I’m the eldest daughter of immigrant parents and an immigrant myself. I became a therapist understanding that with that role comes a lot of responsibilities. You’re the Isabella’s and Luisa’s of the family. Showing up in the ways your family needs you to. You attend every appointment and translate for your parents. You are constantly code switching or trying to explain cultural differences to your family. And you have a complex relationship with your parents that toggles between you feeling like a child (your parents still lecture you about your decisions) to feeling like you are the parent.
At the end of the day you feel burned out, tired, not good enough, and confused about what it means to be an American Latina. You are questioning so much of what you grew up knowing, and not being sure if you agree with those things fully. You still love your family but recognize that it’s not working anymore and feel conflicted. How do you show respect to family but give yourself room to be yourself?
My practice is geared towards women 25+ that have reached a point in their life where things are too much and have hope that things can get better in some way. Sometimes something big happened to bring you here. Maybe your mother is sick, or someone they loved passed away or maybe you became ill (physically/mentally) from all the stress that comes with this or maybe you’re about to have a baby and know you don’t want this for them.
I specialize in:
- Generational Trauma
- Interpersonal Relationships (including boundaries)
- Grief & Loss
- Cultural Reconnection
- Burn Out
What this might look like and feel like:
- Can’t say no and feel guilty if you do
- You are a helper at home & work (may be in a “helping people” job)
- You put others first and feel guilty for doing things for yourself.
- Feelings of Burn Out: such as feeling emptiness, tiredness, and resentment
- Feelings of Stress that impact physical health–may develop chronic illnesses
What I can support you with:
- Understanding your values
- Understanding your relationships with people (including attachment style)
- Understanding how your past impacts your “now”
- Setting boundaries
- Reconnecting with who you are including your culture
- Continuing to support your family without feeling burned out
My work is heavily rooted in holistic care, decolonization work (i.e. principles include: anti-perfection, anti exploitation, community-rooted, supports diversity, etc.), and recovery/rest. My goal is to give you a nonjudgemental space where you don’t have to be anything for anyone and to a space figure out who you want to be.
Karen Hernandez, LICSW