INDIVIDUAL
THERAPY
We are person-centered and truly cater to individual needs through several types of therapy practices.
working through things alone is hard
If these statements resonate, we might be the right practice for you:
• You often think about things that happened in the past.
• You have not felt that your culture was affirmed or considered in past therapeutic relationships.
• You have a difficult time asking for what you need in your relationships.
• You have a difficult time accepting help from others.
• You have had a complicated relationship with your body.
• The relationship with your family can be overwhelming at times but is hard to imagine how it could be different.
• You have been told that you are “too sensitive” by others.
• You have a hard time identifying what you are feeling and what to do with your emotions.
• You are afraid to “feel your emotions” because you feel that you will be angry, cry, or be out of control.
• You do not feel good about your body and have tried several diets and workout programs.
• You are often the “problem solver” or “mediator” in your family.
• You feel like you cannot be your authentic self around others.
• You have studied or worked in mainstream agencies, schools, or programs that were toxic.
Our approach includes:
• Trauma-informed and person-centered
• Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Somatic Experiencing
• EMDR
If we do not provide the services that you are looking for, we can help you find therapists with similar areas of practice.
FRIENDLY APPROACH PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Our values include a culturally-centered and anti-oppressive, collaborative, and relational approach to healing-informed and empowerment based-care for psychological trauma. We draw from cultural resiliency and uplift traditional healing and collective cultural wisdom.
We strongly believe in providing affirmative care to anyone that engages with our practice. We also believe we must attend to the sensory experience of folks in order to create an environment of physical, mental, and emotional safety. We do not use any exposure or behavioral interventions for behavior modification with Autistic folxs (or any intervention that is focused on reducing/minimizing autistic “features” or neurodivergence). These include behavioral strategies such as graded exposure, flooding, and systematic desensitization which have been demonstrated to be harmful for Autistic and other neurodivergent folxs.
MEET THE TEAM
Co-Founder Director of Operation & Financials Licensed Psychologist
Josephine Vasquez Serrata is a Licensed Psychologist and Co-Founder of Prickly Pear. She also acts as Director of Operations & Financials for the facility. She shares sincerely, “I want to be here for you. I know the difficulty in choosing someone to trust to collaboratively guide you through difficult times. In order to better help you make your decision, I am a clinical and community psychologist, which means I have dual roles as a psychologist that I integrate within my practice. As a clinical psychologist, I employ skills of understanding difficulties and ways to intervene. On the other hand, as a community psychologist, I am able to better merge my understanding of self-empowerment, cultural/contextual knowledge, and strength-based work into the healing process.” Serrata brings with her multiple identities of her own as a professional, mother, partner, Tia (aunt), sister, daughter, and community member. As a bi-cultural and bilingual Latina, she also provides assessments and evaluations and specializes in working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and identities. With over a decade of work in the area of trauma with survivors and as a scientific contributor, she values therapeutic relationships and strives to create a compassionate and warm holding space to actively work with her clients in finding solutions and building insight. Dr. Serrata is not currently taking new therapy clients.
Co-Founder
Director of Clinical Services & Networking
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed Psychologist, Co-Founder of Prickly Pear, and Director of Clinical Services and Networking, Gabriela Hurtado Alvarado specializes in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, and suicidality. She shares, “When we experience intense emotions that result from life stress, transitions, or past experiences, it can be difficult to find or feel hope. You don’t have to do this alone though. I work alongside my clients in order to re-connect them to their strengths and to build a strong positive relationship with themselves.” Dr. Hurtado believes that the journey to healing is a unique experience for each person who experiences it and that understanding the story of her clients and how they view the world around them is vital to her ability to treat them. “I work with my clients to create a safe space where they can better express and understand themselves in order to create a fulfilling life.” Dr. Hurtado is able to provide services in English and Spanish and is committed to providing treatments and assessments to individuals with diverse identities.
For an assessment, you can schedule a free 20 minute consultation with Dr. Gaby Hurtado using this link: https://calendar.app.google/gyEHipLEAiTauniMA
Clinical Therapist
Felicia is an Austin born Chicana who entered this field with the belief that providing a non-judgmental and culturally affirming safe space to explore feelings, thoughts and experiences is the start to the journey we call growth. Felicia is passionate about working with individuals, couples and families from diverse backgrounds and identities, especially the Latinx/Chicanx and Black communities. She has over a decade of experience working with those experiencing acute trauma and childhood adversity in the foster care system. Felicia feels honored to walk alongside her clients through challenging times and to celebrate triumphs as they navigate life.
Felicia is accepting in-person, hybrid or virtual sessions. She is also offering sessions in Spanish. Book a free 20 minute consultation with Felicia using this link:
https://calendar.app.google/CB5QLaFnie2Z47836
Clinical Intake Coordinator
Rasley Easley is a Clinical Intake Coordinator and joined Prickly Pear Therapy in 2018. Easley works alongside Drs. Serrata and Hurtado to provide all client services, screenings, intakes, and other administrative tasks. Easley shares, “I value the human need for connection and fostering an environment that promotes safety for individuals with diverse identities. I have years of experience working with psychoeducation, trauma, the importance of cultural considerations and identities, as well as low SES children and families." Rasley is currently seeing clients at her own practice, Living in Color Counseling, but continues to value working with and supporting the intake process here at Prickly Pear Therapy.
Clinical Therapist
Hanna Garza, LPC-Associate, is a clinical therapist that utilizes a Somatic approach and values connection, creativity, and collaboration in the therapy space. As a bilingual/bicultural Latina therapist, Hanna is dedicated to supporting members of the community that want to commit to healing in an affirming space. She emphasizes the mind-body-spirit connection and is committed to creating a safe space through a trauma-informed and culturally-competent approach. Her approach emphasizes you as the expert on your life story, and together, you will find ways to tap into your personal power. She values spirituality, gratitude, connection, learning, creativity, and humor in both her personal and professional life, and incorporates grounding exercises and practices such as meditation and breathwork into her sessions. With spirituality as a core value, she believes that incorporating a spiritual component in your practice can aid in breaking generational cycles and patterns. With her empathetic and collaborative approach, she strives to create an environment where you can feel comfortable exploring and processing your emotions.
Licensed Psychotherapist
Social Media Team Member
Community Partner
Danisha is a New York & Texas Licensed Psychotherapist and Consultant in racial equity and mental health. She has experience working with individuals, couples and families who are struggling with various mental health concerns in private practice and community mental health settings. Danisha is extremely passionate about helping others through their healing, especially those in the Black and Latinx community. Her goal is to foster spaces to make for collective healing of racism and white-supremacy. As a child of Dominican & Cuban immigrants and in her clinical work, Danisha comprehends the challenges of adapting to new environments and the importance of cultural values.
Clinical Therapist
Sonia is a bilingual/bicultural Mexican immigrant and Austin-based psychotherapist. The best part of her workday is listening to peoples’ life stories! Sonia feels incredibly lucky to be in a profession where she gets to know peoples’ lives, fears, hardships, etc. As a therapist, it is Sonia's responsibility to provide a safe space free of judgement. Sonia works hard to continue her own growth as an individual and as a therapist in order to provide her patients with the best care.
For the past eight years, before she joining Prickly Pear Therapy, Sonia worked in various mental health settings. This includes a residential treatment facility, child advocacy center, juvenile justice center and a school setting. She likes using an integrative approach to therapy to create the best care for her clients. Outside of her work life she makes it a point to engage in some “me time”. She is currently learning Arabic and enjoys dancing.
SCHEDULE
A CONSULTATION
Are you interested in learning more about therapy but you’re feeling too nervous or anxious to seek help? We are here for you at your own pace and convenience. By filling out our form to request a consultation below, there are absolutely no requirements or commitments- your healing journey is just a conversation away with Prickly Pear.
