萨拉·海因兹
Small talk about the weather is at best neutral, at worst awkward.
But with Marysol Cazares ’11 ’17C it’s elevated and deep. 非常令人欣慰.
“万物都有美,” she replies as she pulls the cord to her window blinds, revealing bare trees so close you can see the near-circle shape of the water droplets hanging off the branches from that morning’s rain.
Recognizing the nuance in everything is her full-time job — part time at her private practice, Cazares咨询, and part time at 十大网络娱乐平台注册.
She returned to her double alma mater in January 2023, this time as a part-time 心理健康咨询师. (Cazares was a double major in Spanish and psychology and earned her master of arts in counseling in 2017).
She works two days a week on the 克里特岛 campus. And the rest of the week, she’s owner and 心理健康 clinician at Cazares咨询.
The decision to start a private practice was a result of her son 奥兰多’s birth in late 2020.
Marysol had previously translated counseling sessions at Behaven Kids, but realized her passion and personality held potential for working directly with patients.
在圣. Monica’s — a women rehabilitation facility in 林肯 — she spent four years as a 心理健康咨询师 at the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections. Amidst all that, a pandemic and childbirth.
She wondered how to practice what she preached. What would “promote the best schedule for my life” as a wife, new mom and worker and leave room for self-care?
She opened her private practice in August 2022. When it arose, she couldn’t turn down an opportunity to return to her alma mater.
“Doane was a safe place for me,” the El Paso, Texas, born Cazares said. Two hours after her birth she arrived in Mexico. She lived with her parents in Ciudad Juárez for 10 years until returning to the United States to live with her aunt.
For her, Doane was a Texas-sized stray from her comfort zone. A self-diagnosed city girl in a small town on a campus where no one really looked like her or spoke Spanglish.
Cazares embraced the adventure. And realized she’s right where she’s meant to be.
“My whole goal even before I even came to [work at] Doane was to just help the Hispanic community,”她说。.
通过卡萨雷斯咨询公司, 现在是十大网络娱乐平台注册, she serves 克里特岛’s Hispanic community — which makes up almost 43% 这个城市的人口.
She’s seen strides in people viewing mental illness more as a disease versus a choice. And awareness in how it can look — someone can be active and involved externally, 但是内心的挣扎, 她说.
Stress — a common feeling among college students — is enough of a reason to meet with a 心理健康咨询师. And more people need to know that, Cazares said. But 心理健康 is still stigmatized. Especially for students or patients who come from families that aren’t supportive and cultures that embed certain beliefs.
“I always use the example of the Hispanic community,”她说。. “他们很有男子气概.”
(阅读:男性的骄傲.)
“And just because it’s part of my culture, doesn’t mean that I agree with it.”
Cazares has done a lot of self-reflection when it comes to her culture and 心理健康, and deciding who she is and wants to be. And recognizes the importance of someone walking through such a process with you. (Hint, hint: a 心理健康咨询师 like her!)
“I just naturally really love people,” Cazares said. “这只是我的一部分. And I just enjoy people for who they are. I don't have to agree with everything or anything like that, but just being able to love a person for who they are, and enjoy that and enhance that, I think that that naturally helps me in the counseling area.”
The aura she’s weaved around her is that of safety, hope and compassion. As she chats, she rakes her miniature zen sand garden on the side table in her office. It’s just sand, but it’s soothing. And it’s symbolic for the larger garden she’s growing of acceptance in the 克里特岛 community and at Doane.
