Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ivet Castañeda Ruiz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ivet, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
That’s a great question! Which I have to say being a daughter of immigrants and a first generation Mexican-American has shaped my work ethic. However, I have to give credit to my parents because they taught me and modeled for me at a very young age the importance of setting goals and having outstanding work ethic, in order to help you obtain what you desire out of your life. My parents have truly always been my motivation, my reason and my purpose. Also, my parents are truly the hardest working individuals with an amazing work ethic that I personally know, and thanks to them I too have developed a great work ethic. Both my parents taught me the importance of setting measurable goals as well as the importance of being dedicated, focused, determined and being willing to sacrifice and work hard for what I desire. Gracias Mami Y Papi por inculcarme esos valores, fortaleza, y sabiduría de que TODO lo és possible si realmente lo anhelo.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Yes of course! First of all, Hola! and thank you so much for giving me this space to introduce myself and for this interview opportunity. My name is Ivet Castañeda Ruiz, and I am a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
So here is a little bit about myself to better understand who I am and what my background is. First of all, I am a first generation Mexican-American, daughter of immigrants with a Masters degree in Science with an emphasis in Counseling Psychology in Marital and Family Therapy.
I have been a practicing therapist in the state of California for about 9 years. In March of 2020 I decided to take a leap of faith and embark on my solo journey by opening my own private practice. The timing of this was very interesting, because I received my office keys and decided to publicly announce my business to my community on March 1st of 2020. Little did I know at that time that days after we all would be facing a world shut down. For many of us the year 2020 was not easy and consisted of many unforeseen events. However, I attempted to remain hopeful and really worked through my own personal challenges in order to remain focused on my main purpose and reason for starting my own private practice, which was to provide mental health services/support in my community. The year 2020 and COVID really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and provide treatment to my clients in a different way than what I had been accustomed to. At that moment in time I had barely had 5 years into my career and had only provided in person treatment to my clients. However, the COVID restrictions forced me to challenge myself by providing treatment to my clients virtually through Telehealth. Being challenged to provide treatment in a different way than what I had been accustomed to has really opened the doors for me by being able to reach more individuals who are seeking treatment. Thanks to that unexpected push I am now able to meet with clients who reside in the state of California and Florida for virtual telehealth treatment.
Also, I would like to share that throughout the course of my career I have gained an amplitude of experience working with adolescents, individuals, couples and families. I am trained in the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and in Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT). Lastly, I am committed to establishing a safe, comfortable, and non-judgmental atmosphere for my clients. My longing as a therapist is to instill hope, acceptance, confidence, authenticity, empowerment and self-love to ALL my clients.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I would have to say that as cliche as it may sound, really reach for the stars! ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is possible if YOU really want it. Yes, that may possibly consist of many fears, self doubt, and tons of sacrifices, but just remember the future you will thank you and will be so proud of your consistency, dedication, and most importantly your commitment to yourself. I would personally have to say that working through your own blockages, being open and receptive to feedback, and working on setting realistic and measurable goals are key things that helped me personally with obtaining my Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and now with being a First-Generation Chicana business owner.
My piece of advice for anyone who may be early in their journey is to remain focused on YOUR path, not your siblings, friends etc. just focus on YOUR strengths, YOUR goals, YOUR vision, YOUR dreams. As the sayings go “Using someone else’s ruler to measure your self-worth will always leave you short” and ” Don’t measure your success with someone else’s ruler”. Stay focused, committed and learn to sit with all the feelings that may come your way during your journey. Also, create a support system, whether that be family, friends or finding your own personal therapist to help you process your emotions as you embark on your journey. Remember we all started somewhere so don’t be afraid to ask for help, you will be surprised how many people are out there that are more than willing to mentor you. Lastly, learn to be gentle and patient with yourself. YOU GOT THIS!!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I would have to say that the most impactful thing my parents did was leave everything and everyone they knew in Mexico behind, in hopes for a better future. As many other immigrants my parents left their careers, friends and family in hopes of being able to create a better future for themselves and their children. Despite my mother being a college graduate in Mexico and having a career as a school teacher she and my father both made a selfless commitment to leave their families, friends and careers behind in hopes of being able to provide a better future for their children. My parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States in the 80s shortly after they married. Despite my parents being in a foreign country and English being their second language, as well as facing many struggles themselves they never stopped working on their own personal goals of becoming business owners, homeowners and being able to provide a higher education for their children. In my eyes my parents truly are the ultimate definition of hard workers, because they not only worked on breaking their own generational cycles before having my 3 sisters and I, but they also worked extremely hard with reaching their “American Dream” of becoming business owners, owning multiple homes and being able to provide higher education for my 3 sisters and I. When I think of my parents’ selfless decisions of leaving their family, friends, and careers behind to start from zero in a foreign country, it really humbles me and reminds me that anything we set our minds to can be accomplished. Even if that means that we are starting from zero, remember that we are paving the way little by little. Therefore, work hard and dream BIG! I am forever grateful for my parents. Thank you mom and dad for teaching me the importance of believing in myself and having a great work ethic, Los Amo y Gracias por tanto! Remember, Si Se Puede!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://selflovecounseling.clientsecure.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selflovecounseling/ @selflovecounseling
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivet-c-66679b121/
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@selflovecounseling
Image Credits
Not applicable, took the pictures myself with my phone.
