Dr. Thalissa Telleria

LMHC

I believe you are the expert of your own life, and that belief is central to how I approach therapy. I deeply value your autonomy and will always honor your rights as a person. I also strongly believe in acknowledging and accepting that life is messy and humans are complex beings-- that feel, think, and experience many things-- and it is not the goal to judge our experiences, but to uncover the emotional learnings at the root of the symptoms, discover the emotional necessity of the symptoms, and then gently guide the brain through the process of letting go. I value a holistic approach to therapy, which means I think there is an intersection between our mental, physical, emotional and sexual health. During therapy, we will address these as a whole and explore how they impact each other. My goal is that therapy be the place where you can show up in whatever way feels right for you.

I decided to specialize in sex therapy because of the deeply rooted shame and judgment that society has placed in sex and sexuality. I find that many people struggle to understand themselves sexually, because the systems in place have not allowed for this understanding. This can come up through shame, relationship issues, detachment from one's body, rejection sensitivity, ignorance, or avoidance. I try to make the therapy space a safe place where clients can show up as themselves and explore these things freely.

"Success" is subjective. I think that as a society we place too much emphasis on success and productivity, only focusing on the end goal and not enough in the process. I like to ask clients periodically what they think is working (and isn't), as every client will have a different answer. Progress can be feeling comfortable sharing your emotions in therapy; it can be placing boundaries in relationships, or it can be seeing a reduction in symptoms. I think progress can be seen in the "smallest" or "biggest" behaviors and changes (the unspoken and the loud), and although this looks different for each client, I always try to acknowledge the progress I see throughout therapy.