Dr. Ana Sierra is a fierce advocate for Latinas in the Washington D.C. Metro area. She works with girls and women who have experienced sexual violence, sex trafficking, and intimate partner abuse, and provides them with a wide range of support services – from housing, immigration support, and healthcare – and counseling to deal with the traumas many have experienced. “In Chicago I worked with women exiting the sex trade, these were predominantly African American women between the ages of 40 to 55. In Northern Virginia, I worked with teen Latinas who had been trafficked, many of (were) them undocumented.” Dr. Sierra explains.
The Latina Healing Institute
Through her international work and the work she does at her private practice, Dr. Sierra found inspiration to develop The Latina Healing Institute, which is launching this year.
The Latina Healing Institute will be a safe place for Latinas and allies to have conversations about bias, sexism, and experiences of women of color in academic and professional environments. The institute will provide group therapy, courses, professional development, and retreats.
Dr. Ana Sierra is a The Chicago School alumnus who received her master’s degree in Clinical Counseling with a concentration in Latino mental health at the Chicago Campus in 2008. In 2020, she completed a Ph.D. degree in International Psychology at the Washington D.C. campus and was awarded the 2021 The Chicago School Distinguished Alumni Award.
Trauma-Informed Care
While pursuing her doctoral degree, Dr. Sierra worked with an international organization traveling back and forth from Washington D.C. to Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic for three and a half years. During that time, she created trauma-informed programs. Additionally, she worked with other psychologists to treat children who had been sexually abused and children who experienced commercial sexual exploitation.
Trauma-informed programs are critical when working with the immigrant community, and the general Latinx community. It incorporates universal precautions as trauma is likely to come in therapy and interactions.
Dr. Sierra says she is grateful for her education at The Chicago School because of the emphasis on trauma-informed care. She says not enough mental health education institutions focus on this. “Trauma informed programs meet the client where they are. It is flexible to the needs of the client. It incorporates a culturally sensitive approach which is a major blind spot as Latinx people come from diverse races, ethnic backgrounds, and experiences.”
To learn more about her work, check out Dr. Sierra’s