Today we’d like to introduce you to Valeska Cosci.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a child of immigrants growing up in the United States, my childhood helped shaped the way I viewed the world, which ultimately led me to my career choice. When my parents left their home country, they left everything they had ever known up until then. They left behind friends, family, and familiarity all to embark on a completely unknown adventure. With the support of friends here in America, my parents arrived with enough to survive. Coupled with ambition and a desire to provide a better future for their children, they were off to a good start. Although many obstacles still had to be overcome. As a family, we had our challenges— like a typical immigrant child, I was the translator, mediator, and confidant helping them navigate a system without full command of the English language, customs and systems.
For instance, not many ten-year-olds were writing checks at the grocery stores, paying bills, and translating medical issues. In retrospect, it might have been much to learn as a child, but it did prepare me in ways I wasn’t aware at the time on how to be resourceful and power through barriers. It was my responsibility and desire to help my family as best I could. There is a hidden stress of growing up a child of immigrants, I had to deal with a generational and cultural gap. My parents and I had different world views to say the least— two world views that were both hard to assimilate. I definitely could have used therapy as a child, but mental health treatment was and continues to be stigmatized, so that was never an option in my family. In spite of the challenges, I wanted to be in a field that helped people, the way I helped my parents and relatives. I wanted to seamlessly navigate two different cultures in a place I didn’t quite fit in. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a psychologist, all I knew is that I wanted to help and was interested in human behavior and cultural dynamics. People and friends often came to me for advice and encouragement. It wasn’t until early college that I started to consider helping-professions like social work and had a desire to work with immigrants and refugees, coupled with a desire to learn further about sociopolitical issues and their impacts on communities of color.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Difficulties and hostility in a new host country is daily bread for almost every immigrant. Every time you have to fill out paperwork, seek information or when you have to fight a system that most of the time is not made to welcome you, it forces you to constantly prove to everyone else what you’re made of and what you’re capable of doing. Growing up a child of immigrants was not an easy road and some of the struggles I faced along with my family was financial instability and discrimination, among other difficulties. Early on I learned that furthering my education would open doors, expand my world views and bring financial stability. Having to navigate the educational system and college was a lonely experience as I didn’t have role models or adults who could educate and guide me. I had to navigate universities with little support; after I completed my undergraduate degree in California, I moved across the country to New York City, never having visited to continue my graduate studies. I had no other choice but to take risks and be resourceful to pave my own way. When I graduated with my Master’s degree, my parents weren’t able to afford the trip to New York to be at my graduation ceremony. And while a friend and classmate invited me to dinner with his family to celebrate, it was a bittersweet day not having my family there to celebrate the accomplishment. Living this experience alongside my parents helped me to build resilience, be self-sufficient and instilled hope that life could and would improve. This lived experience set the groundwork for my desire to enter a career that helped others find their inner strengths to persevere, make changes, and grow in ways that although uncomfortable were freeing and rewarding.
Renew Thru Therapy – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am the owner of my private practice and am a Bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over twenty years of mental health experience serving individuals and families. As an experienced therapist, I enjoy working with BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) and persons coping with anxiety, depression and life transitions. I work through a trauma and social justice lens; my specialties are working with immigrants, children of immigrants, cultural issues and trauma, managing anxiety and depression in this fast-paced culture. Being a relatable, down to earth therapist has allowed my clients to feel at ease and be their authentic, vulnerable selves in my presence. Clients know I don’t have a magic wand, but I do provide a space for them to be themselves, provide the necessary tools they need, and uplift them to reach their goals. I am honored to bear witness to their stories and genuinely care for their mental wellness. What sets me apart: empathy and social awareness of how our environment, institutional, political and structural systems can impact a person’s well-being and mental health. I have intellectual curiosity and excellent communication skills. And I feel that I have a social responsibility to heal those who may not have the means; advocating for fair access to mental health resources, eliminating discrimination in the field, and being a champion for mental wellness.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Personally, success is not limited to business, finances, material items or recognition; but rather to living a purposeful life, accepting of ourselves entirely, being a life-long learner, creating community connections, and to have compassion for one another. As one of my favorite authors, Maya Angelou would say, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.renewthrutherapy.com
- Phone: 310.862.4248
- Email: valeska@renewthrutherapy.com
- Instagram: @renew.thru.therapy
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