Luis Villafuerte Romero (he/him/él)

My Approach to Helping

My approach to healing is warm, empathetic, and relational. I believe many of the struggles we experience today are connected to our relationships and past experiences. The relationships we had growing up, especially with our parents or caregivers, can shape how we show up in friendships, romantic relationships, and even how we see ourselves. I like to dive deep with folks to explore the core beliefs we've developed along the way. Maybe you've learned that you're undeserving of love, that your needs are a burden, or that you have to be useful to be valued. Together, we work to understand and challenge those beliefs. I also incorporate somatic work, recognizing that our minds, emotions, and bodies are deeply connected. Sometimes we don't even recognize how stressed we are until our bodies tell us through headaches, exhaustion, or constant tension. Part of our work is learning to listen to those signals and reconnect with ourselves.

Why I Became a Therapist

I became a therapist because I didn’t see many therapists who looked like me, who I could relate to, or who understood my background and culture. Growing up, I didn’t even think of therapy as an option for myself. So, I became the therapist I would have wanted growing up. Having navigated so many spaces where I felt like I didn’t belong, these experiences deeply inform how I show up in the therapy space and my approach to working with others. I believe that healing and liberation require us to take into account our whole identities and experiences, including our culture, family, gender expression, community, and the systems we navigate.