Hi. I’m Vanessa Pezo. A licensed trauma therapist based in Long Beach, CA. I love my city, and I love this field of work. I believe that one of the biggest factors in healing comes from having a safe, nurturing, and compassionate relationship with someone who can bear witness to your pain, and help you to relieve it. Our healing relationship is always my greatest priority. You will find that I am a warm and caring therapist who will act as a guide as we discover the path to your healing. We will walk this sacred path together.
I view mental health through a trauma and social justice informed lens. I don’t believe in focusing on a cluster of symptoms as evidence that there is something wrong with you. I believe in looking at the root causes of your distress, and providing a warm and loving container where we can explore how those root experiences shape the distress or pain you feel today. At the roots we may find childhood trauma or other adverse experiences. We will also recognize the impact of some of the societal forces at play as well. Things like racism, sexism, homophobia, and other types of oppression also play a part in our suffering, and cannot be ignored. This is healing work. This is self-actualizing work.
My perspective on mental health comes from my education and training. I hold a master’s degree in social work from Cal State Long Beach, and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies- Sociology from UC San Diego. I am trained in a variety of treatments for trauma, and you can read more about them here. But at the end of the day I am a person sitting with another person trying to help them get free. I look forward to working with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
