Art Therapy in Sacramento, CA

Mr. Sanchez is a trained Marriage and Family Therapist with a background in Indigenous arts and cultural traditions. By engaging traditional approaches of psychotherapy, art , and culture, he works with clients to identify their strengths as determined by the health of their social, cultural, family, spiritual and behavioral cycles. His approach offers strength based therapeutic interventions, while utilizing art and culture to support clients in creating practices to strengthen coping skills, relationship patterns, systems of support, concepts of self, and increasing awareness of their role in creating their healing process.

I have been a therapist for over twenty-five years and have had the opportunity to work with many different clients and circumstances along the way. I provide therapy for children, adolescents, adults, and families. I am constantly amazed by the strength and perseverance of my clients and I greatly appreciate that they allow me into their lives so that we may work through their challenges together. In particular, I have worked extensively with children and parents, many of divorced families. My adult clients are often dealing with depression, anxiety, relationship problems, and childhood issues.

The search for a therapist often begins at the point when the pain and struggle outweigh the capacity to cope on your own. Whether the search for a therapist is for yourself or your child, to work on a specific challenge or to work through years of challenges, finding relief from the pain and struggle and a path for growth is often the end goal. My intention is to function as a compassionate guide to find the answers within you, perhaps buried under stress and trauma responses which allowed you to survive to this point in your journey.

I am passionate and dedicated to creating a trusting relationship and safe space for the process of narrating your personal story. Over 10 years I've worked in community-based programs with both teens and adults. I especially enjoy working with young people ages 16 to 25 (Transitional Aged Youth) a population that’s often overlooked and underserved. Having personally struggled myself during that time, I know how to identify with that challenging life transition and sometimes overwhelming decisions of "What's next?" let alone the bigger question of "Who am I?".

My focus is on working with youth and adults who carry unique emotional and psychological sensitivities. My style, that embodies more of humanistic and holistic approaches, has proven to be very effective with individuals who are connected to spiritual or creative energies; individuals such as artists, healers and LGBTQ, who struggle with self acceptance, self esteem, anxiety and depression. My aim is to help you find and acknowledge all parts of yourself, heal and embrace them all, in order to create a complete and wholesome you.

The idea that one learns by experiencing and is truly capable of making the necessary shifts in their lives is a mantra I live by. When one person mirrors another with gentle listening, others are able to clearly see what no longer works in their lives. Ingrained habits coming from difficult childhoods could be the very source of havoc, that with conscious awareness, can shift. Perhaps the way one communicates is keeping love from flowing in your life. Maybe parenting a child who reminds you of yourself means confronting yourself on a deeply personal level. Or perhaps it is simply a life transition that is simply too much.

I believe that valuable therapeutic work can only be done with a strong and trusting relationship between client and therapist. I work to create a safe and comfortable environment in which you can truly show up as yourself, and know that you will be accepted and seen just as you are. My approach is warm and authentic. I want therapy to be so much more than me sitting in front of you and asking “...how does that make you feel?” If you’re interested in integrating art , play, movement, music, sand tray, or spiritual practices into our work - let’s do it! We all deserve to take up space in ways that feel good.

UPDATE: I am currently no longer accepting new clients. My practice focuses on individual work for children, adolescents and adults, in addition to a variety of groups for children and adults.

I believe we come to our most difficult passages in life at opportune times in order to grow toward our true capacity and purpose. I respect that my clients possess the seeds of awareness and expertise to find answers and solutions to their own problems. My role is to facilitate a compassionate perspective to assist in working through difficult emotions, reactive defenses, or protective habits, and open attention back to fruitful areas. I am an advocate for personal development, collaborating in finding useful vantage points for expanding visibility, encouraging resolution, and resumption of the innate growth process.

We see you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and disconnected from your emotions. You're simultaneously worried about the state of the world and paralyzed from information overload. We see our kids struggling with feelings of insecurity and perfectionism, compounded by the stress of social media and looming fears about the future. We want to help you find more calm and greater peace through a deeper understanding of yourself.

I love working with individuals to overcome challenging times. Challenging times include navigating life during a pandemic, life transitions, relationship difficulties, parenting struggles, and dealing with stress.

Relationships move us, give us life, and can even suck the life out of us. We were made for them. That is why I specialize in them - relationships with friends, family, colleagues, ourselves, our higher power. Properly realigning these problematic, strained, estranged relationships transforms your suffering into purposeful, worthwhile living. Ultimately your fullest life is my goal as your therapist. The greatest gift you can bring to your relationships is you. The best gift you can give the world is your relationships. What will you choose to do with these two important aspects of your one life?

I graduated from a M.S. mental health counseling program at Eastern Washington University in 1995, got certified and ran a private practice in Seattle from 1995 through 2003. I worked in an outpatient community clinic, an inpatient psychiatric hospital, at retreat centers, and at a college counseling center until starting work on a PhD in Religious Studies and Psychology. I worked, studied, and lived in Europe, East Asia, and Africa before teaching 10 years at San Jose State University, so I am comfortable and confident working with very different sorts of people and I want everyone and anyone to feel welcome and at ease in my care.

First, I want to acknowledge how brave you are for being here and seeking help. There is no problem too big or small to ask for help. My hope is to create a space for you to feel truly safe and supported while having your experiences in life honored and validated. I help children, teens, and young adults overcome anxiety, depression, trauma, school stressors, behavioral challenges, and family relationship issues. Through a collaborative approach, I help clients recognize healthier patterns, positive coping skills, and behaviors to help them move towards a place of healing.