Meet Nikka Marie Pisigan-Camarena of Huntington Psychological Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikka Marie Pisigan-Camarena.

Hi Nikka Marie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My family comes from the Philippines and the Big Island in Hawai’i, and we immigrated to California when I was around eight years old. My roots are deeply important to me, and my cultural and family values guide me every day.

My interest in my field, mental health, is also rooted in my family. There were so many stressors that came with immigrating to America that affected my parents, my baby brothers, and me. We each struggled in different and complex ways that I couldn’t fully understand while young. We sought therapy during our roughest times, but I remember feeling like we were fighting a losing battle because it felt like most providers really struggled to understand us and our experience. While I hold so much gratitude and appreciation for the providers who worked hard to help, my younger self really just wished for someone who could more authentically connect with my family and really see us for all that we were.

Most of the people I knew growing up were also immigrants, so I saw that there were struggles within so many families in our community – aunts, uncles, cousins, all my blood-related and not-blood-related family – but there was so little support and so much stigma in reaching out for help. The struggles my loved ones and I faced became the biggest driving force for my career. I promised myself to be there for families in the way I wanted someone to be there for mine, and to one day hopefully become the person that my younger self needed. It’s been ages since I remember making myself that promise; I hope I’m making a bit of progress every day, and I hope my younger self would be proud.

I started simple but early, first as a peer counselor in my high school program, later as an officer of the program, then as a co-creator for the high school’s new Wellness Center. In college, while pursuing my bachelor’s degree, I constantly managed a full-time school load and full-time work. I worked with bright but severely traumatized foster youth, amazing individuals with a wide variety developmental disorders, and had my most meaningful career experience during an overseas internship in a war-torn country in the Middle East, teaching coping strategies to youth in UN refugee camps, women and children shelters, and community centers in various villages. I now work as a psychometrist for a private practice specializing in diagnosis and assessment for all ages, and as a supervisor in psychological evaluations for immigrants, asylum seekers, domestic violence survivors, and victims of personal and industrial injury.

I’m so grateful for all the inspiring people I’ve had the honor of supporting – they’ve taught me so much – and all the awe-inspiring mentors and family who have supported me too. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today if it wasn’t for them.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Hahaha, definitely not a smooth road! When is it ever? Like everyone, I’ve struggled to understand myself and others. I’ve disappointed myself more times than I can count not by not living up to my expectations about being a “good enough” daughter, big sister, friend, student, worker, and more. I’ve fought battles with anxiety, fear, pressure, anger, emotional numbness, trauma, imposter syndrome, immigrant guilt, and more.

I haven’t gotten to where I’m going yet, so I know that there are future struggles coming, but unlike before, I know that’s okay! I know that those are blessings too. I didn’t use to know that, but my two absolute heroes – my father and my husband – my mother, baby brothers, and the family I’ve met and hand-picked along the way, have taught me to have faith. They’ve also helped me give myself grace, and believe in love, prayer, and whatever’s meant to be. So even though the road has been so so so bumpy, it’s still been the perfect one – the one I was always meant to be on, even when I didn’t know it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m an extremely proud team member of Huntington Psychological Services (HPS)! We specialize in diagnosis and assessment. We offer various evaluations – psychological (social-emotional functioning, psych disorders), neuropsychological (brain-based conditions like ADHD and Autism), psychoeducational (learning differences for academic support), and Giftedness & IQ testing. Our process includes a clinical interview with one of our doctors, psychological testing (that’s where I come in, yay!), a thorough review of everything behind the scenes, and a feedback where one of our doctors takes you through any possible findings.

I joined Huntington because the founding doctor emphasizes treating each patient the way that we would want ourselves or our loved ones to be treated, which is exactly in line with the goal that started my journey in mental health in the first place! Coming to a private practice for a psychological diagnosis is not usually the happiest moment of people’s lives – coming to see us might mean that people have had lots of questions, doubts, maybe even fears and anxieties, or breakdowns in work, school, and relationships. At HPS, each member of our team strives to treat people with kindness and compassion while maintaining high standards for professionalism and clinical expertise. I think that really comes through in our work, and that’s what I’m most proud of.

I’ve worked in mental health for almost a decade now, and unfortunately, I’ve come across people who were given a quick diagnosis in just one very brief meeting with a mental health provider, then spent time and money on ineffective treatments because the diagnosis was not as comprehensive as it could have been. A diagnosis can mean so much so I think it’s key to have a comprehensive, detailed, high quality assessment with providers who can balance clinical knowledge with warmth and compassion. To me, that’s the best care available, and if it was my loved one getting an evaluation, that’s what I would want for them.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Do it now and do it with purpose!

When I was just starting out, I had so much anxiety and hesitation about not being experienced enough, not perfect in all the skills I needed, and not feeling ready yet. But learning is not a linear path, it’s a constant transformation. If I gave into my anxieties and held myself back, I would’ve delayed my growth and might have missed the honor of being there for some of the people I’ve been able to support. We know that tomorrow is never promised, so my opinion is that if you believe in something- if you have love, passion, and purpose for it, there’s no reason to hesitate. The world can be hard, scary, unfair, infuriating, nonsensical (the list goes on!); so if we can do something to make it just a little bit better, I think we should share what we have to give, even if it might not feel like much to us in the beginning – it may turn into so much more than we expect. I think of one of my favorite quotes, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. That is to have succeeded.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Maraming salamat and mahalo nui (thank you so much) for reading! I hope that everyone who reads this receives all they deserve and more.

Pricing:

• Please call us for a free consult!
• Website: https://huntingtonpsych.com/

Contact Info:

• Website: https://huntingtonpsych.com/
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nikka-pisigancamarena

Image Credits
Sam Sean Photography (professional solo shot and professional group shot only)