In many ways, I hope Palomares Therapy can be exactly what the name implies: a place where people can gather, heal, reconnect, and feel a little less alone.
There is something vulnerable about opening a therapy practice under your own name. In fact, I debated the name for a while and tossed around several options. But then I thought about the origin of the Palomares name itself:
In Spanish, palomares refers to “a place where doves gather.” Doves, or palomas, have long symbolized peace, safety, connection, and reconciliation— themes that sit at the center of the practice’s relational and attachment-based approach to therapy.
At Palomares Therapy, much of our work centers around helping people move toward deeper connection: within themselves, within their relationships, and within the communities and families that shape them. The name also reflects my pride in my Latine roots and the importance of creating a practice grounded in warmth, humanity, and meaningful connection.
In many ways, I hope Palomares Therapy can be exactly what the name implies: a place where people can gather, heal, reconnect, and feel a little less alone.
After years of working in group practice settings, I am incredibly excited to share that Palomares Therapy is officially open in Pasadena, California!
Why I Opened Palomares Therapy
After working as an individual trauma therapist for years, I found myself increasingly reflecting similar ideas:
“I’ve noticed that so much of our work seems to center on the loneliness you’re feeling in your marriage. Have you ever considered asking your partner to come with you to couples therapy?”
“I’ve noticed that your relationship with your mother has been the source of so much pain in your life… and yet, she’s still alive and seems to want a better relationship with you, despite her inability to give you what you need. Would you ever consider going to family therapy with her?”
“You’ve been processing this conflict with your best friend in here for months. What would it be like to imagine bringing this piece of your experience to her?”
Over time, I noticed that I was increasingly referring clients to relational therapists so they could engage in relational work. That pattern ultimately inspired me to become a specialized couples therapist and family therapist myself.
Because while individual trauma therapy is incredibly important, and often the first step in someone’s healing journey, I’ve come to see couples and family therapy as “Trauma Work 2.0.”
In couples therapy and family therapy, we have the opportunity to facilitate profoundly corrective emotional experiences. And when repair and healing are not possible between people, we can work toward discernment, acceptance, meaning-making, choice, and boundary-setting.
These experiences inspired me to create a space that feels aligned with how I actually practice and how I genuinely believe healing happens. I wanted to open a practice in Pasadena where couples therapy and relational therapy would be treated with the seriousness and nuance they deserve.
As I continued to train and collaborate with other clinicians, I also began to recognize how many different paths there are toward healing. I wanted to create a practice where trauma work could move beyond symptom management into something deeper. Where neurodivergence could be understood compassionately rather than pathologized. Where clients could feel both emotionally safe and meaningfully challenged toward growth.
Palomares Therapy was built with those values in mind.
A Practice Rooted in Attachment and Trauma Work
My work is heavily informed by attachment theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), an evidence-based model for couples therapy that focuses on understanding the emotional cycles couples get trapped inside of.
Many couples come into therapy believing the problem is communication, conflict, intimacy, or trust. And while those things absolutely matter, underneath them there is almost always something deeper happening at the level of the nervous system and the attachment bond.
The work I love most is helping people slow those moments down enough to ask: what happens inside of you right before you shut down? What makes criticism feel unbearable? Why does this particular conflict feel so high-stakes? What are both partners actually longing for underneath the anger, the defensiveness, or the withdrawal?
I view couples therapy as trauma work in many ways. The moments that feel too big in relationships are often touching something much older, more vulnerable, and deeply human.
The Kind of Space I Wanted to Create
The physical environment of therapy matters more than people often expect.
When searching for offices, I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time and was able to set up the practice in a stunning space in the heart of Pasadena, CA. My office is located in a beautiful historic Spanish mansion in Pasadena.
When designing the Palomares Therapy office, I wanted a room that felt grounded, warm, and full of natural light; a room that would offer my clients that immediate “sigh of relief” feeling when they entered. I like to think we’ve succeeded in that mission!
Who I Work With
Palomares Therapy specializes in working with couples, trauma survivors, sexual assault survivors, adults navigating emotionally immature family systems, ADHD and neurodivergent individuals and couples, high-achieving professionals, and healthcare workers navigating burnout and moral injury. We also specialize in therapy for polyamorous relationships and CNM/ ENM therapy.
Many of my clients are insightful, self-aware, and emotionally intelligent, and still find themselves stuck in painful patterns they cannot simply think their way out of. Insight is important. But healing almost always requires more than insight alone.
Building a Practice With Intention
Another meaningful part of this transition has been beginning to grow a practice team.
What matters most to me in bringing on clinicians is finding therapists who are relationally attuned, trauma-informed, and genuinely thoughtful about this work. Therapists who stay curious rather than becoming rigid. Therapists who can hold complexity without rushing to resolve it.
As Palomares Therapy grows, my hope is to build a practice culture centered around integrity, warmth, clinical depth, ongoing learning, and ethical, high-quality care.
To Current and Future Clients
If you have been part of my clinical journey already: thank you. Truly. Being trusted with people’s stories and relationships is something I do not take lightly.
And if you are new here and considering therapy, I know that reaching out can feel like a significant step. Especially if you have had painful experiences in relationships, family systems, or even previous therapeutic experiences.
You do not need to have everything figured out before starting. Sometimes therapy begins simply with:
“Something isn’t working anymore, and I want things to feel different.”
That is enough.
You do not need to have everything figured out before starting.
Welcome to Palomares Therapy
Opening this practice has been both exciting and deeply meaningful. I am grateful for every referral, encouragement, and expression of trust that helped make it possible.
I am looking forward to what this next chapter holds. If you are interested in learning more about working together, I would love to connect.
