Greetings! I’m Victor.

  • Bilingual therapist (English and Spanish)

  • LGBTQ+ and Faith

  • Domestic Violence

  • Immigration & Acculturation

  • Children & Adolescents

Professional Philosophy

I am a creative arts therapist who focuses on utilizing the creative process as a means of self-expression and exploring mental health. My clients often work on topics such as reconciling faith and sexuality identity (LGBTQ+), parent-child conflict and connection disparities, domestic violence-related trauma, and immigration and acculturation issues. I possess experience working with a wide variety of individuals but I specialize in working with individuals in these categories.

“All art should inspire and evoke emotion.
Art should be something you can actually feel.”

― Chris DeRubeis

Personal Background

Before I went to college to study fine art, I knew that I had a passion for drawing, painting, creative writing, acting, and helping others. I was very good at all these things. During my first six months of college, I came across the Creative Arts Therapy Club on campus. Concurrently, I found out that it was possible for me to minor in psychology. At this point, my curiosity regarding the techniques my high school therapist had successfully applied in my therapeutic care came flooding back. All my prior life experiences, including childhood domestic violence trauma, had brought me to that point.

I knew then that I would become an Art Therapist. Art can be a guiding hand to help us do this. I felt compelled to use the fusion of passions and experiences to help others find out more about their inner world and why it was the way that it was. Why are we the way we are? Why do we do what we do? To become the best version of ourselves, we must be willing to face ourselves.

Specialization Details

All of us here at START address the mental health areas of stress, trauma, and anxiety in our practice. We apply these three topics to unique, specific challenges that our clients are going through. I also offer specialized treatment in the following areas:

Child and Adolescent

The integration of art, creative writing (poetry, song lyrics, short stories), and acting/role-playing techniques can provide a welcoming and non-intimidating space for communication and expression. At the heart, all children and adolescents want to feel truly heard and safe. CBT, DBT, and Motivational Interviewing techniques are especially helpful for positive reframing and communication building between children and adolescents, their guardians, and their support systems. Victor has five years of professional experience working with children and adolescents.

LGBTQ+ and Faith 

The integration of art, creative writing (poetry, song lyrics, short stories) and acting/role playing techniques can provide avenues of exploration of difficult topics pertaining to the convergence of faith and sexuality identity. It is important to find internal congruence that enables one to live authentically. It is helpful to explore issues regarding self-acceptance and how this relates to one’s self-esteem, spiritual confidence, and social and family ties using Mindfulness, DBT, and Family Therapy derived techniques. Victor has three years of professional experience working with these individuals, in addition to personal lived experience identifying as LGBTQ+ and as a Christian.

Domestic Violence

The integration of art, creative writing (poetry, song lyrics, short stories) and acting/role playing techniques can provide avenues of safe exploration for difficult traumatic experiences and the client’s shifting role(s) resulting from these experiences. Using trauma-informed CBT and DBT techniques in conjunction with Solution-Focused tactics, trauma is carefully addressed through creation of narrative, helping to process and identify the roots of current harmful emotional and behavioral patterns. The Cycle of Violence and The Cycle of Abuse models serve as foundational references. Victor has four years of professional experience working with these individuals, in addition to personal lived experience as a domestic violence overcomer.

Immigration and Acculturation

The integration of art, creative writing (poetry, song lyrics, short stories) and acting/role playing techniques can provide ways to express the intricate experiences lived by individuals who are immigrants and are in the process of acculturation. Immigration and acculturation necessitate an ongoing journey of scaffolding tools, resources, and coping skills. On this journey, it is helpful to use CBT, DBT, and Mindfulness to process delicate issues related to travel trauma, loss of family members, legal challenges, intergenerational trauma, and more. Victor has five years of professional experience working with these individuals. He also possesses personal lived experience as a multi-lingual immigrant and work experience as an immigration court interpreter and vital immigration documents translator. Se habla español.