Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Villanueva.
Hi Renee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started going to college for business and switched to social work after taking my first psychology course. I learned so much about myself and my family in this course and I wanted to learn more myself and others. I quickly became intrigued with neuroscience, psychology and what makes a person who they are. By learning more about myself and my family, I believe I have been called to this field through my own personal journey. I am half Chicana and half white who navigated the world identifying as Mexican American which caused self-identity, relationship and self-care problems. Mental health is not a topic discussed in my family and it is believed to keep our problems within the family. I struggled with my own mental health and when I realized I had anxiety while I was in college, I knew I needed to get professional help. I have been in and out of therapy since and it helped me break barriers, manage my anxiety and unlearn cycles and patterns that caused me to engage in unhealthy behaviors. I started engaging in healthy habits and yoga was one of them. Yoga was life-changing for me. It caused me to practice mindfulness, slow down, get out of my head and into my body. I knew after my experience with yoga that I wanted to combine yoga with my mental health profession, so I obtained my yoga certification. The path I lead my clients through are paths I had to cross as well. This is not only a professional journey for me but a personal one. My journey led to my passion of helping women who have challenges with anxiety, depression, life transitions, and trauma who are unsure of who they are; go through the process of self-discovery so that they can become the most authentic version of their true selves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. I was a first-generation college student, I was a non-traditional student, I worked my way through college, and after graduating with my master’s, I had to work several jobs prior to becoming a clinical therapist. Right before I graduated my master’s program in 2014, I became pregnant with my daughter. I was fearful I wouldn’t be hired because I was pregnant. I was fortunate enough to find a job who not only hired me but encouraged me to bring my daughter to work with me. So, there I was, bringing my daughter to work with me while I was breastfeeding and providing social services to others. Additionally, since mental health wasn’t discussed in my family, I had to balance serving others while healing from intergenerational trauma for myself and my daughter. Navigating life as a mom, starting my career as a social worker, and eventually becoming a therapist was challenging. I came into this field because I truly wanted to help my family break barriers for generations to come, heal my family trauma, and help others with similar struggles. I’m passionate about helping others while changing the path for my own family. It’s been far from easy, but I’m determined to stay on this path and do what I love.
As you know, we’re big fans of HERthentic Space. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I empower women to heal from childhood and intergenerational trauma by breaking toxic cycles. I specifically help women of color with breakup recovery, relationships, inner child healing, and mind-body work. I also offer coaching helping women get over a breakup. There are moments in life when we feel stuck and navigating life feels difficult. Therapy is a great tool to gain greater clarity & deep emotional healing. In therapy, we can uncover blocks that may be preventing women from living a life of authenticity, deep emotional healing & personal growth. I believe in a holistic approach and tuning inward with awareness and compassion.
I have a trauma-informed yoga certificate with a focus on integrating yoga into talk therapy & utilize cognitive behavioral therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), mindfulness techniques, Gottman theory, and somatic work. Our work may include inner child work, setting boundaries, limiting thinking & behavior patterns, attachment theory, meaningful relationships, grounding techniques, self-care & self-compassion.
I work in collaboration with my clients, creating a safe space towards their desired goals. I utilize interventions such as controlled breathing, visualizations, meditation, self-regulation & positive thinking. I approach therapy through a strengths-based perspective and meet each client where they are.
How do you think about happiness?
Spending time with my daughter makes me happy because I enjoy being present with her, she is full of life, makes me laugh and I enjoy teaching her things. Spending time doing outside activities and being in water makes me happy. It helps me feel relaxed, have fun and allows me to have playtime. Spending time with friends and family makes me happy because it’s my way of connecting with loved ones and investing in my relationships. It makes me happy to learn other people’s story and where they come from because it allows me to see other people’s perspectives, life and what got them where they are. Traveling makes me happy because I get see different parts of the world and understand a world outside of my own. People caring, sharing and doing for others makes me happy because life can be hard.
Contact Info:
- Email: renee@herthenticspace.com
- Website: https://www.herthenticspace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herthenticspace/
Image Credits
Colorful shirt & maroon outfit: FemForce Photoshoots
Blue outift: Timmothie Gbunblee with Adventures and weddings
