Andrea Salazar-Nuñez (She/her)

I believe people change by increasing their psychological flexibility and becoming aware and understand their values and identity. Therefore, I identify as a multicultural Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) therapist, that utilizes interpersonal processing to engage with my clients. I also include psychodynamic considerations when conceptualizing and understanding clients. I believe that our values are important in how we can best live our life. If we ignore them and get “stuck” in mind or even in our lifestyle choices we may develop unhealthy ways of coping, including avoidance, anxiety, and depression. Becoming aware of our values and the various aspects of our identity we may be able to clearly make decisions and build a life that is more enjoyable and reduces or eliminates unhealthy coping tendencies.

I am a multicultural therapist and make an effort to hold space for my diverse clients by understanding and empathizing with their worldviews. I also frequently work on building my cultural competence by engaging in different communities, completing trainings, and actively doing my part in creating change in the institutions and world I am a part of. I believe its important for a client to feel safe, heard, and respected in the therapeutic space so healing can be the top priority. I also believe its the job of the clinician to seek education in the gaps of knowledge they become aware of and not expect the client to teach the clinician about their culture or identity. I also keep in mind the western history of therapy and psychology and understand it may not be congruent with all individuals and cultures. Therefore, I make an effort to integrate healing practices and appropriate referrals to support a holistic approach to therapeutic goals.