Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa (Lia) Mancao.
Alyssa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story really dates back to childhood. I was born in the Philippines and moved to California (more specifically Chino Hills, CA) when I was four years old. I would travel back to the Philippines here and there and just noticed the differences in standard of living and in access to resources. I knew that at some point when I grew up, I would want to travel back to the Philippines to be of service, but I didn’t know what kind of service.
By elementary and middle school, I was interested in all things related to social justice (I didn’t know that’s what it was called then). I was reading autobiographies on social justice advocates (the children’s version of course) and would write my book reports on people whose focus was on affecting change and helping others. By then, I fell in love with the concept of love, human connection, social change, and empathy. In high school, I also fell in love with the Spanish language and spent all four years in high school studying the language (there will be a connection to this later!)
After high school, I went to Cal Poly Pomona and received my Bachelor’s in Sociology and a minor in Social Work. After receiving my Bachelor’s I went on to commit one year to AmeriCorps working with Cal Poly to help create free programs for community members in Pomona. When I finished my commitment to AmeriCorps, I knew that I wanted to be in a field that focused on affecting change and helping others, so I applied to the USC School of Social Work program. I wanted to be a social worker, I just didn’t know what that exactly meant at the time, but I did know it meant being of service to your community.
I went on to USC to receive my Master’s in Social Work. This is where my internships honed into my clinical skills. My first years internship focused on working primarily with monolingual Spanish speaking families who were interested in adoption. I spoke conversational Spanish, but this challenged me to tap into a different part of the self: providing therapy in a second language. My supervision was done in Spanish and I started to read material in this second language to make sure that I was providing the best service I could. This solidified my language abilities and allowed me to become fluent in Spanish, giving me access to work with more people than I had dreamed of.
After graduating from USC, I began working as a therapist in community mental health with the Child and Family Guidance Center in Van Nuys. I worked there for eight years before starting my own private practice. My personal experience along with my academic and professional background has helped me to launch my private practice. Today, I am the proud owner of my solo private practice, and I rent out office spaces to help other therapists grow their practices. I thoroughly enjoy being a therapist and am thankful everyday for the work that I am able to do. My practice focuses on inner child healing and finding purpose and meaning in your daily life.
I seek to help end the stigma surrounding mental health and seeking mental health services, I want mental health services to be as normalized as getting a physical or going to the gym. My hope is that as a Spanish Speaking Filipina immigrant woman, I can connect with those communities who are hesitant about seeking help and guide them along the way.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was smooth in the sense that I always had a purpose that was bigger than me, and it helps that I always knew what I wanted to do in my life (which is to be there for others). Each struggle taught me that no matter what happens, I am going to make it to the other side with more experience, knowledge, and belief in myself.
In my earlier years, those struggles included managing grad school, work, and my personal life. While in graduate school, I held four jobs at one time and sacrificed financially in order to make it through my program. As the years went on, the struggles were more centered on my frustrations in working with the systems that perpetuate oppression and social injustice while working in the community mental health sector. These struggles taught me to stay grounded, to have hope, and taught me how to advocate for myself and others.
Later, the struggles were more interpersonal, like “am I doing the right thing by starting my own business?” When leveling up and entering a new space, there is an imposter syndrome that makes you believe that you do not know what you are doing.I experienced this for a time and learned to identify and challenge it. For anyone reading this, don’t listen to the voice of your imposter syndrome, I promise you that you belong and are worthy. Anyway, it was a lot of back and forth within myself about launching my own practice; over several months of contemplation, I took the leap and have fallen in love with the process.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company is called Alyssa Marie Wellness and it serves multiple purposes. I provide individual and couples counseling in Sherman Oaks, CA. What I think that I am known for is my approach to healing by helping people connect with their inner child. I tap into my ability to experience what you are experiencing in the room (empathy), and I strive to help clients connect with those feelings safely and without judgment. I teach clients how to lean into the discomfort, and I work with clients who struggle with shame through inner child healing and self-compassion. I also utilize a technique called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) which is a specific therapy approach aimed at working with and healing traumatic memories, associated feelings and sensations that have been “trapped” in the body.
The other function of my business is that I provide office spaces to other therapists who are interested in starting or growing their private practice. My offices were designed to be spacious and feel safe (shout out to my best friends for being my design team and curating the space!). I ensure that each therapist who occupies space within the suite are kind-hearted and compassionate individuals with a goal of healing and wellness. Because I am a big believer in energy, it is important to me that I don’t just rent spaces, but I create a community of like-minded professionals who believe in recovery and put quality care first.
I am now working on using my skills, experience to provide services in the Philippines. At this time, I am still conceptualizing what this will look like.
I am most proud of my company’s ability to help other therapists’ grow their practice, and to provide mentorship to other clinicians making the transition to starting their own business. What sets me apart from others is that even when my practice is full, I will return new client calls and work with them to learn how to access services and find a therapist with availability; I do my best to check in with each person to make sure they are connected.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Sherman Oaks is a great location to reach people from Burbank to the Westside, and even beyond. I would definitely recommend other therapists come to Sherman Oaks if they are interested in starting their practice, they are also more than welcome to reach out to me for office space availability! Mental health care is a right that everyone deserves, and I do believe that therapists should be able to set up their business where they please as this will help increase access to care in whichever area they decide.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alyssamariewellness.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: alyssamariewellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyssamariewellness/
Image Credit:
Elizabeth Garcia
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