What People Are Saying
“Let me start by saying that Christine is an amazing human being. Going to therapy is a fairly daunting task, or at least it was for me. Not knowing who I was about to open up to and reimagine the darkest points of my life with was scary. However, Christine welcomed me with open arms and created a safe space for me to not only share my traumas but also experience post-traumatic growth—a concept I never thought I would be able to achieve. Above all, she is incredibly passionate about helping people grow into the best versions of themselves. I am so grateful to have found Christine!”
— SARA S.
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Christine’s mindfulness workshop was extremely eye opening, empowering, and life changing. They should really teach this stuff in school!
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— SANDRA L.
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I let anxiety take over my life for too long. Now I have the strength to control my emotions.
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— VICTORIA G.
“ No one was more engaging with our residents and staff than Christine Velasquez. While she was firm with her boundaries, she listened, joked, exercised and played with the residents [...] Being bilingual in Spanish, she connected well with the Spanish speaking residents, which made up 60% of our population. She was also there to advise me and my staff as to how to approach and attempt to resolve situations we had never encountered. Christine's enthusiasm and mental health counseling of our residents and staff made the final twenty one days of the shelter bearable, as we were under quarantine.”
— Ricardo A. Davis,
Disaster Worker and Director of North Hills Community Park
My Journey
I myself lost over 120lbs…
Whether you’re looking to lose weight or something more abstract like self-doubt, I believe I can help.
Underlying my issues with weight were knots of emotions and experiences that weighed me down more than gravity itself.
I know what it’s like to struggle with emotional, physical, and relational problems. And as we all cope with the added burden of COVID, I want to share the tools I have learned to help others heal, more then ever!
Your journey starts by choosing the best therapist, mentor, or life coach for you!
Ms. Velasquez received her Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Southern California and her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW 61047) and is certified in 8 evidence practices, as well as actively working to get certified in EMDR. She has over 15 years of experience treating a wide range of emotional, professional, and interpersonal imbalances. Outside her private practice, Ms. Velasquez actively works as a crisis responder in Los Angeles County and as a psychiatric social worker in community mental health.
Most things only seemed to touch the surface until I developed a Mindfulness Practice
My name is Christine Velasquez and I am a licensed clinical social worker with over 15 years experience in the mental health and life coaching field. But most importantly, I know first hand what it feels like to battle with anxiety, depression, or general feelings of being lost, numb, or even hopeless.
I am intimately familiar with how emotional imbalances and past traumatic experiences can be held in the body and can cause various issues, from relational concerns to physical ailments like headaches, insomnia, or weight problems.
The interconnectedness of things sometimes makes it difficult to figuring out where or how to start, but I can help.
If you think you might benefit from working with someone who can relate and model how to thrive despite trauma or emotional imbalances—someone who can sincerely empathize and has an intrinsic desire to see you heal and transform your challenges into growth—you’ve come to the right place!
“It takes tremendous energy to keep functioning while carrying the memory of terror, [or] the shame of utter weakness and vulnerability”
Stress and trauma can manifest themselves in many ways—physically, behaviorally, mentally, or spiritually. It can even manifest itself socially, through unhealthy relational patterns or problems in communication. All of these aspects of ourselves and our lives are thoroughly interconnected—each of them, capable of nourishing or depleting us. Therefore, it makes sense that being unwell in any one of these areas can negatively affect us in other areas of our lives.
Underlying my weight issue was an array of adverse childhood experiences compounded by unhealthy—conscious and unconscious—choices I was making as an adult.
As a youth and young adult, my search to find ways to fix or change myself were often scattered and short lived, peppered with attempts to just escape, and nothing ever really seemed to last or get rid of the gnawing sense that something was wrong or something was missing—until I discovered mindfulness.
Most things only seemed to touch the surface (including my academic and spiritual work) until I developed a Mindfulness Practice that slowly penetrated the complex interwoven knots that were my mind, spirit, and body! Though mindfulness itself is not a religion, it has helped me and my clients learn practical ways to be present and recognize the peace and metaphysical paradigm that surrounds us daily.
Just talking and insight isn’t always enough!!
With the help of somatic therapeutic interventions like mindfulness and EMDR things will begin to click! Trauma is often stored in the body in non-verbal ways. My extensive training in cognitive and somatic modalities helps treat, heal, and integrate all these aspects (verbal and non-verbal) in order to provide significant and resilient mind and body healing.
“We will all struggle and fall. We will all know what it means to be both brave and broken hearted.”
If you would like to cultivate more peace and joy in your life, and learn to navigate life’s challenges with more grace, clarity, and purpose, contact me for real help.
With Love,
Christine
Motivation comes from within — and I’m here to help you activate it.
Chat with me
First consultation is free!