Bilingual English & Spanish Therapist for First-Generation Adults in California
I help first-generation teens and adults untangle anxiety, burnout, and people-pleasing so their choices finally come from them, not from guilt, fear, or the pressure to hold everything together.
you may be experiencing…
Racing thoughts, overwhelm, and mental overload
Guilt when prioritizing yourself or setting boundaries
Anxiety and relationship stress born from past hurts
Trauma reminders that surface in daily life
Feeling responsible for other people’s emotions
Burnout from constantly being the strong one
Fear of disappointing people while quietly resenting how much you carry
Emotional patterns you understand logically but still struggle to change
Balancing independence with family/cultural expectations
Hi, I’m Heidy
I'm a bilingual (English/Spanish) Associate MFT and First-Generation Latina raised in a Guatemalan immigrant household in Los Angeles. I know what it's like to love your family and still feel trapped by their expectations — to carry more than your share and have no one notice. My clients don't have to spend the first session explaining their world to me. I already get it.
My approach is warm and direct. I don't do toxic positivity or surface-level coping. We go underneath.
You won't have to over-explain your cultural background or family dynamics
We go deeper than coping strategies; we look at where your patterns actually come from
I adapt to your pace, your goals, and what matters most to you
THERAPY THAT FEELS LIKE YOU
WHO I WORK WITH
You're probably not here because everything fell apart. You're here because you're tired of holding it all together.
My clients are often high-functioning on the outside and exhausted on the inside. If that's you, you're in the right place.
-
You may find yourself constantly replaying conversations, anticipating worst-case scenarios, or struggling to slow down your thoughts even when you’re exhausted. You don't have to keep white-knuckling through the day.
Learn More -
You may struggle to prioritize yourself without guilt, fear disappointing others, or feel responsible for keeping relationships emotionally stable. You can stop shrinking yourself to keep everyone else comfortable.
-
Relationships can bring up fear of rejection, emotional overwhelm, avoidance, conflict, or difficulty expressing needs. Therapy can help you better understand the emotional patterns and protective strategies shaping the way you connect with others.
Learn More -
Chronic stress, numbness, and feeling distanced from your own life can wear you down. Therapy offers practical tools to regulate your nervous system, reconnect with what matters, and allows you to want more than just getting through the day.
Learn More
-
You’re balancing family, culture, and your own growing sense of self. Pressure from generations and cultural expectations can feel heavy. In sessions, you can slow down, name what you're carrying, and figure out what you actually want — not just what your family needs from you.
-
Feeling lost or unsure about your identity and purpose is more common than we think. In sessions, we’ll explore who you are, what you value, and how to live in a way that honors your unique story while building a clear path forward.
-
If you’ve learned to push emotions aside or keep things at arm’s length, you’re not alone. Together we can foster a sturdy, respectful space to explore feelings, reduce avoidance, and learn how to share your humanity with confidence.
Most of my clients already know a lot about themselves. They can name the pattern, trace it back, explain it clearly, and still not be able to change it. That gap between understanding something and actually feeling different is where we work.
Using psychodynamic, somatic, and relational approaches, we don't just talk about what's happening; we get underneath it. We look at where your patterns came from, what they were protecting you from, and what it would feel like to relate to yourself differently.
This isn't about fixing you. It's about helping you understand yourself well enough that your choices start coming from you, not from fear, guilt, or habit.
How I Approach Therapy
What happened to you shaped how you move through the world. We look at that not to relive it, but to understand it and loosen its grip.
How you relate to others tells us a lot about how you relate to yourself. We use that as a map.
The part of you that people-pleases, the part that shuts down, the part that's exhausted — they're all trying to protect you. We get curious about them instead of fighting them.
Stress and pain don't just live in your thoughts — they live in your body. We pay attention to that too.
We slow down enough to notice what's actually happening inside — not to judge it, just to understand it.
Your culture, your family, your history — these aren't side notes. They're central to who you are and how we work together.
What fellow clinicians say
-
Kelsey Griffith, M.A, AMFT
While Heidy is highly skilled across the lifespan, she truly excels with children and adolescents. She has a natural gift for rapport-building, consistently meeting younger clients right where they are developmentally.
-
Alyssa Habschmidt, M.A, AMFT
Heidy has such a gift for meeting people where they are and creating genuine, intuitive connections. Her kindness and authenticity bring depth and warmth. I would gladly recommend her to anyone seeking compassionate, supportive, and attuned care!
-
Heather Butterfield, M.A, AMFT
Heidy is a compassionate, direct, trauma-informed therapist who puts you at ease with her humor and presence. Her work with kids and families gives her deep insight into the complexity of relationships and human connection. I wholeheartedly recommend her!
-
Jason Murphy, LMFT
Heidy has a quiet calm about her approach to working with clients. She brings youthful exuberance to supporting clients while also demonstrating depth of knowledge and skill.
Questions About
Starting Therapy
FAQ
It’s normal to have questions before starting therapy. Here are some common questions I receive.
-
Yes. I offer a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your needs and determine whether we may be a good fit.
-
Yes, I currently accept:
Kaiser SoCal/NoCal
Cigna and Evernorth
Optum
UnitedHealthcare
Managed Health Networks
Oscar
TRICARE
Carelon Behavioral Health
Reimbursement rates vary depending on your specific plan and benefits.
I recommend contacting your insurance provider directly to ask about:
out-of-network mental health benefits
reimbursement rates
deductible requirements
session coverage and copays
-
Individual sessions are $175 for a 50-minute session. Couple sessions are $200 for a 50-minute session.
-
A few reasons people choose private pay even with insurance: When you use insurance, a diagnosis must be placed on your record, which can affect future coverage, life insurance, and employment in certain fields. Private pay means complete confidentiality between you and your therapist, with no third-party involvement in your care. It also means I set the treatment plan based on what you need, not what your insurance approves. For many clients, that freedom is worth the investment.
-
If I am considered an out-of-network provider for your insurance plan, I can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
A superbill is a detailed receipt that includes the service code, diagnosis, and my license information. You can submit it directly to your insurance company to request reimbursement. If you have a PPO plan, many clients recover between 40–80% of session costs. I can provide one at the end of each month upon request. I'd recommend calling your insurance first to ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits before we begin. -
Yes. I offer both virtual and in-person therapy sessions in California, and we can discuss which option may feel like the best fit for your needs and schedule.
-
The first session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other, explore what brings you to therapy, and discuss your goals, concerns, and what support may look like moving forward.
-
Finding the right therapeutic fit matters. We can briefly discuss what you’re looking for in therapy, any questions you may have, and whether my approach feels aligned with your needs.
