Rivas-Hermina Trauma Recovery Services

09/18/2022

https://donate.angelcitypits.org/campaign/2023-la-marathon-charity-challenge-big-5k/c424095

09/12/2022

I am raising money for Angel City Pits please donate to
https://donate.angelcitypits.org/fundraiser/4124598

05/21/2022

I think I adopted a Plotthound at the shelter

02/28/2022

06/21/2020

New hat for summer! Thanks

06/09/2020

My new meditation corner! Thanks Diana for such a great piece. Looking forward to adding more to my space.

01/27/2019

Love these embroidery art by . Makes me happy!

06/09/2018

This has been a tough week to lose two awesome people - Kate Spade on Tuesday and Anthony Bourdain today. This is a tragic loss of two truly authentic people. In remembrance of their amazing lives I would like to remind you that these are not isolated cases. There is an epidemic in our country of increase su***de in the last 2 decades— an increase of 25% and 30% in some states.

Anyone of us can fall so deep in our struggles that we feel we can never get out of them. So lets not judge their decisions. It's easy to blame, shame, say they are selfish or immoral for taking their lives. I don't think so. The truth is it could be us one day facing that choice.

We don't know their suffering or the stream of thoughts and emotions that break through the dam gushing over and forming a tsunami.

This bad news impact us as well. So it's normal to feel sad and be reminded of other loses or our own pain. I feel great pain and sorrow to hear of their loss. Especially for those of us struggling with our own personal pain and struggles, mental health professionals who are immersed in it daily, first responders, attorneys advocating for others, doctors, etc. The accumulation of these bad news take a toll. The U.S. is leading in mass shootings, school shootings, and we are at a time where we are not investing in social services. We have a homelessness crisis. The list goes on....

This impacts all of us. It can throw any one of us off the edge.

We are in an era where we are super connected through social media and the internet, yet super isolated in our personal lives. Take the time to talk to your loved ones & share your struggles. You may be surprised how many of us feel and think the same things we deem to be crazy. When we start to believe that our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are unique, weird, or abnormal, we start to isolate and turn inwards. Shame is a powerful isolater, as will tell you. Don't let it take over, together we are much more powerful.

***deawareness

06/04/2018

It's never too late for help. As a licensed Family & Marriage Therapist I have over 10 years of experience working with children and families, specializing in domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Hablo Español. Call (818) 269-6335 or Email info@lisetterivas.com for your consultation.

05/21/2018

Yesterday someone told me that my skin color was beautiful. It really shocked me because I don’t see that. Yes I am okay with myself but I was not always. I definitely don’t think my skin color is the trend.
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Growing up, there was even less representation of women of color in the media or dolls that looked like me than there is now. I grew up thinking I was dark because I was dirty. My aunt used to sing me a song called “negrita cucurumbe” to help me feel better. The song says, the little black girl used to go to the beach and have the waves crash on her to see if the white foam of the waves would lighten her skin. The fish with with big lips told her why she was doing that, did she not realize she was beautiful just the way she was. In Spanish and many Caribbean cultures “negrita” is a nickname or pet name. It does not have negative connotations. I am proud to be “negrita, trigueña or brown”.
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It worked!
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Growing up in Los Angeles, I loved the outdoors and the beach and I get dark! This now is nothing to my lovely tan of my swimming years in high school.
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So important to have diversity in our lives so that we can see people that look like us thriving and succeeding.
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As a clinician, that is also important. Many times we don’t have supervisors or mentors that look like us or have similar backgrounds. Don’t get me wrong, that does not mean someone of a different background can not be there for you. As a matter of fact the woman who politicized me and helped me understand how race and culture played out in America was a white bisexual woman. The person who helped me understand feminism was a heterosexual man. So we can find mentors and role models in various places. It just makes a difference to have someone that looks like you - look back. I think it goes back to our attachment with primary care givers.
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When did you realize you were different?
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04/30/2018

For daily motivation & inspiring words, follow us on INSTAGRAM: .Lisette

04/22/2018

Happy Sunday! My new office in Pasadena is now available for office based mental health services. For your convenience, I provide in home, Skype, or phone services as well. I also provide consultation to professionals who are implementing trauma focused work with children and families, or who are implementing TF-CBT. For more information, go to my profile to visit my website or email me directly: lisette@lisetterivas.com 💌

04/19/2018

How will you be gentle with yourself today?

“The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering and loss daily and be untouched by it is as unrealistic as expecting to be able to walk through water without getting wet.” (Naomi Rachel Rement, Kitchen Table Wisdom)

How can you recognize your compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, burn out, or trauma exposure?

These are some descriptions of the impact many helping professionals experience:

- Exhaustion
- Reduced ability to feel sympathy and empathy
- Anger and irritability
- Increase use of alcohol and drugs
- Dread of working with certain clients/patients
- Diminished enjoyment in your job
- Heightened anxiety or irrational fears
- Impaired world view
- Intrusive imagery or dissociation
- Hypersensitivity or insensitivity to emotional material
- Difficulty separating work life from personal life
- Missing work, taking many sick days
- Impaired ability to make decisions
- Problems with intimacy and personal relationships

It has taken me some time to realize that my work has affected me and that I can check in with myself to recognize these symptoms and behaviors. I love what I do! I want to continue to help others overcome adversity and grow. I do believe that humans have the capacity to grow after traumatic or stressful events. I need to utilize the same strategies and help that I recommend to others. As a clinician, I have realized that there is a “cost for caring” (Figley, 1982). I am paying for that now and need to take action.

Today my mantra is: “Be gentle with yourself.” I will validate my experience and not push myself to do more than I can.