More on Nathaly

The story.

I was born and raised in Venezuela and moved to the US right after my 18th birthday. Moving to a new country took time to adjust to, but I carry a lot of Venezuela with me through my warmth and the optimism my country is known for. We could be going through the worst time ever and we’ll still find something to smile and laugh about. It’s like you can’t take the festivity out of our hearts. I love so much of my culture and background but like anything, it can have its drawbacks too. I carry a history of emotional restriction and a big focus on the “happy emotions” as the only the acceptable emotions to have. Open, emotional communication was not a thing growing up. The assumption was always to deal with things in silence and show your best face to the world.

I very much come from the idea of being strong, being positive, not letting the negative take you down, and voicing struggles as being “dramatic.” You could almost say I led a double ‘emotional’ life, on one part I struggled navigating what was acceptable and then on the other, I sought ways to safely express my inner self. As I learned about being a therapist and what it involved, I came to understand that emotions are ‘ok’, and even better, I discovered safe people, safe places, and safe ways to let them out. I had so much unlearning and re-learning, something that continues to carry on in my life as a regular practice. There is no doubt our story, and the people in it like our family, really shape who we are today and that a lot of times they were doing their best to help us go through life. The voices that set in our childhood can have a powerful place in our present life, and without noticing, all these background statements can influence our daily behavioral choices. I feel so lucky to be able to be a safe person for my clients the way I needed it so that we can learn and unlearn together and find a new, fuller way forward.

My training.

I received my bachelor’s degree from The University of St. Thomas here in Houston and my master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from The University of Houston in Clear Lake. My education was focused on understanding the interpersonal world. It’s why I see people in systemically in relation to others. I developed skills working with couples utilizing principles based on the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT couples therapy) along with my certification in Sex Therapy. I developed a love for understanding systems and how its operation has an impact on who we are and how we think, feel, and behave.

Learning about what makes us feel safe, secure, and seen both on a relational and biological level has led me to expand my knowledge on attachment theory and the Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT therapy) for individual and couples therapy. I have also placed a focus on developing understanding around behaviors that don’t serve us and impair our best functioning, such as alcohol-ish use or simply good old avoidance, and how to move towards healthier functioning. As part of my fellowship at MT, I have deepened the focus of my work in the therapeutic relationship, in the here-and-now experiences, and the weight that being a human has. I utilize a humanistic and person-centered approach to support my additional theoretical work, which means my work is collaborative in nature while keeping it real with what I observe and feel in the room with you.

My commitment.

My commitment to you is to show up and foster an environment of safety and care. I want our time together to be the space where you can just ‘be’ and feel accepted for all you are, a space where you can exist judgement free. I want our conversations to be a good combo between a ton of self-compassion, hard work to foster change, and us together celebrating big for every win in your process. It can feel challenging to tune inward to listen to what we need and to accept our stories and ourselves. Real change is hard, ok?? Anyone that’s accomplished anything worthwhile knows that life takes work and that’s why I’m here for you. And you will find yourself at times struggling with making change happen. That is ok! I am here to do this with you, because doing life alone, and incorporating both the little and big parts of our stories, does not have to be a solo job. I am here to help you foster safety, security, understanding, and connection within your person and with your partner.