Mona Lisa Chavez Esqueda, LCSW, PHD (ABD)

I recently attended a session with my adult child who is undergoing a process of self-identification as transgender and has been receiving care from Mona for several months. To my surprise, I found that Mona's approach did not involve counseling and providing objective clarity as I had anticipated. Instead, her method consisted mainly of "affirming" and encouraging my child, emphasizing their intelligence, bravery, strength, and so on, without offering any constructive criticism or delving into psychological analysis and introspection.

If you are seeking a professional who will simply listen to your thoughts and allow you to express your emotions without challenging you or offering you valuable insights to facilitate personal growth, all the while bolstering your self-perception without addressing underlying concerns, then Mona's approach might be suitable for you. However, if your intention is to find someone who will fearlessly confront you, provide constructive criticism, and guide you through a process of deep exploration, and unearthing and addressing the core issues that contribute to your challenges, so that genuine healing can occur, and so you can develop into a well-rounded and capable adult equipped with effective coping mechanisms and strategies to manage your triggers, then it is likely that Mona will not meet your expectations.