New to Grow
Hello, my name is Javier Perales, and I am a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker and EMDR Certified Therapist. I am dedicated to helping clients achieve their treatment goals and improve their overall quality of life. I work with adults and older adults from diverse backgrounds and cultures, offering therapy in both English and Spanish. My clinical journey began over 15 years ago and was deeply shaped by my own recovery from substance use disorders. This experience led me to reevaluate my life and pursue service within the recovery community, beginning with involvement in 12-step programs and eventually moving into clinical work. This path has given me a strong foundation in understanding resilience, healing, and the courage it takes to seek meaningful change. Today, I am passionate about supporting clients navigating trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, and substance use and addiction concerns. My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based practices, with a strong belief in meeting clients where they are.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session, I focus on building a strong therapeutic relationship and addressing any immediate needs you may have. We will complete a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment to better understand your experiences and identify clinical needs. Collaboration is central to my work. Together, we will discuss what you would like to get out of therapy, review clinical recommendations, and begin defining treatment goals that feel meaningful, realistic, and aligned with your needs.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I work best with adults and older adults from diverse backgrounds who may be experiencing challenges related to trauma, PTSD, abuse, grief, substance use and addiction, anxiety, depression, or questions related to sexual orientation and identity. Together, we work toward healing, stability, and growth by building insight, developing coping skills, and strengthening resilience to support long-term well-being.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I enjoy working with adults and older adults from different backgrounds and cultures, who may be experiencing impairments as a result of past traumas, PTSD, abuse, grief, substance use and addictions, sexual orientation issues, anxiety, and depression.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have been using CBT for over six years with clients who struggle with substance use and other addictions, trauma, anxiety, depression, stress and phobias. I find it very helpful with building insight on how their automatic thoughts and behaviors affect their mental health, breaking maladaptive patterns of thinking and avoidance. In a way, I enjoy seeing clients become their own psychotherapist when they take their power back and say "I know what to do when this happens" after several CBT sessions.
Compassion Focused
I have been using compassion focused therapy for about five years. It is a powerful interventions for those individuals who are self-critical and have history of shame, trauma, attachment issues, depression and/or anxiety. I typically combine it with CBT by breaking the cycles of automatic self-defeating thoughts and adding self-compassion exercises and inner child work.
EMDR
I have been doing EMDR for about four years and I am an EMDRIA Certified therapist. I use this intervention with clients who struggle with traumas, PTSD, grief and loss, phobias, and substance use. EMDR is a gentler intervention than talk therapy to process trauma and PTSD. I typically identify how the trauma and PTSD affects them in the present moment and target one or more traumatic events at a time to process. As the clients heals through processing the traumatic event with bilateral stimulation, the event starts feeling more distant with less emotional charge and diminishes the negative beliefs. With substance use and addictions, I use the EMDR DeTUR protocol to reduce the severity of the urges that the client experiences and hence reducing the risk of relapse.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I am a DBT-informed therapist and have been using DBT for about three years. I typically use DBT with client struggling with anger, impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, substance use and other addictions, trauma, and eating disorders. I usually teach my clients distress tolerance and emotion regulation tools in combination with radical acceptance and mindfulness to help them manage their emotions and to reduce impulsivity and hence reducing maladaptive behaviors.
Motivational Interviewing
I have been using Motivational Interviewing for over six years with clients who struggle with substance use, addictions, anxiety, depression and/or emotional dysregulation. At the beginning, many of my clients are not ready to change. This intervention allows me to assist my clients with their ambivalence to change by clarifying their values and goals and reasons to change. My goal is not to tell them why they need to change but for them to develop an internal motivation to change.