We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Viridiana Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Viridiana, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I didn’t consider myself a risk taker until recently. I tend to keep it safe with every area of my life by staying in my comfort zone. It takes a lot of courage to take risks because that means I will be facing my fears along the way. The biggest risk I have taken so far was in July of 2022 with becoming a private practice owner. I had worked for three different school districts for 10 years as a mental health provider. My mission was to be a safe person on a school campus for students who were struggling with their mental health. I had provided ongoing support for 10 years as a school social worker. I quickly realized I was outgrowing my position and my part-time private practice was giving me more of a purpose in my life. I took the risk as a first generation Latina to take a leap of faith and bet on myself as an entrepreneur and created Amar Therapy.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a Mexican-American Latina raised in Anaheim,CA. I received my AA in Sociology from Fullerton Community College and my Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). I completed three different internships during my undergrad in which I appreciate the exposure I had. During that last internship at Child Abuse Services Team (CAST) I was inspired to continue my education with pursing my Master’s of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Southern California (USC). CAST was an essential part of my journey, I was exposed to children and adolescents coming in to tell their story of being sexually abused. Being part of their journey during the process as a CAST member was such an honor. I was exposed to seeing the role of the therapist during this investigation process giving hope and strength to their client was something I wanted to do as well. I then applied for two graduate programs and made it into USC however I had no idea what I was actually doing as a first generation Latina. As many first gens we figure it out along the way.

I’m currently CEO of Amar Therapy, A Licensed Clinical Social Worker Professional Corporation my own private practice.
Amar means “to love” in Spanish. I wanted a word that represented my culture but also it’s one of the many reasons why individuals come to therapy because of love. In therapy we learn to love ourselves more, to break free from the unlovable core beliefs we learned in childhood, to question what is love and to believe we are lovable.

I provide individual therapy services to adults who are experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety due to past trauma. I’m trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
I’m also a reiki practitioner. It’s an energy healing technique that promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety through gentle touch. It’s a hand on or off that delivers energy to your body, improving the flow and balance of your energy to support healing. It’s important to get curious and learn different healing modalities to your journey. We are not one size fits all so explore what works for you. It’s important to take an active role in your mental health.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the traditional saying in the Latinx culture of “calladita te ves más bonita” meaning I look the prettiest when I don’t speak. I had to unlearn this phase since it was a statement I was raised with and subconsciously has impacted me. I had to learn that my voice matters and I can speak my truth. It’s okay to speak up even if our voice is shaking and as a Latina woman our opinions are important!

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

As a therapist the most important training is having your own therapy! It’s important to experience how it feels to be on the other side of the couch. To work through our own distressing experiences and childhood memories is essential. Apart from any evidence based practices and training, having your own therapy is important in the field of being a therapist.

Contact Info:

• Website: amartherapy.com
• Instagram:@amartherapy
• Facebook: Amar Therapy

Image Credits
Carolyn Gabrielle