Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Alvarado.
Hi Patricia, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I have been in the field of mental health since 2010. During my training in and after grad school, I didn’t think that I wanted to own my own business and become my own boss. I was working within the non-profit world and then slowly transitioned to the corporate side of mental health, within managed care. This is when things really changed for me because I no longer was seeing clients on a daily basis. I was managing people as they did case management and while I enjoyed the management part, I really missed working with clients. This was 2017, and the year that I began seeing clients privately after my managed care job was over. As time went on, I noticed how much I really enjoyed working with clients within private practice. I enjoyed the flexibility and the creativeness that I was able to have within this space. After two years of working within managed care, I decided to take the leap of faith and fully transition to private practice. Since then, I’ve grown my team to 8 other clinicians, all working 100% within a virtual setting. This wasn’t the plan and now that I think about it, I’m not quite sure what the actual plan even was but life led me to this space, and I am extremely happy that it did.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I wish it was a smooth road but honestly, it hasn’t. I had to work through my own self-doubt and then work on ignoring the doubt that others were projecting onto me. What has been most challenging has been the unknown and while that can feel familiar for some, it was really challenging for me because I didn’t have friends or family members that could help guide me. I have had to be in uncomfortable spaces, asking questions, and ultimately, hoping that was I was doing was the right thing to do. Being a business owner is tough and making sure that all your ducks are in a row really creates stress because again, I’m left wondering if I am missing something…if I am doing all the right things.
As you know, we’re big fans of Alvarado Therapy. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a team of EMDR Latina mental health therapists based out of California. Our work is done 100% virtually, allowing our clients to be able to connect from wherever they feel the most comfortable. We work with clients who struggle with anxiety, depression, relationships, and trauma looking at this through a multicultural lens. This allows us to really be present with clients while validating their experiences. We specialize in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) which is a unique therapeutic modality that uses eye movement to help reprocess negative beliefs that we may have about ourselves. The goal is help clients identify the negative beliefs they are living with while also helping them identify positive or adaptive beliefs that can also be true. By doing so, we can help clients effectively achieve their goals and help them move forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: alvaradotherapy.org
- Instagram: @alvaradotherapy
- Facebook: facebook.com/alvaradotherapy
- Twitter: @alvaradotherapy
- Youtube: @alvaradotherapy
