You deserve to speak your truth, set boundaries, and finally trust that you are wildly loveable even when you claim your needs.

I began therapeutic work in 2010 and in the years since, I have noticed a trend with the people I work with.

The desire to form a meaningful connection was there but the inner voice and desires were often a soft whisper that was difficult to hear.

Clients would express feeling conflicted about their boundaries, and feelings of guilt, shame, anger, and resentment were present — but often swallowed. This tamping down of needs was a natural impulse, but it didn’t allow them to feel less needy — just more disconnected.

Co-creating an environment of care together allowed them to be truly honest about their emotions, restoring their sense of connection. When we created the space to heal and feel, they could understand what their emotions were trying to tell them about their needs, and compassionately nurture their relationships with themselves and others.

I’m Yamel Sandoval Quijano (she/her), a Bilingual Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR and Financial Therapist with a background in developmental trauma and relationship distress. 

I have a deep desire to see communities across cultures find connection in the ways that matter. Having grown up on the border between Juarez and El Paso, I have witnessed how our environments and identities impact the ways we connect, and I can also say that the need for connection spans across lines on a map.

yamel sandoval

Belonging is something that we all need, and I want to do everything in my power to make it possible for all of us to access it.

This is where our work together can make an impact.

In sessions, we use gentle exploration and inquiry to identify and re-write the narratives that affect your daily thinking and actions. Because your individual patterns are influenced by much more than just your immediate environment, we also look at your past and current experiences through a lens of systemic injustice, inequity, and the intersections of your identities. 

Taking your whole person into account and fully acknowledging the circumstances that have truly been outside of your control can give you a chance to release stories of shame and self-blame. With that, you see what is within your power to change for the better — and what isn’t so you can finally set it down.

Ready to explore what’s next for you?

Learn what we can do

The identities I hold:

First-generation Latina

Bilingual

Pet mom

Partnered

Judoka

Woman of Color

Ways I love to meet my need for connection inside and out.

Balancing my risk-averse tendencies with my desire for adventure, like that time I (cautiously) took a canoe across a pitch black lagoon in Oaxaca known for its 15-foot crocodiles.

Taking in the sights on a weekend hike with my dogs Yogui and Waffles and listening to the sounds of nature (or a new audiobook) in my ears.

Showing up as much as I can for my family as an aunt to ten, being there all the way from potty training to first days of school, into their teen years, and beyond.

Unwinding with a stretch on my yoga mat, practicing Judo, and strength training to remind my body where it is in space and tune into what it needs.

Find the support that can help you access what you need and move toward what you want.

Individual Therapy
Relationship Therapy
EMDR Sessions & Intensives

    • Fluent in English and Spanish

    • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #201751

    • Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT)

    • Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary’s University

    • Bachelors in Psychology and Criminal Justice

  • Rape Crisis Center 
    Crisis Intervention Specialist - 2010-2014

    Family Violence Prevention Services 
    Bilingual Counselor - 2010 - 2014

    LifeWorks
    Bilingual Therapist - 2014 - 2018

    • Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) EMDR Certified

    • Certified Financial Therapist through The Financial Therapy Association

    • Emotion-Focused Therapy

    • Gottman Therapy Trained Levels 1 and 2

    • Trauma-Informed CBT

    • Solution Focused Therapy

Fellow therapists:

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