Dr. Mikaela Zuniga

Hey, I’m Dr. Mikaela Zuniga (she/her), a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, first-gen/third-gen Latina, and founder of Building Resilient Minds.

I show up to therapy the way I wish someone had shown up for me: real, compassionate, culturally aware, and not afraid to talk about the hard stuff.

I hold a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy with an emphasis in Latino Family Studies and a Doctorate in Social Work. I’m proud of my roots — first-gen on my dad’s side, third-gen on my mom’s. I identify as queer (after years of wrestling with labels I never fully fit into), and while I don’t speak Spanish fluently, I carry a deep understanding of our culture — the unspoken expectations, the generational survival, and the beauty and burden of our traditions.

Before private practice, I spent years in community mental health — working with folks navigating systems, trauma, housing, and crisis. My focus then was breaking down barriers to access. That hasn’t changed. Now, I’m here to help you move through the internal barriers that may be keeping you stuck — with care, accountability, and a little soul work along the way.

I specialize in schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety, trauma, depression, and big life transitions. I work with women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ folks, and anyone who’s tired of shrinking to survive.

Therapy with me isn’t about perfection. It’s about building something rooted. Something that honors where you’ve been and helps you grow into where you’re meant to go.

Let’s get into it — systems, survival, identity, healing — all of it.

Therapy with me isn’t about checking boxes or pretending things are fine when they’re not. It’s a space for honest conversations, deep reflection, and building something real. I bring clinical expertise, you bring lived experience — and together, we figure out what healing looks like for you.

I take a trauma-informed, strength-centered approach rooted in curiosity, not judgment. We’ll explore what’s been weighing you down and what’s been keeping you going. Resilience isn’t some fixed trait — it’s something we grow, piece by piece, even when life has tried to strip it away.

My style is collaborative, grounded, and action-oriented. I pull from evidence-based practices like CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy — but I also know healing doesn’t follow a manual. Sometimes it looks like grounding exercises, sometimes like naming patterns, sometimes just taking a breath and not doing it alone.

You don’t have to show up polished. You just have to show up. This is a soft place to land — and a space to get stronger.

Let’s do the work, together.

Therapy with me isn’t just about venting — it’s about doing something with what comes up. Each session is a mix of insight, strategy, and real connection. Here’s what you can expect:

✨ Real tools, not fluff – Whether it’s learning how to calm your nervous system, hold boundaries that don’t crumble, or stop spiraling at 2AM, you’ll walk away with things you can actually use.

✨ A space where you don’t have to shrink – No judgment, no need to perform. Just a space where you can bring your full, messy, brilliant self — and feel seen in it.

✨ Self-awareness that sticks – We’ll unpack patterns, name what hurts, and make sense of why you react the way you do. You’ll start to notice your inner world with more clarity and compassion.

✨ A soft place to land, and a strong place to grow from – We’ll name the hard things, but we won’t stop there. You’ll learn to spot your strengths, claim your voice, and move forward with more confidence.

✨ A therapy experience that’s built for you – No one-size-fits-all advice. Together, we’ll co-create a plan that fits your story, your culture, your goals.

Therapy with me is collaborative, empowering, and deeply human. You don’t have to have it all figured out — just be willing to start.