Services
About My Clients
I will accompany you to a place where you can better understand who you are and who you are becoming. Therapy is not one size fits all, I truly believe people are the experts in their lives and it is imperative for me to honor and accept my clients exactly where they are and how they show up. Practicing from a relationally oriented lens, I help clients evaluate relationships in their lives with people, places, and problems to gain more clarity and insight to their preferred and authentic lives.
My Background and Approach
As a social worker, it is important for me to try to understand a person in the context of their lives, relationships, culture, and experiences. I take a holistic approach in my work and emphasize the nuance, the unseen, and rarely talked about aspects of a person's life as a catalyst for change and reauthoring of one's life. I also have a Certificate in Sex Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, EMDR trained through EMDRIA, and have a certificate in Foundations of Narrative Therapy from the Vancouver School of Narrative Therapy. My sessions tend to be conversational, informed by genuine curiosity and openness. I encourage clients to ask questions in session to foster self-reflection and consider how they envision their lives could and will be. For more information please visit: https://www.leaptherapychicago.com/sebastino-aviles-lcsw
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
As a gay Latino cisman, I believe we exist in the context of our relationships and identities, my understanding of myself and others is informed by this belief and the multifaceted aspects of our lives. I foster a reciprocal and just relationship with my clients to amplify and appreciate their experiences, while recognizing and attending to the inherent power dynamics in the therapist-client dyad. I am mindful of my identities and how they show up in session and engage in deep self-reflection. I believe it is key for my clients to know who I am and my positionality, and I am intentional with sharing certain aspects of my life. Although I enjoy working with adults of all ages, races, ethnicities, and gender identities, I have a particular interest in and intention to working with those who identify as people of the global majority, queer, and LGBTQIA+. I am currently focused on learning how to integrate a more anti-oppressive lens in my therapeutic work and life.