Hi There! My name is Karen Hernandez, a first generation Latinx Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in California. I earned my Masters Degree at California State University, Long Beach in 2019 (Go Beach!) I have been in the profession of Social Work for the past 5 years. I had my start in the field of Palliative Care as a medical social worker for children, teens and young adults with life limiting illnesses providing supportive therapy. I then moved into the field of school social work supporting teens and their mental health at a comprehensive high school providing group & individual therapy as well as crisis support. My ultimate goals for my clients is to create a safe, empathic, non-judgmental supportive space and presence. In order to work towards this I offer a person-centered, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), supportive approach with some humor sprinkled throughout.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During our first session, you can expect a detailed conversation about informed consent. I believe in my clients only sharing information that they are feeling ready to share with me- reviewing informed consent in detail allows me to reinforce that. You can also expect me to ask about previous therapy experiences which would lead into me asking about your expectations of myself as your therapist and what you may envision for our time together(It's totally okay- if this isn't so clear for you quite yet-I can help guide you). I would love to then start the conversation about what has brought you to therapy today and start the conversation about goals and the plan for moving forward to accomplish these goals. Ultimately, my hope for this first session and future sessions is to create a comfortable space for you to share your thoughts, feelings, experiences and be authentically yourself.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I love working with teens and young adults to provide validation they may be missing in their lives, normalize certain experiences they're going through and help them find + understand their true potential. As a school social worker and therapist, I have found that my strength lies in being relatable, transparent and honest. My clients, often share they appreciate my down to earth approach and calming presence. I humanize myself and find that my clients appreciate that. Normalizing the human experiences we encounter in our day to day lives, helps me in fostering a safe space where my clients feel seen, heard and supported.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I love working with first generation teens and young adults (13-25) who are having difficulty adjusting to their current life state for reasons within and/or out of their control. My clients are at a point in their lives where they want to begin exploring and learning how to better navigate the challenging emotions that often leave them feeling anxious, depressed, unfocused, unmotivated and overall overwhelmed with life.
About Karen Hernandez
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Through the use of CBT I am able to guide my clients into being able to identify and change their more challenging thought patterns that negatively impact their behavior and emotions.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
This approach allows you as the client to be an equal partner in the therapeutic process. My goal with the use of person-centered therapy is to create the right therapeutic environment that is comforting, non-judgemental and empathetic. I do this by the use of Genuiness, Unconditional positive regard and Empathetic understanding.