Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Since you are the expert of your lived experiences, consider me a compassionate detective gathering facts to conceptualize your unique history/case. I hope to learn about your life experiences and the unique survivor mechanisms you used during your childhood to adapt. We will work collaboratively to identify your goals and formulate an individualized treatment plan to address the issues presented in your daily life. During our first meeting, I will learn about your life experiences and what has driven your current desire to seek therapy for self-improvement. I will answer questions you may have about my experience or qualifications. We will work collaboratively to set your mental health goals. I will offer my professional expertise, but this is YOUR life, so you set your goals and I offer services to help you achieve them. Together we will identify ways to measure/rate progress over time and adjust/modify goals, as needed to help you get to the psychological headspace you desire and deserve to be in.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

As a first-generation Mexican American, I bring an awareness of culture and how this influences our identity, relationship with others/ourselves, and how we typically cope with life stressors. My greatest strength is my ability to develop deep connections with others quickly by simply presenting my authentic and imperfect self to our sessions. I am very intuitive and don't rely on textbook interventions which allows me to meet you where you are psychologically and create interventions specifically for you in the moment. My style is creative, warm, encouraging and humorous. I can elicit laughter even after difficult conversations. Most importantly though I can bear the emotional pain of others without breaking; therefore, allowing myself the beautiful ability of holding a nonjudgmental, healing space for you to share all your deep, "dark," thoughts and secrets ;) besides I think I've heard it all or most, so nothing scares me, except spiders,, eek! My style is humorous cause I come from the Smile Now, Cry Later generation...but that coping response can only get us so far because next thing you know you're crying during an AT&T commercial during Superbowl half-time (not the place or the time, am I right?!). Nowadays, I prefer the Cry now, so you can Smile Later approach... see what I did there? During our sessions I encourage vulnerable moments for self-reflection and emotional expression.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

The majority of my focus and clinical background has been treating youth/adults with anxiety, trauma , stress, and depressive-related disorders, as well as youth and adults with a sexual trauma history in outpatient, community and now, since 2020 online/telehealth settings. And as of recently I have been helping more individuals with self-described "imposter syndrome" target insecurities to better understand themselves, and integrate all aspects of their personality in order to accept and.... naturally fall in love with themselves for the first time. Witnessing my client's self-worth and esteem improve is what maintains my passion and excitement for serving others develop the best version of themselves! A version that was hidden under years of conditioning and unhelpful or unrealistic thoughts that were proven to be invalid.