Daniela Meza-Gomez, Master’s Level Intern

As a daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college student, my personal experiences have shaped my passion for pursuing a career in mental health. I have seen and experienced how stigma surrounding mental health can exist within communities and how cultural beliefs, systemic barriers, language differences, and limited access to resources can sometimes make it difficult for individuals and families to seek support. I was drawn to this field because I am passionate about helping reduce stigma, increase understanding through psychoeducation, and helping bridge gaps in mental health care. I hope to contribute to making mental health spaces more equitable, accessible, and accepting for individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities.

I strive to approach my work with clients from a collaborative, person-centered, and culturally informed perspective. I believe that clients are the experts on their own lives, experiences, identities, and communities. Rather than assuming that there is one "right" way to understand or address a person's concerns, I value listening to and learning from each client's unique experiences, values, strengths, and perspectives. I aim to practice cultural humility by remaining open, curious, and respectful toward the diverse cultures, identities, beliefs, and lived experiences that clients bring into the counseling space. I believe individuals should not have to separate their cultural identity, family, community, values, or beliefs from the therapeutic process. My goal is to create a warm and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel respected, heard, and supported. I hope clients gain a greater understanding of themselves, their experiences, relationships, strengths, and values. I also hope clients feel empowered to define what growth, healing, and well-being mean for themselves rather than feeling that those ideas need to fit someone else's expectations. I hope therapy can be a space where individuals feel comfortable exploring their stories, making meaning of their experiences, and recognizing the strengths they already possess. I also value psychoeducation and hope to help clients increase their understanding of mental health and emotional well-being in ways that feel meaningful and relevant to their lives. Ultimately, I hope clients leave therapy feeling heard, supported, empowered, and more confident in their ability to navigate challenges and pursue their personal goals.

My areas of interest include personal growth and self-exploration, identity development, life transitions, interpersonal relationships, and supporting individuals as they navigate challenges and make meaning of their experiences. I am also passionate about mental health equity, reducing stigma, psychoeducation, and helping bridge gaps in access to mental health resources and support. My developing clinical interests include narrative therapy, interpersonal therapy, person-centered approaches, and culturally informed counseling. I am particularly interested in narrative therapy because I value the opportunity for individuals to explore the stories they have developed about themselves and their lives while recognizing that they are more than the challenges or problems they experience. I am also interested in interpersonal therapy and exploring how relationships, communication, social support, and life transitions can influence an individual's emotional well-being. Across my developing approach, I value cultural humility and strive to consider how culture, identity, family, community, and broader social experiences may shape each person's experiences.

I am interested in working with children, emerging adults, and adults from diverse cultural backgrounds, identities, and life experiences. I welcome the opportunity to work with individuals from all communities and strive to approach each person with openness, respect, curiosity, and cultural humility. I am passionate about creating a space where individuals feel comfortable showing up as their full selves and where their cultural identities, values, beliefs, families, and communities are respected as meaningful parts of their experiences. I am currently completing graduate-level training in Counseling Psychology and gaining clinical experience as a Counseling Psychology Intern. My developing areas of clinical interest include narrative therapy and interpersonal therapy. I am committed to continuing my professional development and expanding my knowledge and skills throughout my training and future career. I value ongoing learning, self-reflection, and cultural humility as important parts of providing respectful and responsive mental health support.