Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Magana.
Cynthia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Absolutely, I am happy to share. My name is Cynthia Magana (She/They). I am a queer Chicana licensed clinical social worker in California and New York. My cultural roots are from Michoacán, Mexico, and East Los Angeles. I have a lived experience as a therapist and yoga teacher in New York and California.
There were many expectations and silent pressures placed on me as the first-born daughter. Like many children of immigrants and first gen college grads, I had no roadmap. I was determined to build a life defined by my own view of personal success. It is important for me to be in alignment with my values while I uplift the communities I come from in my private practice.
I identify as a first-generation college student graduating from New York University Silver School of Social Work, California State University Long Beach, and Mt. San Antonio Community College. I began as an academic peer counselor in a community college serving first generation college students and then became qualitative research assistant supporting survivors of gender-based violence. I went on to serve at non-profits and in health care providing counseling services for families, adolescents and emerging professionals of color living in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Through the trust of Latina guidance counselors in college, Queer therapists, and ongoing Feminist mentorship, I found my way into healing spaces supporting the well-being of communities of color. My accomplishments have been a way to heal my community by deepening and strengthening conversations around race, power, privilege, intersectionality, and holding space to process intergenerational trauma for the creative and high achieving professional first generation professional. I really value cultural affirming practices and wisdom.
Alright, 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?
The road definitely felt like a traffic jam on the 405 on a Friday at 3pm, but that didn’t stop me from finding some good music and community to make the journey feel less lonely. My journey as a therapist and building a private practice taught me a lot about patience.
As a queer Latina, I have learned there is a lot of unlearning that has to happen after graduate school and where we choose to work within the mental health field. I have diverse social work experience in the legal sector, health care, and non-profits on both coasts. We learn how to practice therapy in these institutions, and we might lose sight of our personal values for the sake of adhering to organizational systems, quotas, and policies within mental health. As a person with a marginalized identity, we also learn to hide or go often unseen within these systems because we do not meet the status quo.
I give a lot of credit to my close colleagues and mentors I learn from who actively hold me accountable to unlearn these messages and business practices as I building a sustainable private practice.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Cynthia Magana, LCSW?
My private practice as a therapist centers on enhancing the well-being of high-achieving professionals, creatives, and wellness providers of color who experience anxiety, perfectionism, and uncertainty anticipating major life transitions. I am known for my compassionate space-holding and my ability to call in the emotions that get left unsaid. I enjoy bringing parts of myself, such as honoring ancestral practices and spirituality and deconstructing the traditional talk therapy approach. I invite creative mediums, reflection questions and encourage rituals that support someone’s personalized and unique needs.
At a glance,
I have been able to serve my community as a Therapist, Clinical Supervisor, Mentor, Facilitator, Community Organizer, Regional Director of Social Work, and an MSW Field Instructor.
I am a licensed clinical social worker in the state of New York and California.
I formally trained in Internal Family Systems Level 1 (2019), Chicana/o/x Affirmative Therapy (2021) and Somatic Abolitionism (2022), Brainspotting (2023).
I am a consultant for wellness studios and facilitate trauma-informed workshops into teacher training curriculums, highlighting the importance of decolonization of ancestral healing practices and providing psychologically safe space holder training (2020-present). I am trained as a trauma-informed yoga instructor with a focus on restorative and yin practices (2019). I offer yin yoga + sound bath classes within California and New York.
I am most proud of my brand was created by women of color, women who are creative and really hold the values of music, art, and culture.
What’s next?
I am offering individual therapy in California and will continue to center my practice, working with high-achieving professionals, creatives, and wellness providers of color. I have found a special spot working with folx, who have uprooted from Los Angeles to New York and vice versa. As folx of color, we come from collective communities, and it is just as important to process bicultural and intercultural experiences when we uproot from our own family of origin into our own personal identity.
I am excited to expand my offerings by partnering with local Queer & Trans, BIPOC, and Women-owned businesses.
I will be offering seasonal and monthly spaces to be in community with others through restorative, yin yoga, sound baths, and vinyl DJ opportunities. I have been brewing up holistic workshops, tapping into creativity, intuition, and undoing perfectionism through creative mediums. We heal in community, and healing can look so different for many people and cultures. Therapy is one form of healing through community, and there is healing by reclaiming parts of us that have been lost as we have been playing the game of life.
I am getting ready to share an offering for BIPOC Clinicians of Color, so stay tuned!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cynmagana.com
- Instagram: thechicanatherapist
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-magaña-lcsw-02963230
Image Credits
Erica Cervantez
Mayra Penaranda
Exhale to Inhale
