Q&A

Favorite movie: Avengers: Infinity War (made me happy cry at one point), the Harry Potter
Series (read all the books too), anything X-men, of course the Jurassic Park movies, and
Finding Dory because I experienced so many emotions when I watched it. I’m also a BIG fan of horror films. The Exorcism of Emily Rose and As Above So Below are probably my faves.
Favorite superhero: Hmmm… Does El from Stranger Things count? I’d also say Storm and
Spiderman.

If you could have a superpower, what superpower would you pick: Either have the ability to
travel to other dimensions (because maybe things are better elsewhere) or have the ability to replicate myself and others (like Hermoine did) so we can be in multiple places at once.

Favorite bands/artists: I’d say my favorite artists are SZA, Moliy, Amaarae, Tobi Lou, Alina Baraz, Drake, and KYLE. I also LOVE reggaeton. I like listening to Rauw Alejandro, Karol G, Sech, Jhay Cortez, and of course Bad Bunny.

If you had 3 wishes, what would you wish for: First and foremost, I’d wish for a world where
everyone was safe, happy, food and shelter were a human right/free, everyone was caring and accepting and looked out for one another, and capitalism didn’t exist… 2. To have the means to give my family everything they deserve (especially my mom) ♥️ 3. To see (and potentially pet) all the cute/cool animals in the world.

Tell us one fun fact about yourself: I’m Colombian and Salvadoran. Our food is amazing (e.g.
empanadas, arepas, tamales, pupusas). Oh wait, I just thought of another. I used to have 2
chickens as pets. We called one of them chicken parm…

Tell us about your pets: I have 2 fur babies, Kitty aka Mamow and JJ. Kitty is 13 years old, and my family has had her since she was a teeny tiny kitten that fit in the palm of my hand. Her original name is Kitty, but we used to call her “mi amor” which later merged into “Mamow”. I now mostly call her “Mamow”. JJ (original name Junior Junior) is 6 years old and one of Mamow’s babies. He’s a big softy. But Mamow? Not so much.

What are you most passionate about in the mental health field? Recognizing that mental health
conditions don’t exist in a vacuum. Trauma, the social and political climate, financial insecurity, medical problems, and a number of other things can all impact mental health. To me it’s so important to always explore and understand the context in which someone is experiencing life. I also strongly believe that various forms of oppression (racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, etc.) can contribute to the onset of a new psychiatric condition or exacerbate an existing condition. In my opinion this needs to be recognized and acknowledged more in the field of mental health/psychiatry.

What are your thoughts about treating adult ADHD? I think it’s entirely possible that ADHD
went undetected and/or untreated in childhood and now is more of an issue for someone as an adult. With further assessment, I’m definitely open to treating adult ADHD.

What is your philosophy on using medication to treat mental health? Are medications lifelong?  I believe it’s my responsibility to provide as much education about the psychiatric condition(s) and medication(s) as I can for us to then have a conversation about treatment. You know better than anyone else what your experience is and what your goals are. My goal is that we come up with a treatment plan together that is appropriate and doable, whether that includes medications or not. I think medications can be lifelong, but they definitely don’t have to be. It varies person to person.

What are other things you feel could be beneficial to improve mental health other than
medications? Support. And this can look like a lot of different things. Financial support, therapy, an open ear, skills teaching, school support, childcare, a solid support system, and so many other things. But ultimately, medications unfortunately won’t solve everything. Support is just as important, if not more.

Talk to us about your experience working with trauma and dissociative disorders: As a registered nurse, I worked on a unit that provided treatment to patients with extensive trauma histories. Our patients typically presented with depression, PTSD, dissociation, and/or Borderline Personality Disorder. Given the current state of the world, our patients were usually cis-women and folks who identified with the LGBTQIA+ community. Life can sometimes be really hard and really unfair. I get that. My goal was to always do my best to create a welcoming, safe, genuine, and compassionate environment. With this as the foundation, there is a lot we can begin to tackle.

If a patient is nervous about an evaluation, especially when talking about tough things like
trauma or sexual abuse, what would you want them to know? That it’s your decision whether to
share or not, and how much or how little. These can be really tough topics and they can bring up a lot of different thoughts and emotions. If you want to hold off on sharing until down the road, that’s cool with me too. Just know that if/when you do decide to share, I’m not judging you for your experience. I’m here to support you.

How do you feel about medical marijuana? If it helps you, go for it. If you think it’s doing a bit
more harm than good, then let’s maybeee talk about potential alternatives. Ultimately there are
so many different strains, and we just don’t have the data to know when one might be indicated over another, so trial and error is the best we have right now.

Do you have any personal experiences regarding mental health you are opening to sharing? I
always thought I was just shy and introverted but turns out I actually have social anxiety (LOL

��). I’ve also experienced different types of trauma throughout my life and that was really hard…
but here I am alive and well, and in a place to meet you.