Inspiring Conversations with Cierra Guerra of The. G.R.I.T.S. Collective, A Marriage and Family Therapy Corporation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cierra Guerra.

Hi Cierra, 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?
Picture it, Tampa in the 99’s and 2000’s where a fun, outgoing, spunky talkative and tenacious gem was being taught life lessons that created her foundation to today’s life’s successes and tough lessons. I don’t tend to speak for the entire black collective to whom if I said came from a single parent household, residing in a lower socioeconomic environment, had to be in the house before the streetlights came on and the chicken had better be thawed out at 5 pm that our experiences are parallel. What I will say is that in enduring all of that, my path felt different and that determined my path/trajectory out of that pre-set “destiny”.

For as long I can remember throughout my upbringing, I couldn’t count on my mother being emotionally expressive, not in the ways I needed her to, as she was the primary caretaker and was secretly dealing with her own emotional deficits that I have come to be aware of now as an adult. Feelings weren’t directly expressed or encouraged amongst my friends or peers either as it was seen as “weak” or “lame”. Hell, you damn near got “roasted” or “jone” (AAVE terms equates to being picked on or bullied) for having a functional and stable household. I also witnessed my younger brother searching for the validation from his absentee father and allowed those feelings to implode without a safe outlet. So what did that teach a young girl to do? Suppress and get past what you can’t change, “Don’t cry over spilled milk” as the old saying goes. (And for shared geographical context, Jamaicans say, “So it go.”) Main theme: avoidance of emotion and hyper independence. However, I always found that to be too heavy of a burden to carry and it felt like a mark placed on me before I truly experienced life. So what did I do you may ask? Well, I ultimately inherited those themes, flipped and reversed them to uplift others, poke fun at the suppressed feelings to make it easier and unknowingly to identify while healing that young girl before her street lights came on.

At 18 years old, two weeks after I graduated high school, I was shipped off to boot camp for the United States Navy. Many of my friends and family were proud and others questioned my decision. Hell, I questioned it too as I spent the first three years calling my mother at least 3 to 4 times a day regretting that decision. As a matter of fact I would write or call any of my friends and family that would listen to my self-inflicted grievances. Was the military difficult to navigate? Absolutely! But it was exactly what I needed. You see, I can get past the yelling, high demands, and fast past environment with sometimes little to no resources within the military institution. What I fought and struggled with so bad was the change within me. I had a hard time letting go of my Tampa culture and keeping up with all my friends and their experiences. I had to swap out my 1st Friday nights at the club in Ybor city for overnight watches securing multi-million dollar equipment. Or getting ready for an alumni football game or block party to prepare for a 6 to 7 month deployment in a combat zone. I felt as though they (the military)  was trying to mold me into something I wasn’t; something that wasn’t authentically me. Well after several write ups, military court proceedings and being on restriction, it was clear that I had to do something or I wouldn’t have to wonder what everyone else was doing back at home because my butt was going to be there. So I went back to my roots, my foundation of my upbringing: flipping and reversing a negative into positive without people knowing, uplifting them and myself, while poking fun at the suppressed feelings to make it easier and unknowingly to identify. This method served me well 21 years later in the Navy as I have collected several honors and awards, successfully completed mission critical roles and cultivated my own “Tampa culture” filled with lifetime friends.

Let’s not give all the credit to my unorthodox way of thinking and application, I also have a brilliant and creative mind that has obtained some priceless accolades. With the many doors the United States Navy has opened, I was able to complete three degrees at no cost to me, purchase a home, travel like no one’s business, operate my own private practice, The G.R.I.T.S. Collective, and here recently fulfilled a dream of becoming a part of a sisterhood through being selected to the Illustrious Sigma Gamma Rho, Incorporated. Outside of that I am an active member of the Murrieta Valley Unified School District African American Advisory Committee, provide input to the same school district’s panel to make changes and allocate funds appropriately, a newly appointed advisor to the SGRHO Theta Pi Sigma Chapter Rhoer Club (guiding teenage ladies on the importance of serving the community with/for others). Additionally, I am the self-proclaimed cheerleader for every event that I am invited to as I out yell everyone to have you aware that I am there to support you. And last but not least I put the partridge in a pear tree, lol! Yes, I do a lot and it is sometimes at the expense of sleep, miles on my car and unfinished tasks but please let’s not forget the theme here: flipped and reversed avoidance of emotional expression and hyper independence to uplift others, poke fun at the suppressed feelings to make it easier and unknowingly to identify while healing that young girl before her street lights came on.

In closing, I want to highlight a quote that is the summation of my life I feel at this moment: “To much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48). Whether it is my skills, knowledge, and/or time I feel that it is expected of me to leverage that to uplift others around me. I learned from an early age that life may be difficult to navigate and everyone is not capable of enduring the journey with you, however it is my duty to reach back and serve.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There was never a smooth road and I am eagerly waiting to meet someone who said it has been for them. Some challenges were self inflicted as I chose to do a lot of things my way, but with no regrets; while others were organic. To name a few challenges was trying not to get kicked out of the military within my first year, letting go of old patterns that served me no good but I desperately tried to align with them. Experiencing different cultural backgrounds of people in the military and losing a close friend to suicide in the military as well. And my ongoing struggle is running with the narrative that I need to do everyting I can for others to my detriment, especially the youth population because that’s what I needed as a young girl.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The G.R.I.T.S. Collective (Girl Raised In The South) is my private practice that was co-founded by my previous mentor who pushed me so hard that I believed she took some of my edges with her. Nonetheless, I perservered and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #147844, after years of educational and practical training and during the height of COVID. I have my Master’s in Clinical Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. Now, when people are introduced to this, the first question is, “Well, who do you serve?” To quote a famous native Atlantian, Yung L.A., “Don’t I be with J-Money servin’ everybody?” (Credit: Ain’t I?, Released Novmber 25, 2008). Yes, I can serve youth, teen, adult, couples, and geriatric populations, however, I am geared more toward the teen population. My modality that I specialize in is DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) Informed and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) as many do. However, what sets me apart I lay my cards out on the table as I ask of my clients. I don’t expect them to come to the room with perfection, guilt, shame or even trust, but what I do require is their absolute authentic self. Everything else that comes after that is a bonus. My branding is all about a person reaching their truest potential by being their authentic self. I love to say that my clients are the experts of their lives and I am just the sounding board. I offer consistent and afforable therapy services to ensure that it is accessible to all. Disclaimer: I am not everyone’s cup of tea and I encourage everyone to find their own flavoring, however what is given by collaborating with me is tough love and tools.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My own G-Unit aka The Guerra’s (Wilder (spouse), Amoy (daughter), Nairobi (daughter) & Giovanni (son). They are my literal backbone when it comes to my evolving success. My husband held down the fort day after day of us both both working full-time jobs while commuting over two hours to swap out the children in my schools parking lot for me to attend school and night after night of late night writing papers/projects. Not to mention that during both my bachelors and masters programs I was pregant with my last two kiddos still burning that midnight oil. I would like to give flowers to my previous mentor Latisha Jewel Case who showed me the ropes of a private practice and guided me through. Also to my two previous supervisors: Steven D. Bertiz who fought for me to attend school while working a full time government job and encouraged me evrey step of he way. And to Maria Luna who taught me how to find myself, be myself in the therapuetic space while actively pulling out her beautiful to get me into the groove of a consumate well-rounded professional. Last but not least, my father The Arthur Curtright for his endless spoken encouragment that motivated me to new heights, even the ones he didn’t know he fulfilled.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://therapyfinder.com/therapist/cierra-guerra-licensed-marriage-family-therapist-murrieta-ca
• Instagram: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/cierra-e-guerra-murrieta-ca/834694

Image Credits
Image Credit: Cierra Guerra