Hi my name is Mirna (she/ her/ they/them) and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I identify as Queer, Oaxacan, and a 1st generation college grad. I was born, raised, and live in Los Angeles, CA. I received a Bachelors in Sociology at Mount Saint Mary’s University and a Masters in Social Work at Case Western Reserve University. I work in the non-profit sector as a program manager at a trauma recovery center.
In our first session we focus on creating a safe and welcoming environment. I want to get to know you and the reason you reached out. We will create a treatment plan and goals you would like to reach in our time together.
I focused on working with QTBIPOC (adults 18+), first generation, college students in California. My approach to therapy centers on a somatic-based approach while holding an intersectionality and social justice lens. I am comfortable with working with individuals who have experienced complex trauma, childhood trauma, generation trauma, and sexual abuse trauma.
EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. EMDR therapy, rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process.
CBT places an emphasis on helping individuals learn to cope and problem solve on their own. Through exercises in the session as well as “homework” exercises outside of sessions, patients/clients are helped to develop coping skills, whereby they can learn to change their own thinking, problematic emotions, and behavior.
Narrative therapy is a style of therapy that helps people become—and embrace being—an expert in their own lives. In narrative therapy, there is an emphasis on the stories that you develop and carry with you through your life. Story telling is an important aspect of healing and processing your traumas.