Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Herrera.
Hi Alexandra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is not linear, as many aren’t. Art therapy was introduced to me late in high school, but I had already applied to college for fine arts. I studied fine arts at Carnegie Mellon University and explored my interest in psychology by taking as many credits as possible while matriculating at CMU. Upon graduating, I applied to a range of jobs from New York to Washington, DC. At the time, I was interested in publishing, illustrating, and marketing. The goal was to find a job that would provide an entry into full-time work and be enjoyable, offer the opportunity to develop my skills, and grow as a professional. After submitting piles of resumes for a variety of creative jobs I finally found employment in Washington, DC. It took several years of working before realizing the roles I was in were not offering meaningful work. While seeking guidance and support, I was encouraged to explore Art Therapy. This research brought excitement and inspiration. Since I was working full-time and supporting myself, I needed to remain local and applied to George Washington University for Art Therapy. I was lucky enough to have attended a graduate program that was founded by Bernard Levy and Elinor Ulman, innovators in the field. GWU was a pioneer in Art Therapy since it had one of the first accredited university programs in the United States. I juggled work, school, athletics, and my practicum as I matriculated in GWU’s graduate program.
During my time at GWU, I worked in an afterschool therapeutic program. I started as a Youth Advisor/Case Manager, which eventually led to becoming the Lead Expressive Therapist at the program. This gave me the opportunity to work with children and adolescents with a range of experiences, trauma, and mental health struggles. As I continued to develop and grow my skill set, I transitioned to a therapeutic day school. I was able to work with many of the same clients from the afterschool program during my time as an Art Therapist at the therapeutic day school. At this time, I continued my graduate education and completed the necessary credits for a license in Professional Counseling. This allowed me to become a Board-Certified Art Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Owning a business had always been a goal despite the type of business changing over the years. At the therapeutic day school, I was surrounded by therapists who offered private practice sessions. It was a community of colleagues, friends, and family that encouraged me to take on the challenge of starting my own mental health private practice. Although it was a financial risk, I began the process and within a year was able to focus all my energy on my practice, EverWhen Therapy, LLC. After nearly 12 years, EverWhen Therapy has grown to a full team of brilliant and creative therapists and administrative professionals. While focusing on EverWhen and providing a supportive environment to clients and team members has always been my primary goal, there was another project on the backburner. This developed into Red Bird Retreats, which emphasizes the importance of holistic healing and enables clients to engage in services that focus on the mind, body, and spirit. Working full-time in private practice allowed me to see the need for offering holistic services and the importance of the mind/body connection. Red Bird Retreats offers custom tailored services for individuals or small groups, and offers small group healing sessions that include guided meditation, sound baths, and restorative yoga. As Red Bird Retreats grows, it will include, but is not limited to, physical health, outdoors activities, and longer retreat sessions that provide space for EverWhen Therapy and Red Bird Retreats to intersect.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Entrepreneurship is not without challenges. Learning how to navigate the healthcare system, marketing, balancing client and team member needs, and holding ethical and healthy boundaries have all been areas of struggle and growth. Relying on colleagues, seeking out information, and learning from mistakes has been the core to navigating these challenges.
We’ve been impressed with EverWhen Therapy & Red Bird Retreats, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At EverWhen Therapy we strive to provide a safe, accepting and inclusive environment that is accessible to all community members. Therapy is a collaborative process based on the relationship between an individual and a professional counselor. This allows clients to talk openly with someone who is objective, neutral, and nonjudgmental. EverWhen therapists work with clients to identify and adjust the thought and behavior patterns that are barriers to change. It is of the utmost importance to establish rapport and foster a safe environment for clients that encourages creative and verbal expression. We assist individuals, couples, and families in processing their pasts, improving self-awareness, and increasing their ability to engage in strengths-based work. Clients are given tools that encourage them to focus on their ability to effectively cope with and manage emotions, process new experiences, and identify personal strengths. Services are provided for anyone who may struggle with issues such as managing behaviors, coping with trauma, improving self-confidence, academic difficulties, emotional distress, and interpersonal relationships.
EverWhen Therapy’s treatment plans are developed based on the client’s needs and goals. We value inclusion and have an uncompromising commitment to treat each person with respect. Therapists focus on understanding each person as an individual, understanding their journey, and providing individualized interventions and strategies that emphasize the mind/body connection. Our goal at EverWhen Therapy is to increase self-awareness, promote healing, facilitate stress reduction, improve quality of life, and gain long-lasting wellbeing. Services at EverWhen Therapy stand out from other practices because we create innovative and pragmatic strategies while focusing on the therapeutic alliance.
In the same vein, Red Bird Retreats assists clients in finding balance into their lives while delving into a process of self-exploration and heightened self-awareness. Red Bird Retreats works with individuals and small groups to create a safe, creative, and mindful retreat experience. Our goal is to expose each person to new methods of mental, emotional, and physical growth. Each retreat is unique and offers a range of experiences. Red Bird Retreats strives to increase and promote balance and growth. We facilitate programs that focus on stress reduction, improved quality of life, and approaches that assist with a long-lasting sense of well-being. Retreats may offer a combination of art-as-therapy, restorative yoga/movement body work, gentle movement, mindful walking/hiking, forest bathing, sound healing, the MARI assessment, journaling, and many other options. Red Bird Retreats distinguishes itself from other retreat opportunities because it is led by trauma-informed therapists who prioritize the individual healing experience.
What matters most to you? Why?
Providing a supportive, creative, and healthy work environment that positively impacts team members and clients has always been of the utmost importance. As well as creating a space that is inclusive, equitable, and attainable to a wide range of clients. It is important for clients to find therapists they connect with, understand their experience, create plans and interventions that work for the client, and to accept a wide range of insurance plans so mental health is attainable. Learning from both positive and negative work experiences shaped the policies, benefits, and expectations at EverWhen Therapy and Red Bird Retreats. In a broader sense, these decisions and practices are based in core beliefs around social justice, female/LGBTQIA+ empowerment, conflict resolution, and understanding the impact of how our decisions impact one another and space around us. It is important to remain rooted in fighting against inequality, preserving environmental justice, a focus on health equity, and prioritizing human/women’s rights. Each decision is made by following a moral and ethical compass and evaluating the needs of the client, practice, and therapists. These practices have been and remain key components in maintaining a conscientious, supportive, and streamlined practice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://everwhentherapy.com and https://redbird-retreats.com/
- Instagram: @redbirdretreats
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055116433854
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-herrera-ma-atr-bc-lpc-57325a3/
