LMFT, 14 years of experience
I am Graciela Aguilar, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in California. With 15 years of experience, I assist children, adults, and families offering virtual therapy for anxiety, depression, and PTSD. I am dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment that helps you challenge the negative core beliefs contributing to dissatisfaction. Believing in the right to joy, together we will uncover the skills and strategies that work best for you.
When we meet in our first therapy session, expect a warm welcome, brief introductions, and disclosures about legal limits of confidentiality. Then we'll focus on, "What brings you to therapy today". After gathering the information related to the presenting symptoms, together we will develop an individualized treatment plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions. This is your time to unpack what you are ready to work through.
I've developed strong skills in creating a safe space to validate and support clients in their journey. I focus on being an ally in providing the best quality of care by utilizing ongoing assessment and evidence-based practice modalities. I enjoy being a witness of transformation when clients demonstrate progress toward meeting therapy goals.
Therapy can be a challenging process that may seem confusing, overwhelming, confrontational, and even intimidating. Yet, despite these challenges, my clients show openness and place significant value on their journey toward healing.
In over 14 years of practice, working with clients experiencing anxiety or depression, I've utilized evidenced based modalities like CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to help them reach therapy goals. I provide psychoeducation about how thought, feelings impact behaviors. We then work together to identify behavioral patterns to then address any distorted negative core beliefs leading to negative feelings. Identified issues are used to change patterns, to help you manage symptoms, live less stressed life and then naturally enhance the way you interact and respond to others.