New to Grow
Hello my name is Mayra Gutierrez! Hola me llamo Mayra Gutierrez! I am a bilingual Spanish speaking Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 12 years of experience working with adults, families, and children. As a wholehearted and professionally committed mental health therapist, I take pride in being a person-centered clinician by meeting my clients where they are in their therapeutic journey. Whether it may be your first time in therapy or whether you've experienced therapy services in the past, as a mental health professional it is of utmost importance to me that you feel safe and validated while sharing your personal narrative with me and other mental health professionals. I pursued a career in clinical social work because I truly enjoy working with people and seeing my clients evolve through the stages of change as they work through social issues, improve their coping skills, and thrive! I am passionate about the clinical work I do with my clients, and I demonstrate cultural humility and compassion.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
During the first 4-6 initial sessions with me I will primarily be focused on establishing rapport and building trust by getting to know my clients. I complete my initial assessment during our intake session to gather information about your personal interests, hobbies, and goals for treatment and to inquire the most important question of all which is, "what brings you to therapy?" I also share my personal clinical background and experience as a social work clinician to foster a strong therapeutic client-therapist relationship and provide a platform where you can be yourself, grow, and aspire to work towards your treatment goals and full potential!
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My greatest strength is my personality and communication style. My natural tone is calm, inviting, engaging, respectful with a positive and encouraging demeanor. I incorporate the use of motivational interviewing and create a safe environment for my clients to express their needs, to feel heard, and validated. I am patient and I work towards building a trusting client-therapist relationship. I am also open to feedback from my clients and what they find is beneficial to their treatment.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
The clients who fit well into my practice are the ones who are looking to reflect on areas of strengthening and growth and to improve their self-awareness and confidence throughout different aspects of their lives. My focus areas of practice include navigating major life events, situational adjustments (i.e. job stress, new social roles), intersectional and intergenerational trauma, normalizing first generation impostor syndrome, treating adults who struggled with a parentified childhood, understanding traditional cultural norms and how they impact mental health in the Latinx and BIPOC communities as well as exploring psychological effects and resilience of adults who grow up in a non-traditional single-parent family household and/or immigrant family household.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I utilize CBT treatment method by helping individuals identify and negative thought patterns and behaviors and replace these automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions with positive and balance thought processes and perspectives. I also assign homework assignments such as reflective journaling exercises to help keep track of cognitive distortions. In addition, I teach grounding and deep breathing techniques that can be used as coping tools to manage anxiety and depression symptoms.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I incorporate ACT into my practice by teaching individuals how to accept uncomfortable thoughts instead of suppressing these thoughts I normalize "sitting with these thoughts" and them during therapy sessions and allowing the feelings to be temporary and to pass without a behavioral response. I also teach individuals how to practice mindfulness and be present in the here and now by teaching sensory techniques that will help keep my Clients grounded.
Motivational Interviewing
I develop rapport with my clients and trust through empathy as the core of the client-therapist relationship. I engage in active and reflective listening, validate feelings, and empower Client's though their own self-reflection.