About Us

Therapist, Addiction Specialist & Certified Life Coach

As a licensed mental health clinician, addiction specialist and certified life coach with over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health care field, Susan is passionate about helping people reach their full potential. She holds extensive expertise in mental health counseling, substance use disorders and wellness coaching, and has successfully supported clients from diverse backgrounds and needs.

In addition to clinical practice, she has held executive positions in program operations for leading treatment centers, where she gained valuable skills in business development, management, training, and public speaking.  She enjoys working with interns and staff in training, coaching and developing staff at all levels.

In 2020, she felt “called” to open this practice.   It was important that to invest in this community and offer accessible services promoting mind, body and spirit. In recent years, she developed a passion for marital counseling.  Marriages are at the heart of family. Susan feels honored and blessed to help couples re-establish  their commitment to one another and help place the family on solid ground.

Meet The Founder

Therapist, addition specialist and certified life coach Susan Figueiredo that is the founder of Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Susan Figueiredo

Rocks with mind, body and soul inscribed on them.

Our Mission

Our Vision is to offer a range of services geared at promoting health & wellness. While these services will mostly target mind & body, our dream is that every person who engages with a service, staff or one of our onsite colleagues will experience a spiritual awakening.

At the core of our practice is our counseling support. These services are focused on Strengthening the Family. Starting with marital counseling, parenting support, addiction treatment, and mood stabilization, we can help you live a life of purpose. 

In addition, we focus on the connection between mental well-being & nutrition. When we eat to feed our bodies and fuel our minds, we are better equipped to face the days’ challenges. We think clearer, feel better and become mentally stronger.

Our Services

Counseling

Nutrition Counseling

Life Coaching

Therapeutic Massage

substance abuse evaluation

Group And Workshops

Learn More About Our Services

Core Values

Integrity & Ethical Practice

We are committed to adhere to the professional standards for our professional licensures as well as regulatory agencies.  We make every effort to secure client information, maintaining confidentiality, honesty and ethical behavior in all professional interactions.

Compassion & Respect For Human Dignity

“Love God, Love People” – We are called to these “helping” roles and are committed to reflect a genuine care and concern for our clients, treating each one with inherent worth and value, regardless of their circumstances. 

Community Engagement

We are committed to creating quick and easy access to services.  We recognize the importance of investing in our community, promoting health and wellness initiatives in our schools, places or employment, churches and other community agencies.  “We are better together”

Holistic Perspective

We recognize that health is not just physical, but encompasses spiritual, mental, emotional, and social aspects.  We will strive to support the whole person.

Woman sitting on a wooden dock overlooking a lake on a foggy day.

Individualized care

There are standard practices and tools used for common problems.  However we recognize that each person has unique need and therefore will require tailored wellness plans to support individualized goals. 

Meet Our Team

Our dedicated life coaches and counselors have been carefully selected to put your wellbeing first. They collaborate with you to determine and accomplish your individual wellness objectives, guaranteeing a motivating and encouraging path to a more balanced, healthy existence.

M.ED Associate Counselor Jeff Giammalvo that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Jeff Giammalvo

Associate Counselor

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Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Michael Stevens that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Michael Stevens

Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor

Learn More About Michael
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker Michelle Upton that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Michelle Upton

Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

Learn More About Michelle

Daniella Reis

Licensed Massage Therapist

Learn More About Daniella
Administrative Assistant Marie Duarte that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Maria Duarte

Administrative Assistant

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Administrative Assistant Marie Duarte that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Jan Arruda?

Associate Counselor

Learn More About Jann
My second massage at Positive Living. The people are professional, friendly and attentive and the space is clean and inviting. Thanks for an awesome relaxing experience!
Lynn C
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M.ED Associate Counselor Jeff Giammalvo that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Jeff Giammalvo

As a teacher of inner city youth for over 20 years, Jeff has cultivated a love and a passion for the well-being of people. He firmly believes that a better version of ourselves exists on the other side of our struggles.  

The majority of his experience has been within the school climate, however he also has a strong passion for those experiencing difficulties overcoming addiction. He has done extensive work in the recovery community as well as developed and implemented the first ever course offered to high school youth to help them understand the root causes that can lead to addiction.

He has been given the opportunity to expand this work abroad, partnering with a treatment center, teaching trauma sensitivity and addiction to the islanders of Roatan, Honduras. This experience has not only been extremely fulfilling, but also taught him cultural sensitivity and exploring varying approaches to healing.  

His primary approach to care is rooted in cognitive-behavioral therapy with an emphasis on solutions focused interventions.  He believes that we are all built with a deeply rooted understanding of the path to healing, and sees his clinical role to encourage, challenge, and guide the individual back to this place of origin.  Beyond his clinical work, he has a  love for music, the outdoors, exercising, and spending time with his family.  He is blessed to be an active part of a wonderful church community that is very active in being a tangible blessing to the area. 

He is confident that by collaboratively working together, finding deeper understanding and discovering root causes, that the byproduct will be the restoration of who the person was originally created to be.

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Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Michael Stevens that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Michael Stevens

I am a licensed, master’s degree-level clinician providing individual and group counseling services for substance use and gambling disorders. Over the last 18 years, I have enjoyed working with individuals from a wide range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in both community and residential settings.

My goal is to help others enhance their quality of life and reunite families impacted by these diseases. I work from a person-centered, solution focused perspective and incorporate trauma informed practices. I have lifetime experience as a veteran, first responder, and therapist.

My years of working with substance use disorders, trauma and gambling addiction have given me the experience to understand the hopelessness one may suffer alone. I offer assistance in building insight into self, and the development of life changing behaviors.

Healing can begin with a call to a supportive and experienced counselor who truly cares. When the darkness appears to have no light believe that hope, dreams and possibilities are always somewhere. Please be willing to reach out and take the first step towards a brighter journey through life.

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Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker Michelle Upton that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Michelle Upton

Michelle has been providing support to individuals, couples, and families for more than 10 years as they navigate life and loss. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, she offers guidance and teachable skills through a specialized lens that promotes positive self-care, increases confidence, and improves perspective.

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Daniella Reis

Meet Daniella, our Licensed Massage Therapist and graduate of a 900-hour COMTA-accredited massage therapy program.

She regularly pursues continuing education in bodywork and holistic support. Daniella’s intention is to meet each client exactly where they are, with compassion and therapeutic skill.

Her work is grounded in the belief that the body knows how to heal, it just needs the right conditions. Her role is to provide a calm, supportive environment where clients can unwind, feel safe, and reconnect with themselves.

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Administrative Assistant Marie Duarte that is part of the team at Positive Living a Health & Wellness Practice in New Bedford MA.

Marie Duarte

Meet Marie, our Administrative Assistant. Marie has been working in the healthcare field for over 26 years. Beginning as a Certified Nursing Assistant, where she found her love for people and caring for them and their families at what can be the most vulnerable time in their lives. Marie began working as a Health Unit Coordinator and then a Patient Access Advisor over the last 18 years of her career where she paired these skills with the hands on skills of being a Nursing Assistant and multiple years of private home care provided to all ages.

Grace, understanding, and patience are very important to her and she strives to demonstrate these attributes to everyone around her.

Marie has recently graduated from the School of Ministry at New Life Southcoast, she has also graduated from Bristol Community College with her Associate in Science, Cum Laude in August 2024.  She is now working on her Bachelors degree in Healthcare Administration at the University of Umass Dartmouth and is very excited for the ways she can help her community in the future.

Marie went on her first mission trip to Roatan, Honduras in June of 2024 and is excited to be planning her second mission with her church ministry this coming June, 2025.

As the administrative assistant, Marie feels it is important to greet clients in a warm and welcoming manner and to help in every way possible. To be the face of the practice, or the first face people see when they walk in, is very important in her opinion and she wants each and every person she greets to know that she cares and is invested in making their visit as easy and stress free as possible. From checking in, assisting with any forms, to checking out, she wants to be as helpful as possible and be sure every person she comes in contact with knows that they are her main priority.