Pronouns: he/him/él
As a Queer Latino from East Los Angeles, valuing diversity and intersectionality was not a common practice in both my cultural upbringing or communal environment. I struggled with navigating my identity and being accepted in a community that otherized me for being queer and Latinx. I grew up in the child welfare system due to various factors including adverse childhood experiences, intergenerational trauma, and family substance use. It was difficult to overcome these barriers because my family was from a low-income area with limited resources and support. In Latinx culture, all of these factors create a blanket of shame.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have witnessed first-hand the limited resources and disproportionate discrimination associated with identifying as LGBTQ+. These lived experiences shape my work as a queer therapist of color.
I am driven by a great desire to support marginalized and underserved groups of people who are experiencing challenges and want to feel empowered by their own strength and resiliency.
My passion for advocacy and community organizing led me to complete a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) at Cal State University, Los Angeles. I have had the opportunity to intern and train at the LGBTQ Center Long Beach as a Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) and later as a MSW. I have training in treating anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relational difficulties, and identity-based oppression and trauma. I have also had the opportunity to create a partnership with MemorialCare Medical Group during bi-monthly gender affirmative clinics to meet with patients and to link them to gender affirmative mental health, social support, and legal services at the LGBTQ Center Long Beach.
I am committed to promoting self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-love through humanistic, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioral therapies and mindfulness. I work collaboratively with people on a journey to healing and approach treatment with an emphasis on anxiety, depression, and ongoing or historical trauma.
I strive to create an affirming and inclusive space where people can feel heard, seen, and validated for their whole authentic selves and not just parts of themselves.
Services
I work with individual adults in California on issues of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relational difficulties, and identity-based oppression and trauma.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I currently offer telehealth sessions.
My standard rate is $150 per 50-minute session for individual therapy. If you are concerned about cost, please contact me to discuss the possibility of a reduced rate. I offer a limited number of reduced rate slots to individuals experiencing access and cost barriers to therapy.
I do not currently take insurance, but I can provide superbills.
Contact
If you have any questions or are curious about what collaborating on a journey to healing means for you, I invite you to take the first step and get in touch with me. We can then schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if we are the right fit for your needs.
Instagram: @raysanchez.asw
Email: ray@ourwholeselves.com
Phone: (424) 434-8099
Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW #103436)
Employed and Supervised by Stephanie Van, LCSW (#85796)