Our Team
We bring different perspectives to the table, but we’re united by a love for creating spaces for people who were never given the chance to just exist.
Sarita Barnes, ACSW
about Sarita
Nickname: Many have tried to nickname me; many have failed. My mother beholds the only three I’ve ever had, and Louis is my favorite one she has named me. And no it won’t make a lick of sense unless you know the story.
Zodiac sign: Libra (through and through y’all)
Favorite movie: A three way tie between Inside Out 2, Jumanji, Victor Victoria
I am an integrative trauma therapist specializing in Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems (IFS parts work), and narrative therapy. My practice offers harm-reductive, strength-based care for individuals managing CPTSD, chronic illness, disability, and burnout. By synthesizing body-based awareness with talk therapy, I help you process unresolved trauma stored in the nervous system so you can honor your true capacity and reclaim your voice.
Individual sessions with me are collaborative, neuro-affirming, and grounded in harm reduction. We view disconnection, anxiety, or perfectionism not as flaws, but as adaptive responses rooted in protection. We combine nervous system psychoeducation, exposure work, and somatic awareness to help you identify your authentic needs, adjust to major life shifts, and develop relational tools that foster long-term security, empowerment, and genuine connection.
Investment: $145 per individual therapy session (50-minutes). Sliding scale available.
Facilitating grief groups: In group therapy, we focus on co-creating deep safety, genuine vulnerability, and community connection so you never have to carry the weight of loss in isolation. Each 90-minute session balances real-time application of somatic nervous system regulation with open, reflective processing. It is a compassionate space designed to help you process relational trauma, honor your healing timeline, and rebuild trust in community.
Investment: $45-65 per group session in our 9-week grief group
Melissa Velasquez, ACSW
Nickname: Mel (she/her/ella)
Zodiac sign: Scorpio
Favorite movie: Shrek and Howl’s Moving Castle
Hi folx! I think its important to get to know your therapist since your therapist gets to know so much about you.
Here’s a little bit about me:
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I’m the youngest of three sisters. I was raised by a single-mom, but really it took a village. I am neurodivergent and wasn’t diagnosed until adulthood. I adore being home with my two cats and my dog (Sid the tuxedo, Blue Barrymore the Siamese and Bo the German Shepherd). My ancestral roots of Guatemala (Mam) are very important to me since I come from a lineage of wellness workers, so bringing this into the work that I do is vital. I have always been passionate about the work that I do as I identify as a social advocate. I love connecting with my clients in a way where I am always rooting for their success and will gently challenge them to sit with discomfort.
Individual sessions with me can look like body doubling a hard task, creating Dungeons & Dragons character sheets, processing feelings around recent changes in your life, listening to music to help move your body, using oracle to support with guidance within ancestral work, and engaging in casual conversation to help build trust between you and I to help you meet your goals.
Investment: $150 per individual therapy session (50-minutes). Sliding scale available.
Facilitating grief groups: Working and holding space for grief has always been something very important to me as I believe that our culture has disconnected themselves from what grief truly is and has distorted grief as “taboo.” I believe that just like love, anger, and hope— grief can coexist. I learned at a young age that grief is a cluster of thoughts, feelings, memories, pain and everything in between. You don’t have to hold it alone.
Investment: $45-65 per group session in our 9-week grief group