hi everyone! I’m Amanda Effertz, and I am a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern. I completed my master’s degree a little over a year ago and have been working under Sheri’s supervision while I work in the community to support individuals, couples, and families.
I use a warm and accepting approach and work collaboratively with my clients to help them reach their goals in therapy. Two of the approaches that I find to be helpful, especially with trauma, are Internal Family Systems or IFS, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR. Both use a bottom-up approach that is much different than regular talk therapy.
I use a warm and accepting approach and work collaboratively with my clients to help them reach their goals in therapy. Two of the approaches that I find to be helpful, especially with trauma, are Internal Family Systems or IFS, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR. Both use a bottom-up approach that is much different than regular talk therapy.
With EMDR, bilateral stimulation is used to help clients move beyond “stuck” points in their life or healing journey. We learn coping skills first and then identify issues to target. From those target issues, an image and negative cognition are paired, then the bilateral stimulation begins and you let your brain do the rest! It is an amazing tool that works well for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression! Kids can do it too!