About me

There is something magical about being with people, just being together…time drops off.  We touch possibility without being attached to anything, knowing we have reached a place where we tap into the courage to relive our lives, repattern our nervous system and re-enter the world in a more aligned way.

Vanessa is a Columbia University trained psychotherapist, trauma specialist and psychedelic assisted therapist.   Focused on the root cause, Vanessa guides clients through a progressive, individualized, empowering treatment plan – working skillfully, harnessing the transformative power of  somatic, attachment and EMDR therapies.

Deeply connected with her multicultural heritage, Vanessa often works with clients who live in the space between cultures, identities, languages, and ways of being—those who shift depending on their context. “I grew up in Mexico and spent most of my life moving between different cultural realms—Jewish, refugees, Holocaust survivors landing in Mexico City. Inside my family, I had to act one way, and outside my family, I had to act another.”

Vanessa comes from a strong background in design, having spent years working closely with high-performance athletes and creative professionals. Her experience in the fashion world taught her how clothing and image can become both a kind of protection and a powerful expression of self. “It was almost like putting on a cape,” she reflects—both a shield and an invitation to show up more fully as oneself. In helping others find the look that represented them, Vanessa created space for people to stop overthinking and simply be, an approach that continues to inform the safe, creative, and authentic spaces she cultivates in therapy.

Vanessa is committed to fostering a safe, compassionate, and culturally sensitive space where clients can explore, heal, and grow. She offers an integrative, relational approach that honors each person’s unique needs and process, seeing therapy as a co-creative space where transformation can naturally unfold. Passionate about supporting clients on their individual healing journeys, she creates an environment where the whole self is welcome—even the parts that feel uncertain or hidden. “When those parts have a voice,” she reflects, “we can begin to relate to them differently, and something new becomes possible.”

In her own personal work, Vanessa experienced the profound insights psychedelics can bring—and the frustration of not having them fully understood or supported in therapy. “That experience ignited my passion for this field,” she shares. She views the psychedelic space as both beautiful and sacred, a place that calls for thoughtful preparation and integration. In her practice, Vanessa holds space for clients to explore the hardest places at the core of their being, always in awe of the courage it takes to step into that work. She is enthusiastic about the healing potential of psychedelic-assisted treatments and is dedicated to expanding access to innovative mental health care, blending evidence-based approaches with emerging modalities that honor the whole person.

When she’s not in the therapy room, Vanessa can often be found exploring new places with her family—whether it’s wandering through a hidden corner of the city or adventuring somewhere new altogether. She’s also passionate about immigrant rights and has volunteered her time to help reunite families and support immigrant communities. This dedication to justice and belonging reflects the same values she brings into her clinical work—compassion, cultural sensitivity, and a belief in every person’s right to feel at home in the world.

Focus Areas

  • Anxiety and Mood issues
  • Relational challenges
  • Grief
  • Trauma and complex PTSD
  • Intergenerational, cross-cultural, and immigration trauma
  • Psychedelic Integration