Dr. Ileana Hernandez PhD, LMHC

I earned a PhD in psychology at Florida International University, where my clinical and research focus was the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders. I was mentored by Dr. Wendy Silverman, a world-renowned anxiety researcher now at Yale, and worked on NIMH-funded studies examining evidence-based treatments for anxiety in children and adolescents. Today I use CBT, ACT, Somatic Therapy, and Internal Family Systems to retrain the nervous system and address what’s underneath the anxiety.

Trauma is often at the root of mindbody symptoms. In addition to my expertise in Trauma-Informed Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, I have trained in Somatic Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET). Together, these help the body unlearn what it had to learn in order to survive.

I recovered from chronic pain and illness myself, after years of being told there was nothing more to be done. It’s the reason I understand what you’re carrying and why I can pick up on things many miss. I have specialized training in the approaches that actually move neuroplastic pain and other chronic conditions, including Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), Somatic Therapy, and more.

With training in Somatic Therapy, I work directly with the nervous system and how your body has learned to respond to stress and difficult experiences. You learn to understand what your body is communicating in real time and how to shift out of the states it’s been stuck in (e.g., fight, flight, shutdown). This matters for mindbody symptoms because the nervous system is often stuck in survival mode. Somatic work was central to my own recovery, and it’s part of every client’s work with me.

My training in trauma therapy — including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), and Somatic Therapy — allows me to work underneath your symptoms. Mindbody symptoms often sit on top of emotional, behavioral, and protective patterns learned long ago. We make room for emotions that got pushed downand get to know the parts of you that formed to keep you safe.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is the foundation of my clinical training. My PhD research at FIU examined evidence-based treatments for anxiety, and I have expertise in Trauma-Informed CBT. With chronic symptoms, what you avoid, your brain codes as dangerous. We gradually get you back to the activities you’ve stopped doing — first in your imagination, then in real life — so your brain learns they’re safe and your life can open back up.