Manatee Associates of Counseling & Assessment, LLC came to fruition in 2019 by Dr. Patricia S. Dixon. During this time Dr. Dixon was in her final stages of winning her battle against breast cancer. She was working in individual private practice as well as serving as a full time graduate school professor. All three of these aspects of her life contributed to the development of Manatee Associates of Counseling & Assessment, LLC. While going through her battle against breast cancer, Dr. Dixon found herself encountering a number of individuals in need of various forms of support. For some it was individual therapy, for others couples & family, and then for others there was a need for life coaching to re-define who they were after cancer. In addition, as a professor working with eager driven graduate students, there was a constant reminder of her passion for this field. As a result, the vision to create a group practice that helped people through various modalities of support was born.

In order to create the best possible experience for our clients, we have worked hard to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming office environment. From the moment you walk through our doors, we hope you feel a little like you’re visiting a friend or going to your favorite coffee shop with comfortable, inviting furnishings instead of visiting a clinical, sterile office building. We know it takes courage to share your big feelings and deep thoughts, so we strive to provide a place where you will feel safe opening up and starting to heal, learn more about yourself, and become the version of yourself that you’ve always wanted to be.

Our therapists believe that assessment and therapy services can go hand in hand. Evaluations and assessments help you to understand your needs. Therapy can help you find the most effective ways of getting those needs met. Whether you visit us for one or both services, our knowledgeable professionals can help you to better understand how therapy and assessment can help you.

We like to think of assessment as the way to answer questions like:

• Why am I struggling?
• How can I improve academically or professionally?
• What resources do I need to decrease daily frustrations?

Therapy helps you answer questions like:

• Why am I feeling so anxious every day?
• I’ve been struggling with depression on and off for years – can I make it go away?
• My relationships always seem to fail – am I doing something wrong?