My journey to becoming a psychotherapist began with a search for health, vitality, and self acceptance. As a rebellious, 1st generation daughter of Cuban immigrants, my childhood and adolescence were often tumultuous. Cultural differences as well as my family's own traumatic developmental history frequently caused misunderstandings and a stressful home environment.

Feeling disconnected and unseen, I drifted away from the influence of my family and began my often lonely search for  authentic self-expression. I walked an eclectic road through music, art, and literature, all the while questioning mainstream cultural norms and values.

Academic life, for me, has always been as important as a connection to street culture. As a result, I tended bar in the East Village of Manhattan for 17 years during the artistically vital (and wild!) 80's, 90's, and continuing throughout my grad and post grad education; I can confidently (and proudly) declare that I learned just as much from bartending as I did at Columbia University! Working in this often interesting environment made me keenly aware of societal injustices and strengthened my already deep interest in what psychological underpinnings were at play amongst both individuals and groups.

By the time I started social work school, I knew the kind of therapist I wanted to be, and I also knew that my background and approach would be rather different from the prevailing model of abstention and observation.