Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Terapeuta Familiar, LMFT
About Me
As A Person
My journey through life, although not particularly extraordinary, has been one of many transitions. On one hand this has forced me to adapt many times to new circumstances and to grieve the losses these changes have created. On the other hand these many transitions have instilled in me a sense of adventure, an attitude of facing changes with wonder and even excitement.
Like most other people I have had difficult times and joyful ones, I have struggled with intense emotions and not known how to overcome them. I have suffered the loss to death of a loved one and I have known what a family crisis is. I have made decisions that I am very proud of and others that I deeply regret. I am still learning and still growing, my believe is that in order to be helpful for you I need to continue to work on myself, so I do, I remain committed to my personal growth.
My first experience in therapy was as a young adult as I was facing the hardest time in my life. I found the process useful, fascinating, painful and enlightening. Having being “on the couch facing the therapist” myself I know how intimidating getting started can be for you, I hope that you can overcome that initial reluctance and give yourself the opportunity to get better. You are ready! Start your healing journey!
My Therapeutic Style
I do not follow one single approach to therapy. I have been trained in a variety of therapy approaches and techniques because I do not feel one single theory will work with every person. My experience is that each person has a different style of communicating, growing and getting to know themselves. Some people feel very comfortable with expressive techniques (writing or drawing) while others find Cognitive Behavioral Therapy very useful (i.e. to change a specific behavior); children (and even some adults) respond very well to Play Therapy while many adults enjoy and benefit from an in depth analysis of their past. As we get to know each other we will develop the modality that best suits your growth.
I have 22 years of experience working with immigrant families of all walks of life. Some of them struggling financially, some struggling with language barriers and all adapting to a new way of living.
I have worked with children, adolescents, adults and families. During the last 10 years I have worked extensively with new mothers who are struggling with the transitions of welcoming a new baby.
I facilitate adult workshops on: Women’s Self Esteem (in Spanish), Parenting Skills (Love and Logic), and Couples Communication. I designed and currently teach a class for teenagers called “Making Tough Decisions”, an interactive series of activities and discussions around the topics of Sex, Alcohol, Drugs, Internet Safety, Bullying, etc. I can adapt all these conversations for an adult audience so parents can learn how to approach these topics with their own children and teenagers.
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