I'm a Latina therapist and writer who loves to talk about mental health & wellness, personal development, and writing & storytelling. Subscribe to my newsletter to be a part of my mental health corner.
I sincerely hope you all as trauma therapists are nourishing yourself during these times of uncertainty and stress. This is the official EMDR with Sofia Newsletter. I'm hoping to send out monthly updates to my EMDR listserv about upcoming services, opportunities, and resources to share.
Updates:
I'm super close to submitting my documentation for approved EMDR consultant. I'm shooting for the end of this year. I've been a consultant-in-training for the last year where I've led specialty consultation groups centering the BIPOC experience. It's been the honor of a lifetime to walk this EMDR certification and consultation path with other BIPOC therapists where there is mutual respect and honoring of each others' expertise. We learn so much from each other. Each month, I have a topic on standby in case consultees don't have a specific case to discuss. I've also added so much more experience as I accrue my EMDR hours. See below for a list of specialties and topics of interest.
My Specialties and Topics of Interest include:
Incorporating other EBPs into EMDR (ACT, DBT, CBT)
Complex Trauma
Community Violence
Acute Stress / Recent Traumatic Experiences
Immigration related fears
EMDR with children
Childhood abuse and neglect
Domestic Violence
First Generation Experience
High achieving BIPOC and Women of Color
Burnout
Maternal Mental Health - Birth trauma, infant/pregnancy loss, etc
Polyvagal Theory
Resourcing Alternatives
Mindfulness in EMDR
Parts work
Foster Care and Adoption related wounds
EMDR Intensive Sessions
Next EMDR Consultation Group
Monday, Aug 4, 2025 at 12PM PST.
Cost: $50
Intervention Spotlight: ASSYST protocol for acute stress stabilization for individuals or groups (read more below in Breathing Room Group Image)
I'm sharing a kids coloring book I created to help them brainstorm their "special" place. I call it special place, because not everyone resonates with "safe" place. And even though this is a "child" resource, I have used this many times with adults. It can be a GREAT way to create a special place or a resource for their wounded inner child or a one of their younger parts. I also have worksheets on Circle of Protection (a Laurell Parnell intervention I really like and use a lot in attachment trauma). Check it out!
A Kids Coloring Book where they can dream up and imagine special, peaceful and fun places.
In June, 4 days after the first ICE raids in Los Angeles, I put together this webinar for therapists where I share an intersectional DBT approach to working with folks with immigration, deportation and removal fears. I also share the butterfly hug with 5 Spanish Dichos / affirmations on imperpermanence and that can offer hope during this distress to people. A portion of the sales get donated to an immigrant rights / support organization. June org was Chirla. July org will be Orale Long Beach.
It's a self-paced on-demand course with the recording, all worksheets and slides shared.
I wanted to share that I ran this group this week at the community mental health clinic I work for. It was a powerful group. I used the ASSYST (Acute Stress Syndrome Stabilization) Protocol. About 10 people participated and they all had a significant SUD reduction by the end of the group. I share this with you because it's a powerful intervention to that can help us help so many people at once. I'll be talking more about this experience in my next EMDR Consultation group on Aug 4.
Stay tuned because I'll be offering it again for the community and for providers.
Lastly,
Colegas, I hope that you're taking care of yourself. Personally, I'm grounding with art - plays, music, drawing, netflix (yes - tv, movies and shows are art and I stand by it!), and sleep. My therapist and I agreed that the single best thing I can do right now is sleep. Also movement, so walking has been the most consistent activity to help complete the stress cycle.
Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or want to share any EMDR resources you offer or have been helpful to you. I would love to spotlight fellow colleagues who are a part of my vast network of helpers.
I'm a Latina therapist and writer who loves to talk about mental health & wellness, personal development, and writing & storytelling. Subscribe to my newsletter to be a part of my mental health corner.
So many of us are sitting with clients who carry racism in their bodies. There's the client who stopped sleeping after the raids started in her neighborhood. There's the one who smiles through every meeting at work and then comes to session unable to say why he's so tired. Or like my neighbor's compadre, the one who is undocumented and is no longer able to do meet ups for pizza in the neighborhood -- for fear that he might get deported. Most of our training never gave us language for this,...
Hello Summer, Hello Sunshine! I'm super excited to share with you all the book cover for our book. Stand Up, Speak Up and Heal: Overcome Race-Based Traumatic Stress, Self-Advocate and Stay Grounded is a book written by three women of color, myself Sofia Mendoza, LCSW, Dr. Lisa Bolden @drlisabolden and Dr. Lizbeth Gaona, LCSW @drlizbethgaona. Together, we anchored onto the liberation and DBT and somatic practices that have helped guide us in our work with helping BIPOC clients heal from...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I hope that you're tending to your mental health in the best way. I've been tending to my mental health by getting massages! May has been busy with events, talks, and project deadlines for me. Which means that I've been on the computer A LOT. I have so much tension in my neck and shoulders... and even in my calves and thighs. Pretty much everywhere. Yesterday I had my 3rd weekly massage and many parts of it were painful and other parts totally...
