My name is Sadie Hernández
she/her/hers
I am a second generation Mexican American that grew up in Santa Ana, California. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of California, Riverside and eventually went on to receive my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Hope International University.
While receiving my Master’s, I trained at The LBGTQ Center OC where I received specialized experience with LGBTQ+ affirming care, including but not limited to, letter writing for HRT and gender-affirming surgeries, trauma-informed care, exploration of sexuality and gender, non-monogamy and couples work, and neurodivergent affirming care.
In my time since, I have continued to commit my practice to working with BIPOC folks, the LGBTQ+ community, neurodivergent folks, and couples navigating changes in their relationship. I pride myself in working with these individuals and couples who often times aren’t able to find therapists that hold similar identities and lived experiences. It is a privilege to do this work.
my values & approach
I reject the idea that having mental health issues is a sign of individualistic shortcomings. Mental Illness is not a moral failing and I do not treat it as such. I believe that often, our mental health struggles come from living in a culture that is not only unconducive to mental wellbeing, but actively harms our ability to connect to our community, heal our trauma, and make values-based decisions. Issues pertaining to varying parts of our identity, like sexual orientation, gender, race, class, (dis)abilities, religion, etc. and how society interacts with these intersecting identities can further exacerbate mental health issues and worsen pre-existing symptoms.
My approach to therapy integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS), psychodynamic, relational-cultural, EMDR, feminist therapy, and somatic-experiencing. I believe healing happens both in the body and in the mind and I focus on building safety, understanding, and self-compassion.
We don’t actually heal or “get rid" of” our pain, trauma, or grief. Instead, we build a capacity to coexist with it in a way where presence, safety, and joy can also take place.
- Lexy Florentina