Healing comes from the collective–it is almost impossible to overcome everyday obstacles without a solid support system. In the way our society is structured, this is an incredibly difficult task. Knowing this, I am called to this work because I believe in working towards a more collaborative, supportive, kinder community. I believe in a holistic approach and tackling the world as a team, with you being the expert of your own experience.
I first started working in the field of social work through my experience as a medical advocate working with survivors of sexual harm. I then obtained my Masters in Social Work from Loyola in Chicago, and thus have worked with a myriad of populations with varying issues with a focus on trauma. From serving as a case manager at Howard Brown to working as a school based therapist for elementary school children in Little Village–and by extension, supporting parents and teachers. I have a wide range of experience that I believe will serve as a fluid model for therapy, one where you are in charge of what modalities you can or cannot work with.
Being queer, neurodivergent, and first generation myself, I particularly enjoy working with the same communities–especially since it can be rather difficult to find a provider with a similar background. I use strengths based, anti-oppressive and trauma informed frameworks, where I continue to put the experiences of my clients first while using my expertise to support and guide. I use narrative based, relational, and somatic therapy where the client is prompted to externalize their feelings and experiences with a range of talk therapy while also developing somatic techniques for more mind-body connection. While talk therapy is useful, it can be limiting when the mind-body connection has not been developed. Believing this, I also lean towards a holistic model, where we can explore outside resources or techniques for further developing that mind-body connection.
I like to spend time getting to know my clients, getting to understand how they operate through the world, what sort of supports are wanted/needed, and how I can use my expertise to support them in their journey. As we strengthen the therapeutic bond, we can work on creating space to process things that have occurred in the past or present, developing mind-body connection/understanding, or creating systems together that can help make day to day life slightly easier in this increasingly maddingly unsupportive world.
