My name is Luz (pronouns she/her/hers) and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMCHC). I worked as a teacher for over 15 years before making the journey into a mental health career. I have experience in mobile crisis response, trauma, and forensic mental health. To explain who I am as a therapist, I reflect back to my role as an educator. In the classroom, there was a movement for the teacher to be less of a “sage on the stage” (teacher-centered approach) and more of a “guide on the side” (student-centered). For me, therapy is a lesson plan for a learning experience.

 

My therapeutic perspective is to provide empathetic, non-judgmental, compassionate guidance and support in an atmosphere of respect and safety while allowing clients to be the experts of their lives, much like “a co-pilot, a sous chef, or an assistant manager” of a client-therapist relationship.

I use solution-focused elements to help move toward desired goals, cognitive behavioral techniques to challenge unhelpful thoughts, and motivational interviewing to help gain understanding and clarity. I also provide EMDR for clients with a history of acute trauma.  Outside of traditional therapy, I enjoy the practices of mindfulness, guided meditation, aromatherapy, and Reiki. In my personal life, I love spending time with my dogs and my husband, I enjoy running and working out from home to maintain a healthy body and healthy mind.