ABOUT US

Meet Vanessa

A smiling woman with long brown hair, wearing a black top and a gold bracelet, resting her chin on her hand in a warmly lit room.

Pink circular text that reads, 'Empowered Mind The Heart' and 'Center Your'.

Vanessa Solis,
LCSW

Founder & CEO

Pronouns: she/her
vanessa@empoweredmindca.com
Languages: English

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About Me

I’m a Filipina and Mexican, mom, wife, sister, daughter, nina, tía, & bestie working on her own healing too. I'm a trauma survivor, and grief navigator having lost loved ones to violence, cancer, & suicide. I struggle with depression, and I've always loved to sing and dance. Clients have told me that I’m their “professional homie”, and I take pride in that. They’ve said I’m skilled at trauma treatment, all while being relatable, goofy, and I curse a little for emphasis. I’m grounded in my humanness and in social justice, and always bring those parts of me into the therapy room. When I'm not in the therapy chair I'm being educated about superheroes & Pokemon by my 5yo daughter, Netflix binging with my husband, going on long walks, singing my heart out to 90s RnB, having solo dance parties, hanging with my family, and having brunch with long time friends.

A woman sitting on artificial grass in front of a colorful mural that includes red, yellow, and black elements, text, and symbols. She is smiling, wearing sunglasses, a black tank top, denim shorts, and black sandals.

I can help by helping you move from simply "getting by" to truly thriving. We’ll start by recalibrating your nervous system using brain-based tools that help shift you out of high-functioning anxiety or survival mode and back into a place where you feel in control of your own life.
Together, we’ll do the deep work of untangling generational trauma—identifying the patterns that aren't yours to carry so you can build a new legacy of resilience for yourself and your family. Because your identity matters, I provide a space where you’re fully seen and understood; you won’t have to "explain" the weight of systemic barriers here.
Ultimately, treating your healing as a form of community care, making sure the work we do together ripples out to support you in your roles as a leader, a partner, and a pillar of your community.
I believe that the most effective therapy happens when high-level clinical expertise meets a deep respect for your unique lived experience. My work is rooted in clinical innovation—moving beyond traditional talk therapy to offer brain-based modalities like EMDR and Brainspotting.

I’m passionate about demystifying how trauma and anxiety actually function in your brain, because I want to empower you with the deep education you need to understand your own incredible capacity to heal. In my practice, I lead with cultural humility and a commitment to healing justice. This is a space where the multiple, intersecting aspects of your identity are honored and the weight of systemic barriers is held as a known truth.

While I may not personally share every part of your journey, I am dedicated to providing a high-level, responsive environment where you don’t have to spend your energy "explaining" the validity of your reality. I view your mental health as essential part of the collective.
My goal is to provide the kind of high-quality care that allows your personal healing to ripple out, transforming your family, your leadership, and your community.
Therapeutic Approaches: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR‍) • Narrative Therapy • Feminist Therapy • Parts Work • Somatic Therapy • Dialectival Behavioral Therapy (DBT) • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) • Mindfulness • Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) • Motivational Interviewing --- Guiding Principles: Compassion-Focused • Collective Care-Centered • Trauma-Centered • Decolonial and Anti-Oppressive • Liberation-Focused • Culturally-Responsive
I work with high-achieving BIPOC women and QTBIPOC leaders—the executives, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and moms who are the 'Generational Cycle-Breakers' of their families.

I support the person who is juggling high-stakes roles as a partner, parent, and leader, but is hitting a wall due to anxiety, depression, or the weight of systemic barriers.

They aren't looking for 'just' talk therapy; they want a brain-based strategy to heal the nervous system so they can show up and lead effectively in every area of their life.
Intergenerational & Historical trauma, Racial Trauma, Childhood Abuse & Trauma, Sexual Assault and Abuse, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Self Agency & Worth, Grief & Loss, Intersectionality & Identity Reclamation