I am licensed in California with over 10 years of work experience in the mental health field. From working out in the community providing workshops, to working as a case manager helping clients find resources, to ultimately gaining education to be able to provide therapy. I began my career learning about traditional healing methods (i.e. drumming circles, sweat lodges, botanical healing, etc.) and how they can be utilized in conjunction with psychotherapy and thus began my understanding of a more holistic approach to healing: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I utilize an empathic, but firm approach with my clients. Much like other relationships in your life, the relationship you have with your therapist is a unique and special one. I look forward to fostering a trusting relationship with you from the start of your sessions. I am originally from the Bay Area and moved to Los Angeles to attend graduate school. I am bilingual and Spanish speaker, daughter of immigrant parents (Mexican mother and Peruvian father), and the first in my family to attend college and graduate school. My pronouns are She/Her/Ella. My therapeutic orientation is person centered, psycho-dynamic, and trauma-informed, and have experience in utilization of cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, solution focused, and other strength based techniques. I have done various trainings on various topics to be able to provide informed care.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

After our first session, I hope that you will feel comfortable and have more clarity as to the direction you would like to go on your healing journey. I like to brainstorm with my clients treatment goals to feel productive within out sessions. I may provide coping techniques for you to utilize or a point that I would like you for you to reflect on this week.

What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?

I utilize primarily processing and somatic work to understand how our emotions and behaviors and our body are tied together. Mindfulness is a great tool. I focus on your strengths and assess the coping skills you currently utilize. If clients prefer homework I can definitely incorporate that into your treatment.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

I love working with clients who have relationship issues (family, partner, work) and have a trauma history. We all have relationships that are special and meaningful to us and part of that is understanding how our family systems created issues that may be coming up for us. Trauma is tied to so many disorders (depression, anxiety, self-esteem) that it's most important for me to identify this as a root to other issues that may come up.

About Yvonne Monteverde