Hi, I’m Theadora! (She/her)
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a passion for and commitment to intersectional social justice and our collective liberation. Growing up in a multicultural (Mexican and white) family as a second-generation Mexican American, I know intimately the complexities of privilege, injustice, belonging, systemic and intergenerational trauma, and the power of healing and community.
I spent my formative years growing up in the country on a communal organic farm, nestled in a redwood forest not far from the ocean, on the stolen lands of the Awaswas, Amah Mutsun, Muwekma Ohlone Indigenous peoples in what is colonially known as Santa Cruz, CA. Always a rebel, I took a non-traditional route to graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles with a BA in Communication Studies in 2013. After experimenting with several different career paths and places to call home, I completed my Master of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach in 2020. I owe a debt of gratitude to the 12 years I spent working in the restaurant industry that financially supported me through my education and various explorations, and sparked my deep love of working with people.
In my social work career, I have worked alongside individuals of various ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, dis/abilities, religions, nationalities, and class backgrounds supporting their healing and overall wellbeing. My worksites have included youth mentoring programs, substance use recovery, in-home case management, K-12 public education, and private practice. I strongly believe that systemic and collective healing is an essential part of individual healing (and vice versa), and so I have also spent time working in systems and community-level change, advocating for a more just and equitable world that centers the needs and wellbeing of our most marginalized communities.
In both individual and systems-level work, I believe wholeheartedly that we are all the experts of our own lived experiences and that we all have within us an inherent resilience and capacity for healing. I am committed to walking alongside you on your healing journey with respect, love, humility, and the unwavering belief that while we are always growing, we are all deserving of our love and acceptance exactly where we are.
Other things to know about me: I am a sex-positive, body liberation, queer (bi/pansexual), abolitionist, anti-capitalist with a silly side and a sense of humor. I am a spiritual person, an eldest sibling and daughter, a Taurus sun, Gemini rising, and Virgo moon. My invisible disabilities, neurodivergence (ADHD) and chronic pain that I have navigated for much of my life, have been entry points into deepening my understanding of the nuances and insidiousness of ableism, and have also been some of my greatest teachers in my ever-evolving journey toward greater self-compassion.
I am committed to the lifelong work of decolonizing my mind and my therapy practice with support from the work of Dr. Jennifer Mullan and others while holding the very real truth that decolonization is not a metaphor. In addition to my own ongoing therapy and healing work, I am committed to lovingly interrogating and holding myself accountable around my implicit biases, internalized oppressive patterns, and the identities where I hold tremendous privilege, including my light-skinned/white presentation, cis-gender, slim-bodied, upper-middle-class family of origin, US citizen/settler and English as a first language speaker. I welcome others to hold me accountable in these areas and all others as well.
I currently live on the stolen lands of Chumash, Tongva (Gabrieleno) Indigenous peoples in what is colonially known as the Greater Los Angeles Area. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with loved ones, soaking up the sun, being in nature, eating delicious food, swimming, meditating, adventuring, and attempting to read all the books I have accumulated. I am ideally always accompanied by my sweet pea, fussy little princess, soul mate pit bull mix Etta.
Areas of Experience:
· ADHD (neurodiversity)
· Anger, rage and irritability
· Anxiety
· Body image
· Burnout
· Chronic pain, illness and disability
· Depression
· Ethical non-monogamy
· Family
· Grief and loss
· Life transitions
· Parenting
· Racial, ethnic and cultural identity
· Relationships
· Self-criticism and perfectionism
· Self-esteem and self-concept
· Sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE)
· Stress
· School
· Substance use and other forms of coping
· Trauma
· Work
Services
Individual therapy
One-on-one support for the challenges you are experiencing internally, in your environment, and/or in your relationships.
Therapy support with your loved one(s) to explore the challenges occurring in your relationship: communication, trust, conflict, intercultural challenges, and more.
Relationship therapy
Family therapy
A supported space to explore challenges within your family relationships: changes to the family dynamic, transitions, stressors, conflict, and more.