"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." — Arthur Ashe Hello there! I am first a mom, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, and a neighbor and friend. In my life, I have naturally been inclined to help others. Realizing this, I decided to embark on a journey to become a professional helper of other humans, to help improve their life and feel better about their choices. Along this journey, I have become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. I obtained my MA from Pacific Oaks College in 2013 and my Psy. D. Marital and Family Therapy from The Chicago School in 2021. I then started working in counseling and after completing my continued education for counseling studies with an emphasis on alcohol/drugs abuse studies at UCLA in 2020. I support and promote clients to explore their potential and utilize strengths to manage challenges in life. As your therapist, I strive to be authentic and nurturing and come from this understanding, as my true self, and as a South-American therapist. My years of experience and navigating through life while learning the art of therapy and counseling helped me to develop a strong patient-centered approach to join patients where they are at. Feedback I have heard from clients is that my experience working with different cultural backgrounds helps clients feel safe and they report that I have a more inclusive therapeutic relationship with them than other therapists.
Clients can expect to be asked to discuss goals, situations and challenges they may currently be facing and possibly some life history factors as well; they can expect to talk a lot the first sessions about these topics and others. Overall, they can expect from me to be respected regardless of background or current challenges that they are bringing to therapy. Clients should expect to feel safe, receive unconditional positive regard from a nonjudgmental space where they can explore thoughts, emotions and experiences freely. As a provider, authenticity of our therapeutic relationship and the feeling of nurturing are crucial for exploring primary needs and strengths as we work through your goals. My philosophy and commitment during treatment and after care is based on a collaborative therapeutic relationship and client-centered approach that can help clients explore alternative ways to manage life and in order to reach different levels of potential, according to their unique goals.
My years of clinical experience and working with different backgrounds has helped me to integrate my client-centered approach and helped me to be attuned to your needs in practice. Clients have shared that my cultural competence is one of my greatest strengths, and that it enhances awareness of respect for different cultural beliefs, values, and practices. Being open-minded and coming from a nurturing style are two crucial aspects of my approach and style that help me to consider clients as individuals and consider unique aspects to enhance therapy for them. I try to always cultivate and use active listening to support communication, the exchange of ideas and in order to join clients in their journey alongside them. I enjoy taking clients through their journey but also believe it is important to celebrate the small victories in the process as well. My hope is that you will feel as if you have a partner who not only helps you with tools, but also helps you appreciate yourself more and more as you learn.
I enjoy working with children and adults that need support when they feel stuck in different roles in life. I strongly believe that family plays an important role in child development and even through adulthood. Therapy experiences with me will be based on mutual respect and unconditional support. I practice and promote flexibility and open mindedness as part of my values and I use different mindful practices to integrate different evidence base approaches based on your needs, in order to promote an organic experience.
My experience has led me to explore many approaches in my journey to the right approach for my clients and practice. After learning and trying many, I have learned that I have one of the largest influences in my approach from CBT. CBT is a specific psychotherapy approach known to be effective with different mental health conditions with mild to severe symptoms. CBT explores maladaptive (false believe) thinking patterns to help support life challenges and also to help identify new options while using better coping strategies during these moments. I have discovered that patients who utilize a variety of CBT interventions can increase their ability to manage daily life challenges.
One of the other main areas of influence in my practice has led me to utilize a deeper perspective known as Attachment Therapy. Attachment Therapy is helpful for individuals and couples with a focus on past and present relational attachment issues. Attachment looks at family dynamics and first experiences alongside current relational dynamics and attempts to connect them to realize relevant patterns. Ways that this has helped previous clients has been instrumental in recognizing better and healthier friend and partner choices, in general.
I am certified TF-CBT specializing in treating clients who suffer with the effects of trauma with CBT. This appears to be very effective in helping the client to realize that after trauma, there are other more tailored approaches that are helpful in navigating stressful situations and realizing the consequences of that trauma. TF-CBT is an evidence-based clinical approach for clients who have experienced trauma and who currently experience challenges to manage the effects of their trauma on their current daily functioning. One of the benefits of this approach is its components to enhance the regulatory system while being culturally sensitive. Once we have built trust and rapport, we can work to identify new options, practice those preferred new options and eventually manage distress better.