{"id":107853,"date":"2019-08-02T14:33:24","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T19:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=107853"},"modified":"2019-08-26T10:30:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T15:30:33","slug":"how-a-fashionista-became-a-sex-therapist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/how-a-fashionista-became-a-sex-therapist\/","title":{"rendered":"How a fashionista became a sex therapist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rossana Sida\u2019s journey from Central California\u2019s agricultural heartland to fashion capitals like San Francisco and New York City and then to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology<\/a> was long and complex. But\u00a0<\/span>along the way she says it<\/span>\u00a0taught her the value of pursuing her dream and\u00a0<\/span>the importance of\u00a0<\/span>trusting her instincts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Rossana,\u00a0<\/span>says she grew up obsessed with fashion magazines \u2013 inspired by the beauty and creativity demo<\/span>nstrated on their glossy pages. \u201cI loved Vogue magazine,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was art. But <\/span>it also all felt out of reach \u2013 like a dream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Rossana pursued that dream. She studied apparel design and fashion merchandising at Sa<\/span>\"\"n Francisco State while working full time at a Nordstrom<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s Department Store. Her hard work paid off with new opportunities that eventually took her to Japan and then New York to manage a huge fashion retail operation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But career and financial success didn\u2019t bring her the personal satisfaction \u2013<\/span>\u00a0the sense of purpose \u2013 that she longed for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I did not know what I wanted to do, only that I wanted my work to be meaningful.\u00a0<\/span>So, I quit my job, moved back to Los Angeles and lived on my best friend<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s couch for three months until I figured it out.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those were dark days for Rossana. <\/span>She questioned her decision and feared she had made a mistake. Why wasn\u2019t a good-paying job enough?\u00a0 Was pursuing her passion \u2013 even\u00a0<\/span>without knowing exactly what it was<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 worth this\u00a0<\/span>risk?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During this\u00a0<\/span>time<\/span>\u00a0she started volunteering at Strength United<\/a>, an organization that provided crisis counseling for survivors of sexual assault. She worked directly with victims\u00a0<\/span>–\u00a0<\/span>supporting them while they were interviewed by police and examined by\u00a0<\/span>medical staff<\/span>. This wasn\u2019t a job for everyone. It was intense, emotional and sometimes traumatic \u2013 and Rossana loved it.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>I knew I wanted to be there. I wanted to know more and help more. From that<\/span>\u00a0moment<\/span>\u00a0I knew I wanted to go into sex therapy.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rossana says she had always been intrigued with the topic of sex. Her curiosity \u2013 even as a young girl \u2013 lead to many questions which she says her mother tried to provide without ever trying to make her feel guilty. It\u2019s the kind of environment she says she now provides for her clients \u2013 a safe place to explore important questions about a topic that makes most people\u00a0<\/span>uncomfortable and some damaged.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rossana just graduated from The Chicago School\u00a0<\/span>with a Psy.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy<\/a><\/span>. She was chosen to be the Student Speaker for her class \u2013 an honor\u00a0<\/span>and an opportunity for her to express her special brand of honesty.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI am an imposter,\u201d she told her fellow grads<\/a> as she recounted her first day of class. \u201cWhat made me feel I could succeed in this field?\u201d Rossana then went on to share her journey, her discoveries and her message:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIf you could connect that authentic you, the \u2018you\u2019 that isn\u2019t trying to fit in a mold or taking up space, the \u2018you\u2019 that is intentional about creating your own joy, then you will always be able to reignite that passion.<\/span> You are not an imposter.\u00a0 You belong here. You, just as you are, is enough.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

_____________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Learn more about The Chicago School of Professional Psychology\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you would like to learn more about our academic programs, fill out the form below to request more information or you can apply today through our application portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rossana Sida\u2019s journey from Central California\u2019s agricultural heartland to fashion capitals like San Francisco and New York City and then to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology was long and complex. But it\u00a0taught her the value of pursuing her dream and\u00a0the importance of\u00a0trusting her instincts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":107855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[1092],"coauthors":[1057],"class_list":["post-107853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-our-wellness","tag-be-more-than"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow a fashionista became a sex therapist - Insight Digital Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From California to NY to Japan and back to CA again, Dr. Rossana Sida's search for personal satisfaction in helping others brings her to The Chicago School.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/how-a-fashionista-became-a-sex-therapist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a fashionista became a sex therapist - 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