Specialities

When something terrible happens to us or a loved one, often our impulse is to try to forget it, put it behind us, and hope that with time it heals on it's own.  Unfortunately, the emotional wounds from trauma often work very much like wounds from a physical trauma. Imagine you fell, broke your leg, and instead of seeking medical attention, you decided, I will just try to ignore it and time will heal it. That leg might partially heal, but it will not likely heal well, and with every step it will hurt.  What that leg needs is for you to seek professional treatment, and for that professional to set the bone, to put on a cast, rest, and to do some exercises to strengthen again after the cast is taken off. Then the leg will no longer hurt you.

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If something terrible happened and it keeps affecting you, despite your attempts to put it behind you, there is hope.  Therapy can heal the wounds from trauma so that it no longer negatively impacts your life.  I use several evidence based modalities and interventions to support my clients in this healing, depending on their needs and preferences, including EMDR, somatic exercises, and narrative therapy.  

Whether you have recently immigrated to the US, were raised here with family who immigrated, or are in a relationship with someone with a different cultural, racial, or ethnic identity than you, being bi-cultural/multicultural is a strength. It may also add layers of complexity in your life as you make decisions of how to navigate multicultural life.  In addition to the challenges presented by navigating conflict, prejudice, discrimination, and misunderstandings.

 

My personal and professional experience draws from living and working in the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and El Salvador.  Additionally, I continuously learn from personal relationships, clients, and colleagues from many different countries and backgrounds.  I love supporting my clients in honoring their upbringing and ancestry, and creating their own culture for themselves and their family that is aligned with their values.   

Constant worries and rumination can interrupt our ability to truly enjoy our lives, to be present with our loved ones, to complete our daily activities.  Anxiety can take over our bodies, preventing us from relaxing, sleeping, and sometimes causing full blown panic attacks.  

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In therapy, we not only practice skills to cope with the feelings of anxiety, but more importantly, address the root fears behind the anxiety, so that it can lose its hold on you and you can being to be more present to the pleasurable parts of life, instead of being stuck in worries and tension.

Parenting can often be a double edged sword of the most rewarding and beautiful, yet most challenging part of our lives. There is so much contradicting information and strong opinions coming from our family members, our friends, social media, doctors, experts there about "how" we should parent that it is difficult to know what the "right" approach for our child and our family is.  It can be helpful to clear the noise and our own anxieties and reflect in therapy regarding the way we want to parent, how to support our children, and how to care for our own needs.   

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I believe that you as the parent are the most important person in your child's life, and that you are the expert in your child.  I also believe that our own healing journey is inexorably linked to our parenting and that by healing ourselves we heal our children and generations to come. 

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My work with parents is highly influenced by my training in Child-Parent Psychotherapy, the work of Dr. Dan Siegel, Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, Leslie Priscilla (from Latinxparenting), as well as other experts, and my own experience as a parent.  Through therapy I can help you strengthen your bond with your child, navigate difficult parenting decision in a way that aligns with your values, and heal inter-generational trauma for both yourself and your child.

Self esteem exercises often revolve around instilling beliefs about our positive attributes, such as "I am pretty," "I am a good artist," "I am good at my job" etc.  While these sentiments are nice, they fall short of instilling true, long lasting self-esteem that is unconditional of our performance or appearance. 

 

In therapy, I help my clients develop a deep unconditional sense of self-love and self acceptance that provides a strong base for our relationships and when we confront challenges or triggers. I find that especially EMDR, ACT, and Psychodynamic modalities, as well as the therapeutic relationship are effective tools in this area.  

Depression is a good friend of both trauma and anxiety  and often accompanies either or both of them.  Sometimes it is described as a cloud, a dark hole, a sort of heaviness that comes over the mind and body.  However you experience it, it is not something that you can just will or power yourself out of, and often the very symptoms of depression create barriers to recovery.  

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Therapy can guide you to find the light that is so hard to see right now.  We can identify the factors that are causing the depression and resolve or heal them.  Sometimes you may feel trapped with no door, but there is always a window, and we can find it in our work together.