Meet Christina

Christina Vasquez-Leiva, LCSW

CLINICAL SUPERVISOR
(Bilingual in Spanish)
Pronouns: she/her

Clinical Expertise & Special Interest:

• Immigrant Families & First Generation Experience

• Domestic Violence

• Alcohol & Other Drug use

• Couples Work & Codependency

What my clients say about working with me:

Clients have told me that I have a lot of energy, and that I am excited about the work I do. They say I am the perfect balance of comforting and transparent. I hold my clients accountable, and do not shy away from important topics, even if it's uncomfortable because I know the healing work is worth it on the other side.

Off the clock: 

I am a mom of two young kids, and a beloved pit bull. On weekends I play soccer, and help manage my late mother’s restaurant, keeping her legacy alive. 

You feel like you have lived a double life as far as you can remember. 

Your friends don’t really understand because their parents grew up here in the US, and they don’t feel like they have the weight of their family on their shoulders. You try to blend in as much as you can to feel normal, but also try and keep cultural traditions alive to keep your self-identity. You feel like you have to work twice as hard to stay connected with everyone in your life and carry on like you have it all together. It's exhausting. You know the sacrifices your family has made for you, but your family sometimes don’t realize the sacrifices that you have made for them as well. The world sees a well together successful individual, but inside you are screaming for help.

I can help you sort through what is really important, keeping family, friends, culture in mind. You don’t have to give up your own life and mental health, to still be a good daughter, student, partner, employee, or friend....

I have 10+ years providing therapy to youth, adults, families and couples who struggle with depression, anxiety, addiction, childhood trauma, loss/ grief, relationship violence, unhealthy communication and other negative life events. I am a Salvadorian Mexican American, and I understand the struggles of feeling like you don’t fit in in either culture. The struggles of having monolingual parents, the stress of having to be their interpreter and scribe, parent to your younger siblings and filter of what information comes across into your household. Luckily, I was also witness to how hard work pays off and the power of setting goals and doing everything in your power to achieve them.

Therapy is like your own personal journey, where you get to narrate and decide what your future will look like regardless of your past experiences of loss, trauma, fears and negative coping. And EMDR is the vehicle that will assist you down that road. Imagine having a negative memory or fear pop into your brain, but not feeling the same negative emotion that you felt in that moment, how amazing would that be?

How I Can Help

Therapy • EMDR

Specialities

Anxiety • Depression • Self-Esteem • Trauma • BIPOC Women