Hidden Gems: Meet Rubi Vasquez of Changing Cycles Counseling

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rubi Vasquez.

Hi Rubi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Everything started in “el pequeño Pulgarcito”: El Salvador, where I was raised from the age of two. I was privileged to be born in the United States, a place I returned to when I was 19 years old. Growing up, I endured many difficult experiences: abuse, lack of resources, and a heart full of dreams that often felt farther and farther from becoming a reality.
When I came to the United States, I had to leave my family and everything I had ever known. I began learning English and, although I enjoyed the process, I felt lost. My only true companion was music. I had always dreamed of becoming a professional singer. After two years, I started taking regular classes. During that time, I enrolled in psychology courses, and it was then that I began to see the connection between music and psychology – the sense of surrender and emotional processing that music evoked in me.
I graduated with an associate degree in music just six days after finalizing my divorce. Around that same time, I began individual therapy, which inspired and encouraged me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology. That period was a blur as I worked to heal from such a painful chapter in my life, once again finding myself alone and estranged from my mother.
While pursuing my bachelor’s degree, I volunteered at the California State University, Northridge HelpLine, supporting individuals in crisis. I also participated for several years in the “Psychology Got Talent” events as a singer. Music and psychology have always been integral to who I am, both in my healing journey and in every stage of my life.
Because of my experience with divorce and growing up with separated parents in unhealthy relationships, I became passionate about helping Latino couples and individuals thrive in a world that often pathologizes and colonizes our spaces – including in the therapy space. I earned my master’s degree during the pandemic in 2020. I didn’t have a graduation ceremony until May 2022, almost five months after giving birth to my baby. By the way, I did find love again in 2015.
I completed the 3,000 supervised hours required by the Board of Behavioral Sciences and sat for my licensing exam in 2023. I was granted accommodations due to high anxiety – and I still ran out of time while taking my exam. That exam was one of the most challenging experiences of my life. But as soon as I passed it, I opened my private practice, fulfilling the dream I had nurtured since the beginning of this journey.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I’ve navigated a lot of personal and systemic challenges from surviving childhood abuse and family estrangement, to navigating immigration and starting over in a new country where I found myself alone emotionally and physically. Learning a new language, experiencing divorce, and pursuing higher education while healing emotionally was overwhelming at times. I often found myself feeling isolated, especially as a first-generation student navigating academia, motherhood, and cultural expectations. But through it all, music and therapy grounded me. They became both my compass and my sanctuary. Every challenge has shaped the way I show up for others today – with empathy, warmth, and deep emotional insight.

As you know, we’re big fans of Changing Cycles Counseling. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the founder of Changing Cycles Counseling, a private practice centered on culturally grounded, emotionally focused therapy – especially for the Latinx community. I’m also known as @thetherapistsinger on Instagram and TikTok, where I share “amor reminders” and content with gentle, bilingual reflections that blend relationship psychology with the healing power of music.
At Changing Cycles Counseling, I specialize in supporting individuals and couples navigating intergenerational trauma, infidelity, hoarding, emotional disconnection, and identity-related challenges. What sets my work apart is the intentional integration of culture, music, and social context into the therapeutic space. My goal is to help decolonize therapy by honoring the lived experiences of my clients rather than pathologizing them.
I’m especially proud of creating a space where people feel truly seen – particularly those who have never felt safe or represented in traditional mental health settings. My services include individual and couples therapy – both rooted in connection, cultural resonance, and emotional healing.
In addition to my clinical work, I recently launched The Changing Cycles Blog – a space to explore the shifts we experience both within ourselves and in our relationships. Whether you’re working through anxiety, growing with your partner, or learning to care for your own heart, you’re not alone here. Let’s walk through the changing cycles together – with honesty, hope, and compassion. I also share aspects of my own journey, appropriately and intentionally, to inspire others to express themselves and know that healing is possible.
And as a singer, I also perform music that speaks to human experiences, love, and healing. You can find my original songs on Spotify, where I share the same heartfelt messages through melody that I offer in my therapeutic work.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5–10 years, I envision a powerful shift toward more inclusive, culturally responsive mental health care. Communities are increasingly calling for therapists who can truly understand their lived experiences and hold space for the complexities of race, gender, immigration, spirituality, and intergenerational trauma. I also see a rising embrace of nontraditional healing practices – like music, storytelling, and community-based approaches – that beautifully reflect our ancestral ways of healing.
Technology will continue to transform the field through telehealth, social media, and emerging tools like artificial intelligence (AI). AI has the potential to increase access to care by offering good ideas for self-care, improving diagnostic tools, and reducing administrative burdens for clinicians. It can help bridge gaps in underserved communities, especially when culturally informed and ethically developed.
However, as we integrate AI into mental health, we must stay vigilant about preserving the depth, safety, and human connection that healing requires. AI should support mental health care – not replace the relationships that make it transformative. Therapists of the future will need to be both clinically grounded and socially conscious, combining advanced tools with heart-centered, culturally sensitive care. Healing isn’t just about efficiency – it’s about connection, presence, and honoring each person’s story.

Pricing:

• $190 for Couples Therapy
• $165 for Individual Therapy
• Sliding Scale Available

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.changingcyclescounseling.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetherapistsinger/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cambiandoelciclo
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-del-rubí-del-vásquez-828922160 • https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-del-rub%C3%AD-v%C3%A1squez-828922160
• Soundcloud: Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CGqbuhvH4I4Pd8LioiVxf?si=fQNACyxyTkmx47-R70yZYw
• Other: Tik Tok: @thetherapistsinger