About Me
Hi - I’m so glad you are here! Choosing a therapist for yourself or for your child can be both exciting and a bit overwhelming at times. It’s an honor to tell you about myself and my work so you can decide if I might be a good fit.
My Approach to the Work
My work is rooted in relationships, as healing often happens through connection with others and ourselves. I approach therapy through a social justice, de-colonial, and anti-oppressive lens, understanding the larger systems that impact us. I am sex positive, queer/trans affirming and sex worker friendly. As a Somatic and Brainspotting Therapist (see below for more information), I help you process both intellectually and on a body level, often allowing for deeper healing than traditional talk therapy. I’m also flexible in my approach and have utilized interpersonal processing, Internal Family Systems (IFS), insight-oriented work, art, play, and DBT skills with clients in the past.
We can also incorporate traditional healing practices such as bio-energetic cleansings, ceremony, prayer, ritual, and more if you are interested.
With kids and teens, building a strong relationship is key. We will work process using play and engaging activities. I collaborate closely with families to ensure we're all on the same page and that you can continue the work outside of therapy.
*Due to the nature of the work, I prefer to work with clients under 15 in person and don’t offer ongoing virtual sessions for this age group *
In my spare time I enjoy practicing and being in ceremony with my Aztec/Mexica Danza group, cuddling babies, listening to Bad Bunny, spending time in nature, laughing and eating ice cream.
Identities: Some may want a therapist who holds similar identities and lived experiences as them
Bisexual/Queer Fat
Neurospicy Parent
(Of the TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury Variety) Polyamorous
Mixed/Multiracial Trauma Survivor
(Mexican/Chicana of Indigenous Descent and White Settler Ancestry)
These are just some Identities and Lived Experiences I have and I’m open to any questions you might have about me during our consultation or throughout our work
We may be an especially good fit if you are:
BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color)/Mixed/Multiracial
Latine
LGBTQ, Polyamorous, and/or Kinky
white folks doing anti-racism work
College/Graduate Students
If you’re looking to work on issues related to:
Sex, Dating and Relationships
Trauma Healing (Personal and/or Generational/Historical)
Identity (Racial/Cultural/Gender/Sexuality) Exploration
Body Positivity and Self Esteem - from a Fat Liberation Lens
Depression and Anxiety
Parenting
What’s Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-centered therapeutic approach that focuses on how trauma and stress are stored in the body. SE helps individuals tune into their body sensations and reactions to understand what the body needs, whether that is to release stored tension or unresolved trauma, and/or integrate new meaning into the system. The idea behind SE is that when traumatic experiences occur, they can get "stuck" in the body and affect both physical and emotional health. Through this method, clients learn to become more aware of how their nervous system responds and use that awareness to process, discharge trauma, come back together, which can lead to a sense of release, regulation, and overall healing.
In a Somatic Experiencing session, I will guide you to notice sensations in your body, such as tightness, warmth, or tension. By focusing on these physical cues, you can start to identify where trauma is held. Together we will "track" your sensations, allowing you to explore how they shift or change, offering insight into your emotional experience. The session can feel more like a gentle exploration of the body rather than traditional talk therapy.
What’s Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a therapeutic technique developed by Dr. David Grand that uses the positioning of the eyes to access and process deep-seated emotional experiences, including trauma. It is based on the concept that where you look can influence your brain’s ability to process information. By focusing on a specific point in your visual field while tuning into an emotional experience, Brainspotting helps the brain identify and release emotional blockages. It is often used for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and other intense emotional experiences, allowing the brain to process information more deeply than through verbal methods alone.
In a Brainspotting session, we will work together to identify a specific area of focus (could be an emotional or traumatic memory) and then I will help you focus on a "brainspot"—a specific point in your visual field. While focusing on this spot, you may experience a variety of emotions or physical sensations, which helps your brain process the trauma or emotion more effectively. We will process from this spot much like described in Somatic Experiencing above allowing for release, re-processing and regulation.
Experience, Education and Training
My Experience
I have had the honor of doing the following work:
Domestic Violence Advocate at Esperanza Rising
Children’s Mental Health Case Manager at CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio)
Therapist at the University of Minnesota working with undergraduate and graduate students
Adjunct Professor for Diversity and Difference Class for the MSW Program at the University of Minnesota
Education
Bethel University-Bachelors of Social Work-BSW
University of Minnesota Twin Cities-Masters of Social Work-MSW
Certification/Trainings
Completed all 3 years of Somatic Experiencing Training (SEP In Process)
Brainspotting Phase 1 and 2
Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP) (In Process)
Indigenous Circle Keeping Practices