Terry Alcantar Nelson

My name is Terry Alcántar Nelson and I am a licensed clinical social worker who has been providing counseling for over 25 years. After all this time, I still love my work and am passionate about helping people heal.

Every day is a new opportunity for me to join with clients in healing past hurts, traumas, and relationships, and addressing current life stressors and painful experiences. I am privileged to do this work and hope to be doing it for many years to come.

I am trained and have expertise in the following modalities:
-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)- a type of therapy that helps to examine negative thinking and long held beliefs which make us feel bad and stuck; it is modality that is particularly helpful for depression and anxiety
-Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which focuses on improving relationships by increasing emotional safety with loved ones, and takes into account past attachment injuries originating in childhood and current and/or past relationships
-Mindfulness, which works on increasing our focus on the present by using breath, body and grounding techniques
-Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) which uses eye movements and other types of bilateral stimulation to process traumatic experiences and memories

I see my role as a mental health provider as a guide to clients who are looking for a path to wholeness and healing. Working with with a therapist should be a collaborative process in which the client feels empowered with every session. I consider successful therapy to be one in which clients says that they feels shifts in behavior, feelings, and life circumstances.

I am a proud Latina woman who was born and raised in a small town, but was transplanted many years ago to a big city and I can see the value in both experiences. I have worked with a vast array of ethnicities and cultures and feel comfortable with diversity.

I am unique in that I am bicultural, bilingual and come to every client session ready to hold big emotions in compassionate ways. I know trauma and relationship injuries can make us feel very vulnerable and I want my clients to feel safe and emotionally held so that the work of healing brings peace and restorative experiences in all areas of life.