Inspiring Conversations with Erika Esquivel of Rebel In Bloom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Esquivel.

Hi Erika, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Erika. With a K. I’m a Latina bilingual counselor, my pronouns are she/her/ella, and I provide virtual and in person mental health services in Spanish and English in Austin, TX. Mental health was not always such a popular topic and I am glad to see the stigma around seeking counseling services decrease in the last years. Growing up in a Latinx family, I did not know how counseling fit in my life and thought it was just something on TV for other people.

I was born and raised 300 miles or 5 hours south of Austin in the border town of McAllen, Texas, part of the Rio Grande Valley. I am a first-generation Mexican American and life was complicated with many obstacles such as conflicting pressures of assimilation and cultural expectations. Through the good and the bad, including my parents’ messy divorce, my mother raised my older siblings and my twin sister and I in the best ways that she could. I am where I am because of her support and strength.

My twin sister and I were the first in our family to make it to college and we enrolled at the university nearest our home. In contrast to her, I was still undecided on what I wanted to study by year two. After changing my major a few times, I landed in an Intro to Psychology class where I first learned about counseling and psychology and how it did fit in my life after all.

So many things I was learning in that class caught my attention. I found out that the ways I processed the world and what was in my head + body had names and reasons for it. I was not loca and counseling was meant for me also. That semester, I decided on my career path in counseling and in the next six years, I moved through a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology.

After graduation, I quickly got stuck in the good old obstacles of a recent grad with limited experience looking for a position in their desired field. I decided to expand my job search to other cities in Texas. SAFE Alliance, a non-profit organization in Austin called me back for an interview and I was hired as a bilingual counselor. Yay! Speaking Spanish really did open more doors. In two weeks, I found a place, made a plan, wiped away the tears of happiness and anxiety, and with the help of my family, I became a resident of Austin.

I stayed in my bilingual counselor position at SAFE Alliance for five years. This position was incredibly rewarding and humbling as I held space and supported individuals impacted by domestic and sexual violence. My biggest areas of growth were nurtured and supported by the amazing people I met at this job and friends made along the way. I am now a Licensed Professional Counselor (double yay!) and have the joy of working alongside amazing therapists at Rebel In Bloom, a place for the tough and tender.

Like many people who moved to Austin, I came here to enhance my skills as a professional and of course, found myself in the process. My professional and personal growth have gone hand in hand and I have learned so much more than I thought was possible since moving here. My life transitions upon moving to Austin allowed me to engage in my own counseling for the first time, and it has been so insightful to be on both sides of the therapeutic relationship. I have experienced how counseling is not a luxury or self-care; it is a need and my life stressors really are more manageable because of my counseling sessions.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. So much gatekeeping occurs for going through and moving up in life and careers. As a lower-income, first-generation, and first to attend and graduate college Latinx woman, I definitely noticed and experienced how my road was anything but smooth.

Among many gatekeeping obstacles, the main one has been the challenge to obtain a full license to practice counseling in Texas. People of Color are so needed in the mental health field but the financial roadblocks make it harder to succeed. It was a constant struggle for me trying to jump through school requirements, testing checkpoints that cost money, completing unpaid internships for experience, just to have to do more tests, trainings, and fees to be finally approved for a full license. It should not be this financially challenging for qualified and passionate individuals to get to where I am at.

Another obstacle was myself. For the first quarter of my life, I felt I had limited my growth with traditional and safe choices that were really rooted in my fear of failure and the unknown. I was unsure of my own abilities to do more for me and struggled with familial expectations placed on me. I was 25 when I finally took some really hard next steps after reflecting on the parts of my life I felt unfulfilled in and unhappy. I could no longer be my own obstacle holding me back and knew that I needed something different and held myself accountable for that change.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I currently practice and provide bilingual counseling at Rebel In Bloom, PLLC. This group practice welcomed me in October 2021 when I resonated so deeply with their manifesto that I could not pass the opportunity to work here. I am grateful for the support and mentoring of my boss, Natalia Amari, LCSW and the incredible space she envisioned and created for the tough and tender. Myself, along with the amazing therapist Shanaz Ikonne, LPC, work together with Natalia to delicately hold all of the beautiful parts of our clients who are seeking to heal and experience more fulfilling lives.

Five and a half years into my career, I am passionate about supporting people of diverse backgrounds as they seek to heal from experiences of trauma, sexual violence and domestic violence. Passions of mine include supporting first and second-generation individuals and supporting recent immigrants. Modalities I am trained in include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). I provide inclusive therapy that is non-pathologizing and structured in anti-oppressive and anti-racist frameworks. More information about Rebel In Bloom, the team, and myself can be found on the website posted below.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Among many things that are part of my story and identity, being a twin has been the biggest part. I really can’t talk about myself without switching things up to a plural “we”. So many first were shared together and I knew things would be okay because we had each other. From the first days at new schools to our first jobs at 17 (yes, she really did convince her boss to hire me also during her interview), we were a pair you could not split up. Together, we were loud extroverts, always talking, making friends and belly laughing at our inside jokes. We would bring up lines from movies in every conversation, talk about Harry Potter books and Lord of the Rings, and sang Backstreet Boys and Disney songs at the top of our lungs. Alongside us, our friends brought out the best in us and continue to be our best friends twenty years later and still doing all the same things. <3

Pricing:

• $160-$180 per clinical hour (55 minutes) for individual therapy depending on the experience level of the clinician
• $50-$75 per group depending on the therapist experience level and duration of the group session
• In network with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) PPO and Aetna plans

Contact Info:

• Email: erika@rebelinbloom.com
• Website: https://rebelinbloom.com/erika-esquivel-lpc/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikaesquivel.lpc/
• Other: https://rebelinbloom.com/

Image Credits
Woke Beauty with Riley Reed Everly Jade Photography