AMFT 141048

Under the Supervision of Mara Sammartino

She/Her/Ella

 I am a bicultural, bilingual Mexican American therapist who was the first in my family to graduate from college. My education journey started at Los Medanos Community College in Pittsburg, CA. After three years in community college, I transferred to UC Berkeley as a Chicano Studies major, where my passion for working with the Latinx/Latine community continued to grow.

 After graduating from UC Berkeley, I took a year off and applied to graduate school. In 2017, I began my master's program at St. Mary’s College of California, and after six years, I graduated and earned my Master's in counseling. It took me time to earn my master’s because I wanted to take my time and not feel overwhelmed working full-time and being in school. Over the six years, many things happened; I got married, the pandemic hit, and I had my first baby. I share this to highlight how plans change with varying factors and the importance of having the opportunity to form my support system to move forward in life endeavors.

Our everyday life challenges may feel overwhelming, and you may want to learn new techniques to manage difficult times to alleviate those challenges. Searching for a therapist to work with in partnership to process life challenges is essential and can also be overwhelming. Considering me as your therapist, I want you to know that I am committed to listening and validating your experience and emotions. I want to acknowledge the strength and courage it takes to make the first step in connecting to therapy services. Everyone can change, grow, and build resilience at their own pace in an empathetic and non-judgmental environment.

I love working with first-generation students/professionals, Latinx/Latine, and the Spanish-speaking community. I am currently working on becoming a certified Intuitive Eating counselor to work with others in healing their relationship with food, movement, and body image. I provide individual, relationship, and family therapy. I work with clients on challenges around:

· Anxiety

· Time management

· Body Image

· Intuitive Eating

· Academic stressors/transitions

· Identity and life transitions

· Highly Sensitive Persons & Empaths

· Trauma

My work with individuals, couples, and families is through a client-centered, social justice, and relational approach. It's essential for our work to take time to get to know each other to build a safe, warm, and caring space.

I love to dance, find local and delicious coffee shops, take walks in the park with my son, visit bookstores, and explore new restaurants with my husband. 

Email: AHaro@first-gentherapy.com