Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lluliana Flores. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Lluliana , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resiliency is a result of many factors. First and foremost, my parents have been an example of resiliency. I grew up witnessing how they overcame many challenging situations and hearing stories about the challenges in their home country, El Salvador. Growing up they worked a lot during the week, and on the weekends they would make time for family gatherings, sharing delicious meals, and stories about their childhood and how they survived the civil war. Hearing these stories allowed me to self-reflect on the opportunities available to me. Additionally, growing up as a first generation American, of low economic status presented many challenges. It was from a young age that I had to grow in my resiliency. As a child what aided me was my father emphasizing the importance of education and making it a priority. My mother emphasized the importance of being connected and being proud of our culture.
Further, as a Latina in the U.S. I constantly heard negative stereotypes regarding women, Latinx, and low income individuals. I’ve experienced hearing comments about “people like me” that weren’t positive, such as I would not graduate high school, I’d fail out of college, or that I would not be successful as a business owner due to my sensitivity. These negative narratives lit a fire in my determination to prove them wrong, to be the voice of those who do not have one, and to create my own narrative. Somehow, this led to the development of resiliency and pushed me to overcome any challenge that was thrown my way. I do recognize there have been times when I have made mistakes or missed an opportunity out of fear, but it helped me grow and learn to take risks on myself.
Resilience also comes not only from the relationships I have with others but also through seeking a more personal spiritual journey. I remember being 15 years old when I heard that an almighty being had created me to his perfection and loved me unconditionally. This allowed me to trust that when faced with challenges, I was taken care of and had the strength to overcome anything. As I’ve gotten older, I continue to see myself as a spiritual person and believe that the creator, and the universe continue to watch over me. One way is by crossing my path with individuals that have been supportive. I am grateful for the teachers that believed in me and encouraged me to apply for clubs and programs that helped students attend college. I am thankful for the friends that have venting sessions and deep discussions with me on various subjects. I am thankful for the professors and mentors I’ve had that encouraged me to take risks and continue trying when I felt I was not going to figure it out.
Lastly, I believe resiliency is a result of being able to embrace change and the discomfort that comes with it. If history has taught us anything, it is that humans have an innate ability to adapt and overcome various situations. Trust in yourself. Trust that your support system will be there to support you, by empowering you and reminding you of your strengths.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a bilingual Latina, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and owner of Flores Therapy and Wellness. I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. I attended ASU for my bachelor’s and it was a big culture shock to go from being part of the majority in my neighborhood to being a minority. I am thankful for the Hispanic Mother Daughter Program (HMDP) and LINK at ASU which allowed me to find a support system right away. There were times when I would walk into a room, and I was the only person of color. If I did not have the preparation and support from HMDP I am not sure I would have managed those situations as well as I did, because even then I dealt with anxiety. I am also thankful for those spaces because I learned a lot about myself and other people. I am now much more comfortable walking into a room where I may be the only person that looks like I do, and know that there will be welcoming individuals. Furthermore, after realizing I was dealing with burnout, I have learned to embrace the other parts of my identity that aren’t a psychotherapist. I am an enthusiast of anything turtles. If anyone brings up turtles, I definitely will get distracted and want to have a conversation about them. I enjoy Zumba and light hikes or walks. I’ve gotten back to playing the alto saxophone, drawing, and dived into new things like putting together LEGO sets.
Professionally, I provide mental health services to individuals from the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community. I continuously attend trainings to stay informed about the specific needs and nuances of the BIPOC community. I specialize in helping individuals increase self-awareness, develop healthy coping mechanisms, increase emotion regulation skills, improve relationships, enhance self-esteem and self-compassion, as well as other positive changes. I recently added services related to perinatal mental health after learning that there is a high need for providers in this specialization.
I have over seven years of experience in the mental health field working with children, families, and adults. I proactively strive to be authentic, add humor, and creativity to the work I do, and often encourage my clients to get in touch with their inner child. My goal is to aid my clients in slowing down by increasing awareness, processing trauma, and/or identifying ways of caring for themselves so that they can be fully present for themselves and those around them.
My services include a wide range of modalities tailored to meet your individual needs. I offer culturally sensitive therapy, including but not limited to, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based approaches, and trauma-focused therapies.
As a first generation American and child of immigrants, I enjoy working with immigrant families, Dreamers, and first-generation Americans. I offer services in English and Spanish. I also consider myself LGBTQIA+ affirming and as a social worker, strive to aid in advocating for human rights.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
There are various qualities, skills, and areas of knowledge that have been meaningful and I add to the list every day. I think the most impactful qualities are my sensitivity, curiosity, and compassion. My sensitivity allows me to be empathetic and understanding of others. I am able to be present with others, listening not only to what they say with their words but also with their body language. This helps me to provide a safe space for others and helps me guide clients towards self-discovery.
My curiosity allows me to be creative and ask questions to get to know the person in front of me. I think it also helps me to be open minded and open to learning. I am aware that I bring my expertise to the therapy sessions, but I do not forget that my clients have a lot to teach as well. My curiosity allows me to have meaningful conversations not only with clients but also colleagues and the important people in my life.
Compassion has been the driving force of everything I do. In the moments where I felt I wanted to give up, I constantly reminded myself of my passion to help others. I think this was developed from wanting to have someone to help me when I was younger and from being fortunate to have teachers and mentors that did help me along the way. When I think of compassion, I think it’s important to think of it as compassion for others and also compassion for ourselves. My tip is to remember, we are all human and will make mistakes, life will throw challenges at us, but if we remember to be warm and understanding with ourselves and others, it makes life much more doable.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
In the last 12 months, I have seen myself grow as a business woman. A year ago, it was still difficult to call myself a business owner. Growing up I did not see many Latina women in business roles and when I decided to open my private practice, I jumped in without truly realizing I was starting a business. I had doubts that I’d make it a reality and am grateful for the wonderful mentorship I was provided my first year in business. I am also grateful for the support I received from my family and colleagues. I can definitely see that I am more confident in myself as a business owner. I believe that I have also continued to grow as a person and figuring out who I am other than a psychotherapist. I was burnt out from agency work and the past year I have spent more time doing things I enjoy, getting to know myself again, and learning how to decolonize not only our current approach to therapy but also other parts of my life. I am appreciative of all my clients that trust me to be part of their mental health journey while I also continue to grow as a person, therapist, and business owner. I definitely have more to learn but can say I am proud of the progress I have made.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://floreswellness.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florestherapywellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloresTherapyandWellness
Image Credits
Mauricio Duran Edwin Vasquez
