Are you open to being my therapist?

If you are an adult, couple, family or set of friends, yes. I work in Los Angeles and am licensed in California (LMFT #145793). I currently have a waitlist, but my contact’s at the bottom of the page. Reach out anytime.

What are your certifications to practice?

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#145793). I’m also a certified Grief Counselor, a Somatic Abolition practitioner, and trained in Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy.

What are your degrees and knowledge bases?

I have two bachelor degrees, in Psychology and Mass Communication Studies, from Franklin Pierce University, and three masters degrees: one from the London School of Economics in Global Media focused on globalization research, one from University of Southern California in global media focused on criticism, and one from Pepperdine University in Clinical Psychology focused on Marriage and Family Therapy. I incorporate sociology, cultural criticism, power analysis, anarchist praxis, and phenomenological insights into my advocacy and therapy practice.

What is your experience as a therapist?

Previously, I’ve supported people and families grieving the death of loved ones at Our House Grief Support Center. I’ve aided and comforted those transitioning to death as well as their families at Choice Comfort Hospice. I’ve supported and advocated for incarcerated men with psychotic conditions at Gateways Forensic Hospital. I’ve helped mothers of color/culture navigate the court system and reunite with their children. And I serve also as a therapist for children and adults who’ve been sex trafficked at Humansave. I used to run a non-profit affordable housing/anti-homelessness advocacy, and have volunteered to help our unsheltered friends in LA since I was young. I’ve helped the World Foundation of Buddhists with their programming. I’ve undergone healing instruction by curanderos based in Mexico, Peru, and Brazil and supported clients with plant medicine integration for a number of years.

What informs your praxes as an advocate and abolitionist?

I’m undergo endless training in anti-racism with somatic abolitionists guided by Resmaa Menekem, was previously trained and supervised by the founder of CAMFT’s Diversity Board Janaki Neptune LMFT, and attend platicas conducted by the Institute of Chicano/a/x Psychology. I’m in revolutionary community alongside activists and allies for decolonization, ecopsychology, native landback, and black and indigenous liberation. I support activists healing from the trauma of helping radical change by utilizing warmth, understanding, and limitless compassion. I’ve conducted trainings for public mental health agencies on the issues of ableism, human trafficking, and self-care for clinicians. I also write and develop cartoons, with a focus on providing Pre-K kids self-compassion no matter what (and have a fun time doing it!). And I’m an anarchist by moral and spiritual calling.

What’s your actual ethnicity and ancestry, Tony? Are you open to sharing it?

Sure. I identify and present as white-bodied 2nd generation Chicano/Mexican-American, and a third-culture kid from East LA. I have indigenous heritage but the colonial blood quantum framework is complicated for me, as I’m a wide mix of different Native Mexican, Native American, South American, and Carribean ancestries. I also have notable percentages of West African, Armenian, and East Indian genetics, all dominated by the significant portion that’s from the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. My Spanish blood in Mexico can be traced back to the late 1400s, which means I descend directly from the original colonizers. The fact that I’m white-skinned means that they always prioritized marrying white-skinned or light-skinned partners. In a very real way, I’m an outright product of domineering centuries-old colonization—with both victims and perpetrators as ancestors.

My spirit has a lot to unravel in this lifetime.

What does revolution mean to you?

Revolution means utterly re-organizing society to provide the limitless safety and support everyone needs to heal. Every corner of society should feel healing… we are a species settling millions of years of trauma perpetrated onto one another, deliberately or not. Given that it was built on the tenants of racism, classism, ableism, sexism, and structural violence, every aspect of our society requires dismantling and critical analysis for rebuilding. This is no one person’s fault, even our ancestors could not see how the trauma of ages impacted them. Now that we see it though, our only way forward is to re-build society as a wide-open space for real agency, understanding, healing, rest, and capacity-building.

We start by dismantling capitalism outright and the neoliberal state that enforces it. We do this to finally come into our freedom. And we do it together, one day at a time.

What are your rates, and do you take insurances?

Currently my rates are $180 per individual session, and $250 per couples/family session.

I’ve developed a page to help clarify the ways in which I aim to support clients with insurance, which can be accessed here:

No more playing around… so what’s the meaning of life, Tony?

Let’s talk about it.