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Hi! My name is Eztli (pronounced s-lee) Herrera and I am a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). My approach to therapy is overall humanistic and meeting a person where they are at and collaborating on working toward agreed-upon goals. I am an evidence-based therapist meaning I like to look at what has shown significance in treating individuals. I believe in the body keeping the score and social relationships mattering so I encourage physical and social engagement in my treatment interventions.
My approach
I utilize different modalities of therapy, such as humanistic, cognitive Behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), psychodynamic, positive psychology, mindfulness, art, writing, and somatic therapy. I see a client's strengths before I ever see anything else and I tailor my therapy to the client's needs, and I am a cheerleader for each client and their individual process.
My focus
I work with various individuals with trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, behavioral interventions, and grief.
My communication style
I am as direct as the client is able to receive and offer lots of visual examples, support, humor, curiosity, and space for the client to process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
My journey to mental healthcare
I love research and ways to make our lives easier versus harder, so therapy felt like a way to apply the research in a meaningful way. Initially, I was not attracted to being a therapist and I intended to immediately go into a Ph.D. program so I could teach and conduct research, but I was driven to support youth and families who were struggling. I am driven to support and provide space for others so they can lead the life they want to live.
My goals for you
It is collaborative--we come up with a long-term/overall goal together and the client gets the final say on it and then I collaborate on 1-2 goals the client will engage in to help the patient achieve the long-term goal. For example, the long-term/overall goal may be "To be able to manage my stress in healthier ways" and then 2 short-term goals I may utilize to make that happen is, "Client will engage in diaphragmatic breathing when they notice a tightness in their chest 2x a week" and "Client will identify what they are feeling when they experience discomfort with an I-statement 2x a week, such as "I am experiencing anger." When the initial 1-2 short-term goals are mastered I may add on more goals until the client and I agree the long-term goal is met.
My first session with you
I work on building rapport and listening to what troubles you most symptoms-wise, exploring your strengths, and motivation for change. I engage clients in the present first so that they can be grounded in the here and now before we go into the past or future so the client does not get lost in either.
