Maria “Mica” Salazar Istre graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with her Master’s in Counselor Education. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Maria has a heart for helping people overcome the obstacles, traumas, and patterns that continue to hold them back from living life to the fullest. As a veteran Marine spouse and family member of law enforcement officers, she understands the unique culture of veterans and first responders. She is a Certified First Responder Counselor (CFRC) and strives to provide the highest quality of care to those who serve our community. 

Through her work at a sexual assault center, she has gained clinical experience providing bilingual counseling services to Latinx victims. She has dedicated her time as a counselor in serving the highly marginalized and systemically oppressed in various clinical settings. As a Las Vegas native and child of immigrant parents, Maria is passionate about bridging the gap for ethnic and linguistic minorities in the Acadiana Area. It is this passion that led her to open Tree of Life Counseling and Consulting, the only multiculturally focused group counseling practice in the region.

Maria's specialties include trauma recovery (PTSD and Complex Trauma) for events such as sexual assault, childhood abuse, combat trauma, etc. She has received over 200 hours of trauma training throughout my years as a counselor and approaches counseling through a trauma-informed lens. Maria is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Trauma Resolution Therapy (TRT), and has received training from Ashland Theological Seminary in Formational Prayer (Inner Healing). She is currently working towards her EMDR certification, which adheres to EMDRIA's highest level of care and expertise, and is an evidence-based and highly effective trauma treatment.

Maria accepts BCBS, Aetna, UHC, UMR, Humana, and Tricare (OON) insurances. She is licensed in Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Florida. To schedule an appointment call (337) 703-2806 or email info@treeoflifecoun.com.