We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Haberer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born in Brazil and grew up in Mexico City. I moved to Houston from Mexico after my High School graduation. My background has not only shaped the cultural lens through which I view the world, but it has also allowed me to become exquisitely attuned to working with people who feel like they outsiders because of their circumstances. As a first-generation immigrant, I can relate to the multiplicity of selves we can contain and see how hard people work to acculturate to the dominant culture by hiding their pain, shame, identity or history. We all have a deep longing to connect and belong.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My private practice is unique in that it attends to entire person: mind and body. Mindful Psychotherapy offers psychotherapy, and trauma-informed yoga, as well as teacher trainings and presentations on embodied trauma. We are experiencing a shared unprecedented period of difficulty in our world, which according to writer Christakis creates contagious “cascades of grief.” These cascades can also awaken past trauma, which complicates our relationship with choice and can make us feel stuck. I find that therapy is increasingly being seen as “something you do to grow and know yourself” especially by younger people, which is exciting as it signals that mental health stigma is reducing. I think therapy can help people view their life and circumstances differently, in addition to helping folks ease their suffering. A lot of my work is grounded in the psychodynamic framework, which explores how motivations outside our conscious awareness can make us feel stuck in repetitive life or relationship patterns. I have over twenty years of clinical experience, and after having worked in outpatient and inpatient settings such as the Menninger Clinic I decided I had gathered enough experience and confidence to launch my private practice. Though the path has not been easy, I can’t say it has been grueling either. I have been immensely fortunate to encounter immense generosity of therapist colleagues and mentors, which has allowed me to face challenges with more courage and ease than I could have imagined. Lessons I continue to learn include work-life balance, the importance of taking time off, and the crucial nature of ongoing consultation with colleagues to combat isolation and make clinical work ethical and sustainable. Mindful Psychotherapy is committed to making therapy accessible to asylum seekers and is also offering pro-bono telehealth therapy to frontline healthcare providers in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Ofrezco servicios en Espanol. Si eres inmigrante no te pedire papeles de residencia en ningun momento.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, COVID-19 makes this an interesting question! After we both got our negative tests back, we would hit all the parks for walks and support my favorite restaurants such as Hugo’s with takeout for picnics for sure. If my friend was visiting from out of town, I would show her all my favorite green spaces, such as the arboretum, the new memorial park eastern glades, the Menil park, and the outdoor area of the Kinder MFA building.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate my shoutout to the Houston Center for Psychoanalytic Studies, where I am currently pursuing advanced training in Psychoanalysis. Thanks to this training, which allows for a deeper exploration one’s blind spots, I have had the opportunity to work with mentors who support and nurture the growth of my work and colleagues who inspire me.

Website: http://www.elizabethhaberer.com/
Instagram: https://www.thrivetraumainformedyoga.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-haberer-lcsw-cgp-e-ryt-bbaa6174/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haberertherapy

Image Credits
Silvina Rearte

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