Hello, I am Jessica!

Jessica R. Armendariz, is a Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW). She graduated with a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California in May 2022. For her undergraduate studies she attended the University of California, Davis and majored in Chicana/o Studies. She is  Bilingual (Spanish/English) and enjoys learning about various cultures. She strives to incorporate a culturally humble approach in her work with people of all walks of life.

 

Jessica has experience working with young children, adolescents, teenagers, young adults, individuals, groups, families, Veterans, and older adults. While at USC, she took extra time to specialize in Geriatric Social Work and specialized treatment for Military Veterans and their families. Most recently, in her work, she has developed an affinity to work with youth who struggle with mental health challenges, transitions, building their self-esteem, overcoming social anxiety, and healing from depression and trauma.  

 

In whatever stage of life you find yourself and if you are dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, unhealthy behaviors, relational and family conflicts, and/or exploring your sexuality, Jessica can help you use your challenges as opportunities for positive transformation and growth.

 

Jessica utilizes an eclectic theoretical approach in her practice, and meets her clients where they are in the journey with compassion and empathy, inspiring introspection, a journey inwards towards self-love and self- discovery by utilizing and accessing your own wisdom and intuition.

 

She is trained in several therapeutic modalities including Brainspotting (BSP), a brain-based modality that uses the visual field to access and heal unprocessed traumas in the subcortical brain.

 

She has a passion for learning about psychology, spirituality, creativity, and self-help tools in her ongoing personal growth journey that carries over into her professional career. 

 

Based on her own lived experience with Trauma, she has developed a passion and inherent sensitivity for walking with people of all ages on their journey to wellness and recovery, while guiding them through different therapeutic modalities, including mindfulness and trauma informed care.

 

Jessica’s family has a long standing history with horses–a legacy of love, passion, culture, and healing through the relationships fostered with their equine friends. Jessica has experienced first-hand the healing nature of creating relationships with equines as they have helped her during her struggle with anxiety, fear, and depression. In her own therapy, horses helped her find inner-peace and heal wounds that accompanied her grief.  In turn she developed a newfound appreciation and respect for horses, which came with an increase in her own confidence and curiosity of Equine-Assisted Counseling and Psychotherapy. Jessica finds joy and looks forward to being able to combine her love for horses and psychotherapy to guide you along your personal journey towards inner healing and self-discovery.

 

Jessica believes that every breath is a miracle and a new opportunity to reset and choose joy!  Therefore, some of the things that bring her joy include going to the beach, hiking, spending time with horses, yoga,  mindfulness practices, swimming, learning, creating art, and she really enjoys dancing! She also likes playing with her dog named Luna and spending time with family.