The Families on the brink team is a group of highly motivated and dedicated professionals specializing in couples and relationship therapy. The team utilizes the expertise of state licensed Ph.D. and Master's level professionals.


Paul Maione, Ph.D., LMFT
Clinical Director

I have assisted families and couples in meeting their relationship goals for over 15 years. I work from a solution orientation and try to build on the strengths and resources of the people I see.

I received a Masters degree from Hofstra University on Long Island and a Doctorate (Marriage & Family Therapy) from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I am a clinical member and approved supervisor for the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists. I am currently Core faculty in the School of Human Services at Capella University. I spent 10 years (1996-2006) as the Clinical Director of The Atrium Family Center in Fort Lauderdale and I have taught in the Marriage & Family Therapy programs at Nova Southeastern University and Barry University.

In addition, I am a past President of the Broward Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (2001-2004). I live with my wife and three children in Fort Lauderdale Florida.



Melissa Bridges, M.S. Ph.D., Candidate
Clinical Director

I am the Clinical Director and a practicing therapist at Families on the Brink. For the last 2 years, I have partnered with other couples therapists who are dedicated to helping couples find a place of peace and understanding in their relationship.

I received a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Nova Southeastern University. I am also a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. I am trained in systemic thinking and I work with couples by connecting to multiple realities using brief therapeutic techniques. Many of these techniques are solution oriented, which allow me to concentrate on helping couples build on the strengths in their relationship.

I have a deep-rooted passion for serving others who are in need of my expertise, and I am blessed to find myself in a career that gives me the opportunity to do just that.


Monica Rivera, M.S., LMFT
Experiential Relationship Coach

My passion is to integrate the physical and emotional in my work with couples. My background is in the expressive arts as well as certifications in various holistic health modalities. I hold a masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Nova Southeastern University. I am a certified life coach through the New field Network, an International Coaching Federation accredited school, as well as a Certified Mental Health Professional through the Florida Certification Board.

I have designed a program which incorporates the experiential, non-verbal as well stress management techniques into the therapeutic process; specifically for Families on the Brink. For the past fourteen years, I have worked in the non-profit sector, through El Puente Academy in New York City, and Switchboard of Miami, in Florida, as a counselor and trainer.

I have lead workshops and trainings for CIET international in the area of educational drama and youth development in the United States, Mexico, Canada and South Africa. I have studied somatic learning and movement coaching through the Newfield Network in Venezuela and Chile. I bring to my work with couples, the diversity of incorporating body, mind and spirit into the therapeutic process.

Charmaine S. Borda, Ph.D., LMFT, LMHC

  I was born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to the United States when I was

  seven. I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, a Masters and a Doctorate

  degree in Family Therapy from Nova Southeastern University. I also have

  graduate specializations in Medical Family Therapy and Substance Abuse

  Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. I am licensed in Marriage and

  Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling.

  My areas of specialization are sexual abuse and trauma. I am an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.  I have worked closely with the Florida Department of Children and Families and other child-welfare organizations in Broward County, advocating on behalf of abused, abandoned, neglected, and maltreated youths for over twelve years.  

Essentially, my profession, as a therapist, chose me. When I was a child I couldn’t speak about the abuse that almost killed me; consequently, I grew up not speaking much. Though I yearned for someone to save me, help me, listen to me, hear me—my verbal skills were lacking and my nonverbal skills seemed to draw more negative attention.  As a therapist, I help children and families find their own voices/strengths and discover a freedom that no man/woman can give them; a place where they are free to be raw and vulnerable without fear or threat of harm. I help them find their voices through my God given ability to listen past my ears and through my heart.