Meet Ilene Gonzalez of Papillon Psychotherapy & Mental Health

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilene Gonzalez.

Hi Ilene, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I didn’t always know I wanted to be a therapist. I honestly thought higher education wasn’t for me – I wanted to be a baker! But, after a series of life altering events and seeking therapy of my own in my late teens, I learned the power of connection and community in healing. I knew after that experience that I wanted to help others through being a guide through their difficult life experiences. So with this new dream, I went back to school applied to universities and ended up pursuing my Women and Gender Studies degree at San Francisco State University. This program opened my eyes to and solidified my dedication to intersectionality in my work and personal life.

After graduating from San Francisco State, I knew I wanted experience in a helping capacity, so I applied to be a peer mentor for Autistic college students at California State University, Long Beach. I served as a peer mentor, teaching students how to navigate the higher education setting, for about 2 years before being promoted to Autism Services Coordinator at CSULB. In this role, I met with students on the Spectrum who needed accessible services, matched them with our team of peer coaches (who I also supervised), and ran a weekly peer group for folks to gain skills but also to meet one another and connect over shared interests. This sparked my passion for working with Autistic teens and young adults, particularly those interested in attending college and navigating the ups and downs of the transition to adulthood. Throughout my time as Autism Services Coordinator, I was accepted to the Counseling program at CSULB and worked part time in this role while attending classes full time to become a therapist.

Since graduating with my masters degree in counseling, I have had varied experiences clinically. I’ve worked at the Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center providing free trauma focused therapy to survivors in the Long Beach community as well as working in community settings, and most recently, a university counseling center. I’ve been so honored to walk alongside so many people on their healing journeys and the combination of trauma informed training and my work with Autistic college students shapes my current clinical work and passions.

I now specialize in supporting Autistic teens, young adults and their families navigate the journey from adolescence to adulthood while never pressuring folks to change or conform to a mold. My goal is to allow my clients to show up authentically and support them in their journey to finding community, accessible supports, and fulfilling relationships. Together, my clients and I challenge pre-established timelines, negative inner critics, and expectations around what social interactions are “supposed to” look like or be like. I genuinely love this work and feel so grateful to be a part of people’s lives in this way.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In short, this was not the smoothest road. I have navigated my own mental health challenges, changing life circumstances, working a demanding job while being a full time student, working jobs that exchanged high clinical hours for low or no pay, and facing a global pandemic that changed the way we provide therapy to this day.

Additionally, I’ma naturally empathic person so it took time and intention to ensure that I do not take on the pain of y clients as me own. Through this all though, I have to say that I have been supported by an amazing support system of family, friends, fellow therapists, and clinical supervisors. That being said though, I did have to learn to be vulnerable with my support system to let them know when I needed help, was burnt out, or needed space – a skill that did not always come naturally to me. At the risk of sounding cliche – this journey has not been the smoothest, but it has most certainly been worth it!

We’ve been impressed with Papillon Psychotherapy & Mental Health , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have recently embarked on a journey to open my own private practice therapy business, Papillon Psychotherapy & Mental Health where I work with teens and adults ages 15 and up. I have a particular emphasis and passion for working with Autistic teens, young adults, and their families as they move from high school to college in pursuit of independence. My work in the university setting as well as in a trauma focused setting makes me uniquely positioned to support my clients through a trauma focused lens as they delve into their past to help inform their futures. My time at San Francisco State and degree in Women and Gender Studies made me fiercely passionate about advocacy for all facets of my client’s identities and it is a central focus of mine to incorporate clients’ intersectional identities into the work we do together.

My goal as a clinician working with Autistic folks is to support them in showing up authentically, rather than trying to teach “typical” communication patterns, my focus is on helping un-mask, find community, mitigate Autistic burnout, and gain more independence. In my office, my clients can just be themselves. I am skilled in meeting people where they are and love to get to know my clients interests before delving into the clinical work. I have a casual, warm, approachable style that works well with folks who are hesitant to try therapy or those who are in therapy for the first time.

I have done this work for over 10 years and not only do I love working with this population on a one on one level, I am also skilled in presenting and training teams of clinicians to support Autistic folks. I offer both in person sessions in my beautiful Costa Mesa office or virtual sessions from Long Beach, as well as trainings to colleges or mental health organizations throughout Southern California.

Any big plans?
For now I am looking forward to expanding my private practice business, meeting new clients and their families, and continuing to offer trainings to other clinicians. In the future, one major goal of mine is to be able to offer supervision to unlicensed therapists in need of hours and be able to pay them a living wage. I absolutely love supervising and being a support for clinicians both professionally and personally. The second goal would to be expand my services to offer in person sessions in both Costa Mesa and Long Beach offices.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.papillonpmh.com/