Latina Therapist with Lived Experience in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

As a Latina Therapist or Hispanic mental health counselor who is in a marriage with someone who is of a different race, I know from lived experience just how important addressing cultural issues can be in order to make lasting changes in our lives. I know how difficult it can be when you explore cultures and how hard we must balance not wanting to say something is bad or wrong but instead just figuring out how to live a life more in line with our values so that we can live more authentically. I don’ claim to know it all, but I do my best to make a safe space to explore race, culture, and gender, and all the things other therapist might shy away from.

I am the daughter of an immigrant and I know firsthand the struggles that first and second gens can face. It’s these special circumstances that make this population near and dear to my heart. First gens are often considered to be foreign-born though some consider themselves first gen if they were the first to be born here in the states. Therefore I use the terms interchangeably and when I refer to first gen, I am referring to someone and someone's family who are relatively new in this country.

Moving to a new country can prove to be stressful and can have lasting negative impacts on individuals whose families struggle with having to blend two cultures. Perfectionism, over working, and being anxious people pleasers are common struggles of the clients who choose to work with me.

Therapy for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

Issues I Commonly Work With In My Therapy Practice

Trauma can impact children who later become adults which can manifest into some interesting behaviors such as the need to push yourself to extremes, feeling uncomfortable with money, not knowing how to navigate conflict, and numbing your feelings with substances. These are just some of the struggles my clients seek my help out with and it is enlightening when they learn that my definition of trauma is anything that was not nurturing.

Inner Child Wounds Such As:

• Parentification

• Spanking and physical abuse

• Bullying and teasing

• Acculturation

• Immigration

• Intergenerational trauma 

• Macro and micro aggressions

Therapy for Parentification (Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents) in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

Parentification is where a child takes on adult responsibilities way before their time, this is often seen in first gen homes where the parents have to work long hours to provide while the older siblings are left to care for the younger siblings. It is something that people have to do in order to survive. This early introduction to being a parent means that a child is not able to just be a child. Free to explore their interests, make mistakes, learn and grow in a way that a child is meant to grow up.

Sometimes parentification can happen in other circumstances, such as when a parent is depressed or an alcoholic. Sometimes following a divorce the child before an emotional surrogate for the parent who was left alone to raise the family. I am the oldest of 5 siblings, with 21 years of difference between me and the youngest. I know first hand how tough it can be to not really feel like a sister but more like a co-parent or aunt. And I was lucky, I had aunts and uncles to help out and my responsibility is often quite small compared to the stories I hear in the therapy room. People will often share how now as adults they struggle with boundaries and find it difficult being able to be cared for by others. I often work with people pleasers to help them choose them first.

Parentification can lead to some lifelong habits that people find themselves going to therapy to break. Why? Because you are no longer in survival mode and the skills and way you did live before are no longer working. You have come to a point in your life where you can do less and doing less does not mean you are any less worthy. 

Therapy for Adults Children Who Were Spanked and Physical Abused in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

Another thing that is common in first generational homes is spankings as a means of punishment. In more severe cases emotional marks can be left along with physical ones.  I have known people, including family, who share that they turned out fine despite being hit as a child. I am here to argue not you did not turn out fine. 

Being spanked as a child is a physical boundary violation that only teaches children to fear their parents. To fear messing up. Humans mess up all the time, therefore we are raising kids to be afraid of being human. This can lead to years and years of struggle with anxiety and depression. Often it is something that is then passed down to their children. It is said that people spank their kids when they themselves cannot handle the big feelings. This is sad because our children rely on us to teach them how to manage their big feelings. I work with people in my online therapy practice in California to help them heal inner child wounds that resulted from being spanked as children.

Therapy for Acculturation in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

Acculturation is when a person assimilates or adjusts to living in another culture. Leaving one culture behind can cause a lot of stress and trauma for people. And as adults people struggle with who they are and struggle with their identity. My family is from Mexico, and they went through a major cultural shift once they made their home in the states. My mom told me about how she taught herself English using a dictionary that way she could pass her senior year and graduate high school. Talk about a stressful senior year. Growing up my family was never “white enough” and we often felt like outsiders.

Moving to a new country is a huge stressor. People move to America and make it their home each and every single day. This stress is something the family bears and can have long-lasting impacts. Sometimes the clash of cultures impacts first and second gens as they struggle to find a balance between fitting in and honoring their family’s culture. For the indigenous people, the amount of trauma that they and generations have gone through can seriously impact feeling like they are safe in their own bodies causes depression and anxiety.

Therapy for Immigration Related Stressors in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

We can’t talk about first-gen issues without talking about immigration. I am sure you have all seen heart-wrenching news stories where people risk their lives trying to make America their home. People feel countries all over the world, are desperate for a safe place to call home. Immigration is traumatic. Sometimes people go through unthinkable things and endure things no one should have to endure.

I have worked in nonprofits before treating people without papers. It is a humbling experience being able to hear people’s stories and see the strength they continue to have for the sake of their own children and families. Currently, in my online practice, many of the clients that I currently serve have told me about stories where their parents were the ones that went through unthinkable things. However, it does not take much therapy to explore just how our parents’ and grandparents’ stress with immigration has impacted first and second gens.

Therapy for Generational Trauma in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

Intergenerational trauma or generational trauma is trauma and stressors that are passed down in the family often through behaviors. My current go-to for explaining this is the Disney Movie Encanto. For example, in the movie, the abuelita had her husband murdered as he tried to stand up for the family and village to help them buy more time as they escaped. This was a terrible tragedy for the grandmother who was now left with 3 kids and a village to look after. Talk about stress. 

All the children and grandchildren developed these powers and behaviors if you will, to help cope with the trauma that their family has been through. Disney magic aside, families with trauma will be affected in all sorts of ways. Some family members become sick with depression or anxiety, some develop risky behaviors like drinking excessively or chasing dangerous thrills. 

In my online therapy practice first and second gens are one of my favorite populations to work with because it hits home for me personally and I have done additional training to understand how complicated intergenerational trauma can be. As a therapist, I am passionate about those who have struggled because they are first and second gens and I work with this population to heal their family tree by first healing themselves. I absolutely love working with cycle breakers in my online therapy practice.

Therapy for Interracial Relationships and Dating in Phoenix & San Diego (All of CA & AZ)

As a Latina therapist who is married to someone of a different race, I not only have training but lived experience to support people who are in interracial partnerships with effective couples therapy that is culturally sensitive. There can be lots of tender spots and difficult conversations. And I can support you and your partner in navigating issues that you might be uncomfortable with talking about to a white therapist. Click here to read more about Couples Therapy and about Interracial Partnership Therapy.

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