I see you want to know about me!

Please read below

You can call me Rubí!

I wear different hats, I am a mother, a wife, an artist, a singer, and maybe your therapist. I have dealt with a difficult childhood and transitions all the while I kept trying to heal. When I had my daughter, I experienced post-partum depression and lost my father around that time. These experiences were painful and have provided me with a deep understanding and empathy for what you may be going through at this time.

I was born in Los Angeles, California, but my parents and I went back to El Salvador when I was 2 years old. Growing up I saw how domestic violence took over my family and the incredible pain that caused all the children in the home. As a young girl, I did not know how to cope with all of my emotions and distress and then, I discovered the power of music and it became my coping mechanism.

I did not come back to the United States until the summer of 2009 to pursue a career. That is the day where my dreams and objectives started to expand and so did the challenges. It was hard to leave everything behind even though I kept in mind it was for my future, my passions, and my loved ones. Fear took over my life for such a long time because I did not know English and I was alone in a new country, surrounded by people I did not know at all and I felt scared. However, I started to take English as a Second Language after a month in the US. At the same time, I started working while I was going to school full-time. I moved several times trying to find a safe place to live.

I finished my English as a Second Language classes and embarked myself in a special journey: Music. After obtaining my AA degree in music, I was accepted in California State University, Northridge where I obtained my Bachelor Degree in Psychology (minor in Family Studies) and Master Degree in Counseling Psychology, Option Marriage and Family Therapy.

Wait, how did you pursue an education in psychology/counseling when you have a background in music? that is a question I get quite often.

Human behavior and how experiences shape us had always intrigued me and became curious since I discovered the healing aspect of music. Music provided me invaluable skills such as the ability to communicate, to apply ethics, to work successfully as a team, and to listen intently to what others have to say without judgement. In music there is a need of surrender, professionalism, love, and discipline. In a performance, a musician is often required to react and adjust to an unexpected event in a quick manner. Managing stressful events is a big part of music like in our lives. This is how music has prepared me to work with you collaboratively and do my best to help you work through your goals.

When appropriate, I incorporate my passion for art and music with clients while honoring their creativity choice. I have found that you can make the process of healing more bearable when you use your passions as coping techniques, just like I did when I was a child.

…Let’s go back to learn more about my education on mental health.

For my culminating Master degree project I develop a 3-day psychoeducational workshop curriculum called Inter-Generational Child Maltreatment in Latinx Families. This curriculum was designed to teach Latinx families how child maltreatment occurs and is passed on throughout generations. I gathered pre-existent research that provided evidence that there are several ways to break the cycle of generational child maltreatment.

I had the opportunity to work at a trauma center where I provided crisis intervention for families that had experienced sexual abuse and/or domestic violence. I also provided crisis intervention at a crisis line.

My experiences as a child led me to discover the world of psychotherapy. I want to help clients to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I felt I was alone as a child and I do not want you to be! You do not have to. Isn’t that amazing!