Hi everyone! My name is Manny (he/him), and I’m incredibly excited to join TREC as a new trauma therapist extern!
I am a proud first-generation-to-college student, a bilingual Queer man of Color, and el hijo de inmigrantes Mexicanos (son of Mexican immigrant parents). I grew up in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, which is a predominantly Latine/Latine immigrant neighborhood in Los Angeles, CA that deeply shaped my values, sense of community, and my purpose to provide culturally grounded mental health work.
I am currently a fifth-year PhD candidate in Counseling Psychology at the University of Maryland, where my research focuses on how intersectional discrimination and cultural values influence coping and health disparities experienced by Latine LGBTQ+ young adults. My work has been published in leading psychology journals, exploring issues such as colorism within the Latine community, sexual racism in queer spaces, and the impacts these experiences have on self-esteem, body image, and the sexual behaviors of Latine and LGBTQ+ populations.
While research fuels my curiosity and purpose, I am equally committed to its integration with
practice. Clinically, I strive to create a space that centers clients’ agency and personal voice.
One of my passion areas is working with high-achieving Queer people and daughters of Color
who are navigating difficult family relationships, rejecting/resisting harmful cultural expectations
(i.e., negative pillars of machismo and marianismo), and looking for ways to flourish while
balancing the demands of school, work, and their own healing. I am devoted to supporting
multiply marginalized individuals as they make sense of their intersecting identities, cultural
expectations, and the transitions that shape their lives.
I currently have availability and offer sliding-scale, reduced-fee sessions to help ensure that
therapy remains accessible and affirming. I will also be co-facillitating the QTPOC support group.
Loves: discovering new coffee shops anywhere I travel in the U.S., watching Drag Race and
seeing my favorite queens live, attending concerts and live shows, trying new foods, listening to
podcasts on Latine/QTPOC/first-gen mental health, taking photos, writing/conducting research,
and making itineraries for just about anything!
