Mercedes Cuevas (she/her)

depression can come in many different forms and severities and my work with people suffering from it has shown me that giving people tools to slowly but surely work through stages of ambivalence and hopelessness is necessary to see change. I am certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Therapy to meet people where they are at and encourage the growth of a stronger self-concept and gain a new perspective with consistent and reliable support.

Every family has their own unique culture within their ethnic background. I have found success in helping families become more adaptive to life transitions, structural changes in the family, poverty, and addictions using a blend of behavioral modification using Cognitive Behavioral therapy and DBT as well as attachment-based tools in Emotion Focused Family Therapy. I work to understand the families unique needs and attachment wounds to facilitate healing conversations and learning new tools.

There are many kinds of anxiety and I can help you understand where your anxiety comes from and instill a stronger sense of safety and belonging by exploring triggers of guilt, shame, fear, and weakness in a safe way. I help people learn how to tolerate feelings of discomfort using a mix of mental, emotional, somatic, and cognitive approaches in session. Often anxiety becomes a habit that needs a better outlet and can become a superpower and a source of empathy if understood.

I have undergone certification in DBT and have facilitated individual and group skills session. DBT includes distress tolerance skills, interpersonal skills, emotional regulation skills, and mindfulness skills that work together to balance out the need for acceptance of the current circumstances and the need to change the environment and ourselves. These skills can also be helpful for families trying to help a teen child with harmful behaviors towards themselves and addiction.

I provide structure coaching sessions focused on short term and long term goals for behavioral changes over a specific period of time. Your goals may be in the area of adaptive life skills to see growth in any function of life, such as career, parenting, and social skills. Coaching differs from therapy in that you may not have a diagnosis, be able to afford one, or do not want medical treatment, but do want to see improvement in a specific area in your life and need accountability and support.

CBT can be done well adding creative, personal, and expressive elements to help people see a new perspective and reshaping beliefs about themselves and the world. We all have wanted baggage from the past and fears of the future. CBT is a modality I use to help people explore that in a non-threatening manner and take control of how they want to grow and change instead of just react to others and their past.