Empowering Change with Ana Mental Health Services
Meet Ana
I am a bilingual and bicultural Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with more than 13 years of experience spanning social services, crisis intervention, individual and group therapy, treatment planning, risk management, case management, and assessment. I hold a Master’s degree in Social Work from California State University, Northridge and have delivered direct clinical mental‐health services for several years, working with individuals, adolescents, and families across diverse cultural backgrounds. I bring an integrative therapeutic approach, drawing upon psychodynamic, cognitive‐behavioral, and relational modalities, that emphasizes authenticity, cultural sensitivity, and genuine connection. My goal is to create a safe, empowering environment where clients feel seen, heard, and are equipped to strengthen their relationship with themselves and others while advancing their personal growth and resilience.
Services
I provide compassionate, culturally responsive, and evidence-based mental health services for individuals, couples, and families. My work focuses on helping clients navigate life’s challenges, improve emotional well-being, and strengthen relationships. I offer a range of services including individual therapy, family and couples counseling, crisis intervention, and case management. Fluent in both English and Spanish, I tailor my approach to each client’s unique needs, drawing from cognitive-behavioral, relational, and integrative modalities to create a safe and empowering space for growth, healing, and resilience.
- Individual psychotherapy for adolescents, young adults and adults, including issues of anxiety, depression, and stress.
- Family and couples therapy: addressing relational dynamics, family conflict, marriage/couple communication.
- Crisis intervention and social-services experience: risk management, case management and assessment work.
- Bilingual / bicultural services (English & Spanish)
- A therapeutic style incorporating multiple modalities: cognitive-behavioral approaches, relational/attachment-based work, and culturally sensitive care.
- Virtual/remote counseling offered
Ideal Client
In our sessions, you can expect a safe, supportive, and culturally sensitive space where your experiences are heard and respected and used to guide the treatment process. Together, we’ll work toward your personal goals, using evidence-based strategies and an approach tailored to your unique needs to foster growth, resilience, and healthier relationships with yourself and others.
- A safe, culturally responsive therapeutic space where the client’s story, culture and identity are respected.
- Collaborative development of treatment goals geared toward improved emotional regulation, healthier relationships, and enhanced self-awareness.
- Practical tools and interventions drawn from evidence-based therapies (e.g., CBT, DBT, Motivational interviewing, Mindfulness, Internal family systemts, solution focused, humanistic, attachement, psychodynamic) along with attention to life-context and systemic factors (family, culture).
- For clients facing transitions, adolescence to adulthood, changes in relationships, familial or cultural shifts, support to navigate those changes with meaning and resilience.
Modalities
Think of modalities like this: just as doctors use different treatments for different conditions, therapists use different modalities (or “maps”) to guide emotional and behavioral healing. Each one is based on its own theory about how people think, feel, and change.
For example:
- Therapy modalities are simply the different approaches or methods that therapists use to help people heal, grow, or make changes in their lives.
- One therapist might help you notice and challenge negative thought patterns (like in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).
- Another might help you explore how early experiences shape your current relationships (like in Psychodynamic Therapy).
- Others might focus on mindfulness, the body, or your relationships with family or partners.
Types of Modalities
Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies: These focus on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps clients identify and change distorted thought patterns and behaviors.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): A form of CBT emphasizing emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness (often used for borderline personality disorder or emotional dysregulation).
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Encourages acceptance of thoughts and feelings while committing to behavior aligned with values.
- Exposure Therapy: Gradual exposure to feared stimuli to reduce anxiety responses.
- Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Therapies: These explore unconscious processes and early life experiences that shape current behavior.
- Psychoanalysis: Long-term, intensive exploration of unconscious motivations .
- Psychodynamic Therapy: A modern, shorter-term version focusing on self-awareness and relationship patterns.
- Object Relations Therapy: Examines how early relationships influence current interpersonal functioning.
Humanistic and Existential Therapies: These emphasize personal growth, meaning, and self-actualization.
- Person-Centered Therapy : Focuses on empathy, unconditional positive regard, and authenticity.
- Existential Therapy: Helps clients explore life’s meaning, freedom, and responsibility.
- Transpersonal Therapy: Incorporates spirituality and consciousness into healing.
Trauma-Focused and Integrative Approaches: Used for PTSD, complex trauma, and emotional healing.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS): Focuses on healing “parts” of the self in conflict.
- Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT): Adapts CBT for trauma in children and adults.
Systemic and Relational Therapies: Focus on relationships and communication within families or couples.
- Family Systems Therapy: Looks at family roles and dynamics.
- Couples/Marriage Therapy : Improves communication and emotional connection.
- Mindfulness and Integrative Modalities: Blending psychological and holistic techniques.
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): Uses mindfulness meditation to reduce stress.
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Combines mindfulness with CBT to prevent relapse in depression.
- Integrative Therapy: Draws from multiple modalities based on client needs.
Culturally Informed and Strength-Based Approaches: Respect clients’ backgrounds and focus on empowerment.
- Multicultural Therapy: Incorporates clients’ cultural, racial, and social identities.
- Narrative Therapy: Helps clients reframe their stories to emphasize strength and agency.
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT): Concentrates on future goals and solutions rather than past problems.
Fees
Individual Therapy Sessions
- Standard Session (50 minutes): $120
- Intake Session (90 minutes): $180
Have Insurance?
If you plan to use insurance, you can sign up through Grow Therapy to check your coverage and learn more about your options.
Contact Me
Ana Mental Health Services
