Dr. Sibella Salazar

I am a psychologist licensed in New Mexico with 8 years of experience working as a mental health provider. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, complex grief and loss, motivation, self-esteem, identity development, trauma and abuse. For two years at a community clinic in Minneapolis I specifically worked with indigenous communities with concerns related to complex trauma, historical and intergenerational trauma, sociocultural stressors, removal from primary caretaker homes, and adjustment difficulties inside and outside the home. I utilize a warm, interactive, and relational approach to my therapy style. I believe that respect, sensitivity, compassion, and knowledge of historical and systemic influences are important for working with members from historically marginalized communities. I practice from an integrative approach in therapy, with narrative therapy as the foundation. Indigenous Ways of Knowing (IWOK) is a paradigm of indigenous epistemologies of holistic being. Therefore, I rely a great deal on IWOK to inform my strategy for utilizing interventions from an array of theoretical orientation (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy, person-centered, mindfulness) to best meet the client’s needs. Everyone has stories for how they came to be where they are today. Stories have the power to create. I believe my role is to empower my clients, wherever they are in their particular story, and aide in creating a story of resilience, healing and change.