Meet Dr. Therese Mascardo of Exploring Therapy in Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Therese Mascardo.

Dr. Mascardo, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world, but I had no clue what that might look like. I’m the proud daughter of Filipino immigrants and feel an immense sense of gratitude to have been raised in the US and in Southern California specifically. When I took my first Psych 101 class and realized I could make a living connecting with and supporting people as a Clinical Psychologist (and channeling my empathy as a strength) I felt like I won the lottery.

At 25, I had a doctorate and master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and two bachelor’s degrees from Berkeley under my belt but still didn’t have a clear vision for what I could do to make a positive impact.

I made the switch to practicing therapy online five years ago out of sheer necessity when I was commuting upwards of 4 hours a day in LA traffic and my quality of life was suffering. Back then, a lot of my peers had doubts about the effectiveness of online therapy, but it improved my life significantly and I could also see that my clients valued the convenience, too. I remember trying to convince my colleagues about how fantastic online therapy is, and being met with a lot of judgment and patronizing responses like “That’s great, but I could never connect with someone across a screen.”

In early 2018, I created an Instagram account about mental health and remote work, with the goal of showing people that pursuing mental wellness can be a fun and life-giving experience. I believe by being health professionals showing up in spaces where our clients are – like in the world of social media – we help increase access to valuable and life-changing health education.

To be completely honest with you, at the time I was petrified of what my colleagues and potential clients would think. There were almost no therapists on social media at the time, and I feared I would be seen as unprofessional and not be taken seriously. Much of our training discourages bringing attention to ourselves and our personal lives because we’re supposed to be a “blank slate” – an empty space on which the client feels safe to project whatever they need.

Post-pandemic, practicing therapy online has become the new standard, and remote work has become an essential way to earn a living. Today that Instagram account (@exploring.therapy) has nearly 20k followers and I get asked daily about how to build an online practice and a professional social media presence. Modern-day therapists are openly sharing their imperfect human-ness on social media, growing their practices, and sharing about mental health in ways that are truly making a difference in the lives of millions of followers. It feels great to see the community of therapists finally embrace online practices and social media. Even better, it’s amazing to see mental health become a mainstream topic and to see people from all walks of life open up about their mental health.

I’ve learned that sometimes it’s good to do things differently. Sometimes being an outlier isn’t so bad.

My next project is developing a health startup with the goal of helping people find the right therapist for them, quickly and painlessly. In this day and age, it takes way too long to find a good therapist and I’d like to change that. I’ve never done anything like this before, so obviously, I’m nervous and feel in over my head. But I also know that people with far less qualifications, experience, and passion have built startups before… so why not me?

Great, 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?
I’ve had my share of hardships and struggles, but one in particular that has defined my journey.

In 2009, I lost my younger brother G.J. to suicide. He was 25 years old, and even though he was born with a genetic mutation called Trisomy 8 that impacted his body and cognitive abilities, he lived an incredible, practically cinematic life. He was a prolific writer with the most vivid imagination. He was beloved by his classmates and was elected to serve on student government because of an epic speech that ended with him saying “Fight the power!” Despite his setbacks, he even went to Cal State Fullerton and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Radio, TV, and Film.

His death was the most traumatic and painful experience of my life. I felt like I had failed not only as a sister but as a mental health professional since I didn’t see it coming.

As I recovered from his loss and overcame my own depression and grief, I became even more passionate about helping people know how important and valuable their lives are, and to fight the lies that try to make them think they are less. I realized that my calling is to help people live their lives more joyfully. That’s what eventually led me to start my business, Exploring Therapy.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Exploring Therapy – what should we know?
Exploring Therapy is a community I founded in 2018 that helps people foster mental health and wholeness in their lives. Our motto is “Build a life you don’t need a vacation from” and we explore wellness on a holistic scale – meaning that we look at classic healing modalities (like CBT and positive psychology) but we also discuss how to cultivate joy through mindfulness, gratitude, exploration, travel, and food. We talk about how to create healthy boundaries and how to stop the cycles of toxic productivity and hustle culture.

Remote Worker Mental Health is of particular interest to me, and I offer programs to help remote workers care for their own mental health and the unique demands that remote workers face (such as balancing work and home life, struggling with isolation, and communicating with their team.)

Exploring Therapy was born out of my conviction that modern day therapy was badly in need of “rebranding”. I wanted people to know that therapy was more than just older (almost all white) men in cardigans (no offense) sitting on musty leather sofas saying “Mmhmm” a lot. I wanted people to know that therapy and the journey of self-discovery is life-giving, vibrant, and sometimes even FUN. With that in mind, I intentionally chose colors and branding that are bold, vibrant, and make people feel like they are on vacation.

The moments I feel most proud of my business are moments that allow for real connection, like when I get a message from someone who says that something I shared really resonated with them, or that it helped them care for themselves or loved one better. A lot of times the experience of being a creator on social media can feel like you put in a lot of time and energy and then you don’t get the response or engagement you were hoping for. Recently I created a before/after style video with some of my therapist friends where instead of focusing on physical transformations, we focus on psychological ones by opening up about our hardships and struggles in our journeys to become therapists and seeing our dreams become reality today. Though it was not a goal for us, a lot of people said it made them cry. It was really cool to see how much the video spoke to not only future therapists but many people who are struggling and sacrificing in pursuit of a dream.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think that having a deep sense of purpose or mission is what drives me to succeed. If my hard work was just to serve me or my ego, I would have quit long ago. But when I think of the world I want to create, and the people whose lives I want to help improve, it motivates me to serve something bigger than myself. My mission to help people live more healthy, free and connected lives they love is what keeps me going. In some small way, I believe that I am doing everything in my power to make sure no one ever loses someone they love due to mental illness ever again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.exploringtherapy.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/exploring.therapy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/weareexploringtherapy
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExplTherapy

Image Credit:
Letticia Bissondut, Janz Antoniago, Elisa Amaroli, Tommy Lundberg, Dima Malikov

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