What is collaborative therapy?

Clients are the true experts. My role as therapist is not to provide solutions or impose prescribed treatments, but to engage authentically with clients, co-creating a space where new possibilities can emerge. Therapy is dialogue and collaboration, and the therapeutic relationship itself is a source of healing and transformation.

What values inform your practice?

I see therapy as healing through meeting. Dialogue, or as we call it in Hispanic healing traditions, “charla” between therapist and client is central to my practice. I aim to host a sacred space where we sit with each other in our authenticity, where clients feel seen and validated, through a dialogue that supports growth, relational ethics, healing, and transformation.

I believe that humans have an intrinsic longing for justice, and we have a natural drive to seek it not just for ourselves, but also for others. I seek justice with and for my clients, the kind of justice and transformation that extends beyond those present in the therapy room, to the world that we share and co-create together.

How is systemic therapy different from traditional individual therapy?

Everything is interconnected. ​​Symptoms such as depression and anxiety are not just intrapsychic; they are influenced and supported by our environment across time and space. A systemic therapist understands that there are larger, external influences impacting our mental health and how to properly navigate the challenges that these present. Our social location: family, friends, social circles, economic status, racial identities, and cultural backgrounds, amongst others, influence the quality of our mental health. As a systemic therapist, I help people to understand the role that these systems play in their lives in order to create opportunities for overcoming challenges and build resilience.

What strengths do you bring to the therapeutic space?

Empathy and compassion - I honor, respect, and lovingly witness each person’s testimony, encouraging them to speak freely about their authentic experiences.

Cultural humility - I am sensitive towards the complexities of diverse cultural backgrounds. Honoring and uplifting a client’s origins is priority.

Relational approach - Social connection is the key to wellbeing. We are intrinsically interdependent—our health and wellbeing are deeply influenced by our relationships, and the wellbeing of those around us conversely impacts our own. In therapy, I explore how clients’ family, societal, and cultural systems affect their personal experience of wellbeing. Together, we work toward transformation and healing that includes these interconnected systems. This holistic approach helps clients enhance their interpersonal skills and cultivate deeper, more supportive connections in their lives.

Social justice - Therapy is a space where we can rebalance larger power dynamics and systemic inequities. My commitment to recognize and challenge oppressive structures impacting my client’s lives is supported by a number of therapeutic modalities that inform my practice, including decolonial and reindigenization practices.

Yoga & breathwork teacher - I offer somatic and embodied guidance in therapy, incorporating breathwork, body awareness, and movement-based practices into sessions, helping clients connect with their bodies and process transformation on a deeper level.

Spirituality - I honor the presence of Spirit in its multitude of expressions, privileging and incorporating the client’s Spiritual beliefs and practices whenever appropriate. Some spiritual values I practice are: humility, service, hope, connectedness, and respect for the mysteries.

Why do you call yourself the misfit MFT?

I love working with and for those who identify as misfits, those who, for one reason or another, don’t fit in. One can be marginalized by an oppressive force, but one can also live in the margins as a vote of rebellion against the status quo and its binary configurations. There is magic and potential in the margins, where I have greatly experienced life.

In therapy, and in life, I accept and celebrate difference. I am biased towards questioning dominant narratives of normality or conformity. Collaboratively, we construct alternative stories of belonging and joy. My role as a therapist involves challenging oppressive societal structures that stigmatize difference, while fostering resilience, self-acceptance, and community for those who feel like misfits.