Bayanihan: We Heal Together
A virtual therapy group for
Filipina/x/o adults in California
You can love your family and still feel hurt by what happened within it.
You can understand what previous generations survived and still want something different for yourself.
Bayanihan: We Heal Together is a six-session virtual therapy group for Filipina/x/o adults who want to explore hurtful family dynamics, intergenerational trauma, and what it means to interrupt the patterns we inherited.
Facilitated by Jessica Hernandez, LCSW, the group offers a culturally responsive space to speak openly, feel understood, and work toward healing alongside other Filipina/x/o adults.
Starts
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Location
Virtual through Empowered Mind Therapy Center
Time
5:30 to 7:00pm Pacific Time
Facilitator
Jessica Hernandez, LCSW
Who can participate
Filipina/x/o adults located in California
Schedule
Every other Tuesday for six sessions
Group size
5 to 8 participants
Session Dates
October 6, October 20, November 3, November 17, December 1, and December 15, 2026.
You Can Understand Where a Pattern Came From and Still Choose to End It
Does any of this feel familiar?
Family expectations or traditions that feel heavy or hard to carry.
Patterns of people-pleasing, overgiving, or putting yourself last.
Inherited beliefs, roles, or costs that no longer fit who you are becoming.
Shame, guilt, or silence around family challenges.
Questions about identity, culture, and belonging.
A deep desire to break cycles and build something new for yourself and future generations.
This Group May Be for You If...
You may find this group supportive if you:
Feel responsible for keeping your family together
Struggle to set boundaries without experiencing guilt or shame
Were expected to be the responsible, successful, or emotionally strong one
Find it difficult to express anger, disappointment, or disagreement
Feel caught between your own needs and what your family expects from you
Are beginning to recognize patterns of intergenerational trauma
Want to stop repeating harmful family or relationship dynamics
Feel disconnected from your Filipino identity or uncertain about where you belong
Want to process these experiences with people who may understand their cultural context
What We May Explore Together?
The group will be shaped by the experiences and needs of its members. Conversations may include:
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How being the eldest daughter, caretaker, peacekeeper, achiever, translator, or “strong one” has shaped your identity and relationships.
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Where these feelings come from, how they influence our choices, and why choosing ourselves can feel like betraying the people we love.
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What happens when setting a boundary is interpreted as selfishness, disrespect, or rejection, and how we can begin approaching conflict differently.
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How colonialism, migration, displacement, economic survival, racism, and family history can continue to influence the ways we relate to ourselves and one another.
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Making room for the complexity of being Filipina/x/o, including mixed, multiracial, queer, first-generation, second-generation, diasporic, or culturally disconnected experiences.
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Identifying the patterns you no longer want to repeat and imagining relationships built around greater safety, honesty, choice, and care.
Community, culture and healing
Why Heal in Community?
Many of us were taught that family problems should remain private.
We may have learned to protect other people’s reputations, minimize what happened, or stay quiet to avoid causing more conflict.
Even in therapy, it can be exhausting to explain the cultural meaning behind every expectation, comment, or family role.
Healing in community offers something different.
It allows us to recognize that many of the struggles we experience as personal failures are connected to larger family, cultural, and historical patterns.
It gives us the opportunity to be witnessed by people who may understand the contradictions of loving where we come from while wanting to live differently.
Meet Your Facilitator
Jessica Hernandez, LCSW
Lead Clinician and Clinical Supervisor
Pronouns: she/her
Jessica is a mixed Filipinx/Latinx, bisexual, first-generation, Fat therapist whose work is grounded in relational, humanistic, culturally humble, and trauma-centered care.
Her approach recognizes that healing occurs through relationships, meaningful action, and community. She supports people in exploring intersectional identity, trauma, grief, family dynamics, and the parts of themselves they may have struggled to reconcile or fully express.
Jessica brings a grounding and soothing presence to therapy while remaining relatable, human, and unafraid to use humor. She incorporates narrative therapy, somatic work, parts work, movement, art, and music to help people process their experiences and reconnect with their own resilience.
She has facilitated Bayanihan: We Heal Together for the past two years. The group grows from her commitment to creating culturally responsive, decolonial healing spaces where Filipina/x/o adults can examine harmful family dynamics and practice breaking intergenerational cycles together.
Frequently Asked Questions
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[Jessica to confirm whether people who are not current EMTC clients can participate.]
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Yes. Bayanihan: We Heal Together is a facilitated virtual therapy group offered through Empowered Mind Therapy Center.
[Confirm this clinical classification before publishing.]
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[Add the cost per session or total cost for all six sessions.]
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[Add applicable insurance or private-pay information.]
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Because safety, trust, and connection develop over time, participants should plan to attend all six sessions.
[Confirm whether full attendance is required.]
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The group is for Filipina/x/o adults located in California. This can include mixed, multiracial, queer, trans, first-generation, second-generation, immigrant, diasporic, adopted, and culturally disconnected Filipina/x/o adults.
There is no single correct way to experience or relate to Filipino identity.
[Confirm age requirement and inclusion language.]
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A member of the Empowered Mind team will contact you with more information and help you determine whether the group is a good fit.
Submitting an interest form does not obligate you to participate.
Bayanihan: We Heal Together
You Do Not Have to Break the Cycle Alone
It takes courage to question the patterns that shaped you, especially when those patterns are intertwined with family, survival, culture, and love.
Bayanihan offers a place to begin that work with people who may understand.
Ready to Get Started?
Our Client Care Coordinator is ready to connect you with a therapist who is the best fit for you, your unique experience, needs and goals.
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