Your Bilingual Chicana Therapist
It’s so great to meet you!
I’m a bilingual Psychotherapist, Latina—but identify as Chicana (she/her/ella)—born and raised in Arizona. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor via the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health and have spent the last several years working as a therapist with adults of all ages.
From personal experience, I understand that facing trauma, and the causes of anxiety and grief can be difficult because we often store those memories deep within our bodies. This is why I like to focus on trauma processing, body awareness, and coping strategies so you know exactly how to handle things, even outside of our sessions.
I believe mindset is everything when it comes to our ability to work through difficult things and set ourselves up for successful, joy-filled lives. So, I approach both personal and professional endeavors with an abundance mentality.
I’m sensitive to gender equality and racial equity, and am LGBTQIA-affirming. When I’m not working with clients, snuggling with my cat, or painting — I serve as the Founder and Board President of Empezando Contigo: Association for Latine Therapists, an organization born from a Latine therapists networking space I have been hosting since January 2020.
With me, you can expect a practical yet lighthearted approach, designed to meet you where you are.
You may be struggling with:
- Anxiety, Trauma, Grief
- Cancer Treatment or Recovery
- Life Transitions & Depression
- First-Gen & Immigrant Experiences
- Latine Experiences
- Mental Health as a Community Activist or Leader
- Internalized Oppression/Racism
- BIPOC Mental Health
Methods I may use to help:
- Talk therapy
- Brainspotting
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- Existential Analysis
- Mindfulness
- Trauma-informed care
- Person-centered approach
- Exploring the influences of the subconscious and unconscious
How I identify
I’m Latina but like to identify as Chicana. My family is from Mexico and I grew up walking distance to the border, in San Luis, Arizona. I moved to North Scottsdale in time to start high school, which was a big culture shock.
I’m familiar with the difficulties of being the only Latina in the room, and with overt and covert racism at school, work, etc., and generally feeling unsupported in those institutions. After a lifetime of being forced to fit the mold of the “American” way of life, it’s important to me to learn more about my cultural background and ancestors. This has led me to work hard to learn more about the experiences of others and how to best support them while working on decolonizing my own thinking.
I enjoy learning about Indigenous healing practices to better understand the real root of all of these psychological theories.
I am also a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Education and specialty training
- Licensed Professional Counselor by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health
- Master of Arts in Counseling from Northern Arizona University
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Arizona State University (Go Devils!)
- Advanced Certification in Existential Analysis from Center for Existential Analysis & Logotherapy
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- Brainspotting
On a personal note
When I’m not working, I can be found continuing to build our Empezando Contigo comunidad, volunteering in my community, or enjoying one of many hobbies: hiking, photography, reading, painting, or spending quality time with family and friends.
Are you ready to learn how to create and maintain a healthier, more connected way of life?
“It is not freedom from conditions, but it is freedom to take a stand toward the conditions.”
Viktor E. Frankl
