Daily Inspiration: Meet Arami James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arami James.

Hi Arami, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Arami James (she/they). I identify as very gay, lesbian, paraguaya-americana, lover, mother named Mimi (named by my children), human.

I am a first-generation Paraguayan-American from an immigrant family. My early years were marked by a bicultural existence, moving back and forth between Paraguay and New York, which has given me a profound insight into the complexities of living between two worlds. Growing up I did not have much visibility to learn what it means to be a queer brown person and a safe place to experience my development. I have a rich connection to my roots in Paraguay, which weaves into my work as a therapist and artist.

My journey into the realm of therapy was preceded by a meaningful career in education, where I excelled as a bilingual educator, a role that reflects my deep commitment to accessibility and understanding. I found myself in education because of my deep care and immense passion to protecting children’s development. After a few years of being a bilingual educator, I concluded that part of caring and protecting children’s development was to work with the adults that are part of their world. So, I decided to begin my journey in getting my Master’s in clinical psychology to work with adults in hopes that they will work through wounds and thrive, which in return will create a safe space for children to grow and develop. I place a big emphasis on the importance of community that includes all ages; we need the children, young people, adults, older generations, ancestors, the land and all that lives on Madre Tierra to protect the sacredness of what it means to be alive, connected and present.

While I was at the end of completing my Masters, I was pregnant with my first child. After I graduated, I took a pause in accruing my hours to get my license as a therapist to attend fully and mindfully for my first birth. Somehow my wife and I figured out how to make it work with the resources we had. We both grow up with limited financial resources and have hustled our whole lives and still hustling to break generational cycles. Our plan was that I would stay home after the baby is born for 6-12 months and then slowly begin my new career. Then then pandemic of covid came and we had to pivot our plans. My first child was born a month before the shutdown of 2020 and becoming a new parent with no family Los Angeles postpartum became a difficult and sad time for me. To note, which is one of my favorite part of my story is that both my children were born at home. My first was born in her room and her birth was my most favorite day I ever got to experience and I don’t think anything else can top that day. My second child was born in the kitchen at home. After my second child, my postpartum was extremely brutal internally and I worked really hard to find community of other BIPOC families. My wife was working full-time and going to school full-time, so I found myself alone and solo parenting emotionally a lot of the times. Fast forward to today, sadly I am going through a divorce as I continue to grow in my role as parent and accrue my hours towards my license as a therapist.

I went back to the work field after 4 years staying home with my children. I have been working again for almost 2 years and I am so grateful I landed with GGPA (Grazel Garcia Psychotherapy and Associates) where I have a supportive supervisor (Grazel Garcia) who also brings visibility in my life as a lesbian brown bilingual professional. Before going back to the work field, I started writing about Postpartum and noticed the lack of support we have in this country for birthing parents and what happens during the right of passage of becoming guides and protectors of our young ones. Postpartum is a portal to heal the untended wounds before the rite of passage of becoming a parent, where there is an opportunity with the right resources to support your personal and family’s growth to thrive in a world that’s so dark and beautiful at the same time. After giving birth, you are literally an open wound, physically, emotionally, spiritually and as the wound is open there can be an opportunity for big change and healing; unfortunately this country lacks in support and resources for family’s to thrive during this pivotal time of transformation. So my passion has developed into understanding postpartum in a deep profound way, so I can be part of the movement of creating care for growing families.

Growing up between both lands, my cross-cultural experiences and bilingual background has profoundly shaped my approach to therapy. I bring a rich perspective to my practice, enabling a deep connection with patients navigating the complexities of multicultural identities. My lived experiences make me an invaluable ally for individuals and families seeking to bridge cultural divides. Moreover, my insight into the intricacies of belonging and identity informs a non-pathologized approach to therapy that celebrates diversity, equality and inclusion. Now, as a dedicated mother of two, I continue to draw upon my diverse experiences to offer compassionate, nuanced support to my clients, helping them to navigate the challenges and joys of life with resilience and grace.

More about my therapeutic work:

I am an emotionally-focused therapist (EFT) providing LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse affirmative therapy for people seeking support in processing their lived experiences. My work centers on affirming intersectionalities through a non-pathologized attachment lens. My practice is deeply rooted in empathy and inclusivity, employing a blend of narrative and holistic approaches alongside mindfulness and somatic techniques. When you have a session with me, I will support your internal world’s processes, so that you may find more moments of peace, connection, confidence, and joy with the world within you and outside of you.

As an artist, I incorporate creative healing into my therapy practice, using art as a powerful tool for expression and recovery. I place a significant emphasis on intuition, which I regard as our ‘first language’—a critical tool in guiding patients through growth and change, especially during pivotal moments of transformation.

I offer specialized reproductive support to growing families. I place a strong emphasis in helping families weather the complexities of building a family, issues around fertility, infertility, conception and postpartum care. My in-depth knowledge in reproductive and family health integrates the importance of incorporating emotional, physical and spiritual well-being, offering comprehensive care that addresses the holistic needs of the family as a whole. My deep commitment to understanding the challenges that accompany the processes of conception and becoming parents makes my adept at guiding individuals and families through the ups, downs, and sideways moments of these experiences. By incorporating this focus into my practice, I stand out as a pivotal support system for families navigating the family growth and transformation.

My art:

As an artist, I write poetry, short stories, paint, mixed medias and record sounds of the world. Art has been an important of my life since I was a child and I love creating art with my children and also witness their artistic processes.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No it hasn’t been a smooth ride. Some my struggles along the way are listed below:

-working through a system that is set-up for a person like me not thrive in and still I manage to get through with resilience.
-pandemic 2020
-becoming a new parent and managing my postpartum healing, caring for my babies
-divorce

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
More about my therapeutic work:

I am an emotionally-focused therapist (EFT) providing LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse affirmative therapy for people seeking support in processing their lived experiences. My work centers on affirming intersectionalities through a non-pathologized attachment lens. My practice is deeply rooted in empathy and inclusivity, employing a blend of narrative and holistic approaches alongside mindfulness and somatic techniques. When you have a session with me, I will support your internal world’s processes, so that you may find more moments of peace, connection, confidence, and joy with the world within you and outside of you.

As an artist, I incorporate creative healing into my therapy practice, using art as a powerful tool for expression and recovery. I place a significant emphasis on intuition, which I regard as our ‘first language’—a critical tool in guiding patients through growth and change, especially during pivotal moments of transformation.

I offer specialized reproductive support to growing families. I place a strong emphasis in helping families weather the complexities of building a family, issues around fertility, infertility, conception and postpartum care. My in-depth knowledge in reproductive and family health integrates the importance of incorporating emotional, physical and spiritual well-being, offering comprehensive care that addresses the holistic needs of the family as a whole. My deep commitment to understanding the challenges that accompany the processes of conception and becoming parents makes my adept at guiding individuals and families through the ups, downs, and sideways moments of these experiences. By incorporating this focus into my practice, I stand out as a pivotal support system for families navigating the family growth and transformation.

My art:

As an artist, I write poetry, short stories, paint, mixed medias and record sounds of the world. Art has been an important of my life since I was a child and I love creating art with my children and also witness their artistic processes

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can reach out to me at: [email protected]

I would love to collaborate on collective care with the land and people experiencing postpartum. I need support in getting my name out in Los Angeles and invited to gatherings where important topics are being discussed about healing justice and coming up with plans to support our communities and do the plans.

Pricing:

• Currently my fee is $175 per 50-minute session

Contact Info:

• Website: https://grazelgarciatherapy.com/our-team/arami-james/

Image Credits
Aviles Photography