Bayanihan: We Heal Together
A six-session virtual therapy group for Filipina/x/o adults across California exploring family dynamics, intergenerational trauma, and inherited patterns.
Jessica Hernandez, LCSW
Bayanihan: We Heal Together
October 6, 2026 Tuesday
5:30–7:00 PM Pacific Time
Every other Tuesday Six sessions
Virtual Empowered Mind Therapy Center
Filipina/x/o adults Located in California
5–8 people Small group setting
Session Dates
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.
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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The group is open to both current EMTC clients and folks who are not currently working with us
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Yes. Bayanihan: We Heal Together is a facilitated virtual therapy group offered through Empowered Mind Therapy Center.
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Cost is $60 per session. Payment is made per session, folks are not expected to pay the for the entire series up front.
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Please refer to our fees & insurance page for more details: https://www.empoweredmindca.com/fees-insurance
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Yes full attendance is required. Attendance parameters and structure will be discussed in consent form and during first session
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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.
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Age requirement is 18+ and the group is provided in English
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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