Amy - Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Amy’s curiosity about mental health began with her own lived experiences. This curiosity about how people operate only deepened over time, beginning her career as a peer counselor. In that role, Amy helped individuals meet their most basic needs, learning quickly that many have limited access to mental health information and that it is difficult for healing to happen if survival is the priority. This early work shaped Amy’s core value: meet people where they are.
As a first-generation, neurodivergent, queer Mexican woman, Amy brings deep insight into navigating systems and how intersecting identities can sometimes either meld or contradict. She creates space for clients to explore all parts of themselves, including those carrying shame or self-doubt, and practices radical acceptance as a cornerstone of her work.
Radical acceptance isn’t a buzzword to Amy — it’s a serious, ongoing practice. She holds space for the parts of ourselves that may feel hard to look at, especially the ones we’ve been taught to hide or feel ashamed of. She honors the survival strategies, like substance use or self-harm, that have helped clients make it through impossible situations, without judgment or pathologizing. Her work centers on helping clients feel safe in their bodies, empowered in their stories, and supported as they move toward greater self-trust.
Amy has worked with a wide range of clients, including children, teens, and adults navigating trauma, chronic illness, infidelity, C-PTSD, suicidal ideation, and the complexities of being first-generation.
Additionally, group work has been a meaningful part of Amy’s clinical path. She has facilitated everything from Dungeons & Dragons groups for teen boys to creative arts groups for transition-age youth, as well as mental health support circles for older adults during the pandemic.
No matter the format, Amy brings warmth and a grounded presence to the room. She has a unique ability to sit with clients in the heaviness of grief, fear, or shame while also making room for lightness when it naturally arises. Amy sees humor as a vital part of the therapeutic process. Humor, for her, is not about dismissing pain but about honoring the full emotional spectrum. Laughter and seriousness exist side by side, and both deserve space in the therapeutic process.