Hola! I'm Susana a first generation Latina, bilingual, (Spanish & English) Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. First, I'd like to acknowledge the courage it takes to start your therapy journey you made it to the first step! Starting therapy can feel nerve wracking, but you won't be alone. You will be welcomed, seen and heard in a safe space. I have worked with youth, parents and young adults since 2014 and have been practicing as a therapist for the last 6 years, helping clients with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and several other needs. I look forward to helping people looking to break through cycles of stigma, intergenerational trauma, lived traumatic experiences and learn tools to navigate life's challenges.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
For my clients, our first session will be our opportunity to get to know each other, and to understand together what the needs are and how I can be of best help. My clients can expect questions about what brings them to therapy, therapy goals, and their strengths. I also do my best to be culturally sensitive and trauma informed, my clients can expect questions to better understand what shapes them as a person and if there is triggers or traumatic experiences in order to better support them. I aim to provide support to my clients to help them better understand their mental health needs, regain a sense of safety, and autonomy to tackle life's obstacles. I am dedicated to helping others gain tools to feel more like themselves again, come home to themselves again to the version of the person to be and life they want to live.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My strength as a provider is my authenticity, lived experience and ability to connect with clients to foster a safe therapeutic relationship to begin their healing. I believe every individual is unique, and I work to understand them holistically. Through my lived experience, work experience and being a first generation cycle breaker myself, I have see the importance of being seen, heard and having representation within mental health care. I aim to be authentic and provide my clients the same opportunity to be authentic in sessions, and show up as they are, and feel safe while having or re-discovering their voice and themselves.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I enjoy working with people who are needing support in learning how to better understand their mental health needs, regain a sense of safety, and autonomy to tackle life's obstacles. I am dedicated to helping others gain tools to feel more like themselves again, come home to themselves again the version of the person to be and life they want to live.
About Susana Garcia-Guzman
Identifies as
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Accepts
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Trauma-Focused CBT
I tailor treatment methods according to each of my clients needs. Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a modality I offer to support clients in learning how to identify and manage overwhelming or distressing thoughts related to their trauma. TF-CBT helps clients identify and build awareness of the impact trauma has had on their thoughts, and ways in which they live their life or interact with others. TF-CBT can be effective in helping clients working through distorted thoughts and responses to their trauma (ex. feeling at fault, blaming self, feeling unworthy, believing they deserved the traumatic experience). I utilize TF-CBT to provide psychoeducation and support clients in learning to challenge these thoughts, and opportunity to tell their story and process it on their timeline and healing stage.
Gestalt
Through Gestalt treatment modalities, clients can learn how to build awareness of emotional experiences impacting their present and build safety to fully engage, experience and express emotions. This can be helpful in connecting mind and body experiences while providing the client the opportunity to express and process what they have not been able to do. This method also builds awareness of the clients autonomy to work through unresolved anger, resentment, hurt, grief etc while grounding and supporting the client in present experience.