Hello World: Welcome to Stillness Therapy
Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash
Welcome to My Blog
Welcome! I'm Noemí (no-eh-mee), a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in California, Colorado, and Texas. As a queer non-binary therapist specializing in trauma, anxiety, depression, LGBTQ+ affirming care, and immigration evaluations, I created this blog to share knowledge about mental health, therapy, and community healing. This space reflects my commitment to social justice, education, and making mental health resources accessible to communities that need them most.
My Values as a Social Worker
I pursued a degree in social work because I genuinely believe in our code of ethics. For those of you who are unfamiliar, social workers follow a national code of ethics and The National Association of Social Workers delineates six core values:
the importance of serving others & working to address social problems
the importance of challenging social injustice on behalf of vulnerable & oppressed people
the importance of respecting others & being mindful of diversity
the value of human relationships
the importance of being trustworthy & upholding our code of ethics
the importance of practicing only within areas of competence & continuing to develop our professional knowledge
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to foster healthier communities and these values came to mind. And when I say healthier communities, I mean communities with strong ethics, social justice oriented values, and high emotional intelligence. Communities where we are in tune with our history and ancestral knowledge, our authentic selves, and each other because I believe that if we know our history and we heal ourselves, in turn, we heal our community.
Why Education and Community Matter
Education has always been important to me because I was raised by two immigrant Mexican parents who ingrained it in me. My parents and their families didn’t have the financial means to attend school beyond the sixth grade. They dropped out early on because they had to start working in order to support their families and they couldn’t afford school. This inevitably shaped my perspective of the importance of education. I learned early on that knowledge is power. My parents often reminded my siblings and I that they valued education and desired for us to seek higher education in order to open up a world of opportunities. For my parents, the education pathway meant that their children wouldn’t have to struggle like they did. Now I find myself reflecting on ways I can share my educational privilege. As I often remind my privileged clients who struggle with guilt, rather than feeling guilty — focus on how on you can use your privilege to help your community. My education is valuable to me and I wish to pay it forward and share my knowledge with communities who need it most. I don’t believe in hoarding resources (tax the rich!) and if I have the opportunity to put people up on game, I will do so.
Closing Thoughts: What You’ll Find Here
I must confess, I like journaling and I actually enjoy the editing process, but I am not a writer and my grammar isn’t always on point. However, I simply enjoy being curious about the world, communicating, and learning new things! So with that being said, I’d like this space to be a reliable, educational, and fun source where you can come to learn about mental health, mental wellness, learn about the therapeutic process, and maybe even some reflections on pop culture like has anyone seen the show Maid on Netflix? I have so many thoughts about it! Maybe one day I’ll share them here 😉.
My first post drops tomorrow: a 6-step guide to finding a therapist, one of the most common questions I receive. Whether you're just starting to think about therapy or actively searching, I'll walk you through the entire process. Thanks for being here. I'm excited to share this space with you.
Learn more about me.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in California, Colorado, and Texas, I provide virtual therapy for adults and immigration psychological evaluations. I'm a queer non-binary therapist specializing in LGBTQ+ affirming care, anxiety, depression, and trauma-focused therapy. My practice centers minoritized communities and is rooted in social justice values. Email me at noemi@stillnesstherapy.net to learn more.
