¡Bienvenido y gracias! (Welcome and thank you!) Thank you for considering my counseling services! Let me tell you a little bit about myself. For starters, I am bicultural and speak Spanish. I have really enjoyed working with Spanish-speaking immigrants, traveling in the U.S. and to foreign countries, and interacting with different cultures. Having said that, I am a nearly life-time Hoosier with rural and urban roots, born in Texas, and understanding of Hoosier values and beliefs.
I believe in showing people dignity, compassion, and respect, regardless of where they come from, the situations they’ve experienced, or decisions they’ve made. It can be difficult to reveal your problems or perhaps trauma you’ve experienced! We’re often afraid to be vulnerable, because we think we’ll be judged, or that it will make things worse. We need to feel safe to share about ourselves. I believe in establishing rapport and trust before we really get to work.
I think that people view me as supportive and nonjudgmental. I show others that I am human just like them, since I’ve had my own journey with trauma. I believe in showing you that I really care about your success. I believe in showing empathy, which means I put myself in your shoes and work hard to understand you.
I also believe in finding out about your strengths. My clients have looked at me with surprise and said they hadn’t ever had someone express their strengths to them before. Yet, it is our strengths that we use to get us through difficult situations and thrive! We all have the capacity to grow, change, and adapt!
Once you are comfortable disclosing issues, struggles, and challenges, then we are ready to develop a partnership. This means that we work together on establishing goals and a path for counseling. I view my clients as the experts of themselves. I help you to find your own answers by reflecting on what you share with me, posing questions that we can explore together, and providing you feedback. I will often give you educational articles and information about resources that will help you be successful.
Should you find yourself experiencing anxiety at any time, I can lead you in some breathing and grounding techniques that will help you feel calm. If it appeals to you, I can also lead you in a meditation for mindfulness.
Areas of Practice
- Support groups
- Individual counseling
- Youth and adolescent counseling
- Stress management
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Self-esteem
- Faith and spirituality
- Addiction recovery
- Domestic violence and abuse
- Trauma recovery
- Parent and child relationships
- Immigrant acculturation (in Spanish)
- LGBTQ+ friendly
Education
I earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, with a concentration in mental health and addiction, from Indiana University School of Social Work, in Indianapolis, IN. I earned a Bachelor of Arts, double major in Sociology and Spanish, at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
Professional Licensure
I am a licensed social worker (LSW) in the State of Indiana.
Personal
I enjoy spending time with my husband, stepdaughter and two grandchildren, dancing with my sisters and friends to Latin music, and doing yoga. I also enjoy volunteering at Iglesia Triunfo as a children’s church teacher and at Mental Health America of Hendricks County as the President of the Board of Directors.