Lizzy Avila

Hello there! I’m Lizzy, a Latino woman, a mother to kids and fur children, who lives in the Southwest, and I’d love to work with you! I’ve been in the Social Work field for 18+ years and have a lot of experiencing working with individuals who have experienced trauma to include domestic violence, child abuse/neglect, bullying, I fully support our LGBTQIA+ community, and I’ve worked with individuals who have experienced mental health issues to include Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, Schizophrenia, and Personality Disorders.

I like to think I practice what I preach, I understand what it’s like to have rough times and I know that each one of us can overcome these difficult times with some elbow grease and support. I am open-minded, curious, and want to support you with your goals and healing.

I love learning new ways to help people and I’ve had the luck and privilege in being trained with EMDR, CBT, DBT, and ACT modalities. All of these are great treatments to help individuals manage stress, past traumas, and handle strong feelings that come up from time to time.

I like to approach therapy with an open mind, I want to hear your story, want to help you, provide a safe space to process things and find solutions and/or find support. Every person has a different way of being and meeting you where you are is vital to us achieving what you want. I use evidence-based practices, but I think I do so in a way that is less sanitized and more natural, we’ll have conversations and before you know it! Ta-Da! You’ve had ACT, CBT, or DBT! Applying therapy should be a practice encouraged and followed naturally so I try to make things flow organically, the biggest goal of mine is to encourage you to feel comfortable and supported as we go along in the process because oh boy, what a process it is to unpack things, understand things, and let go of stuff that no longer is useful to us. I do my best to be sensitive to your needs making sure that if you aren’t ready to discuss something, that is respected and fully understood. Therapy is for your growth, your betterment, your peace being rebuilt. Let’s do this together!

First things first, we get to know each other, I’ll get to know what you want to work on, what your life has been like so far, and what you want out of your sessions. We are setting the framework for what your goals are, and we will take step by step on achieving the “mini” goals to get to the “big” goals. Be patient and gentle with yourself, know that any progress is progress and should be appreciated for you and by you!