Juan Peralta Psychotherapy, LMHC

Being raised in a multicultural city afforded me the opportunity to meet individuals from all walks of life. Working as a tutor in college provided me a front row seat into the lives of Brooklyn families. What I noticed was that mental health issues were hardly addressed, particularly in immigrant households. Being a child of immigrants, I knew the day-to-day struggles these families faced. I decided to pursue mental health counseling in graduate school to make a difference in and out of my community and turn the tide on the stigma of mental health.

I’m a firm believer that regardless of age we all possess the agency and power to grow. My practice focuses on helping individuals identify what they would like to change in their lives. Through a welcoming and trusting relationship, clients have found success in managing symptoms of trauma, life transitions, relationships, and self-esteem. I use cognitive behavioral interventions to help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression while also integrating solution-focused and mindfulness techniques. I ask clients to commit to themselves as the majority of the “work” is done outside of the session.

The destigmatization of mental health within communities of color is encouraging and exciting (not only for clients but for providers as well). Far too often minorities are left out of conversations that relate to them. As a man of color and a provider, I can attest to feeling like an island in an open ocean and having colleagues of color reaffirms my belief that change is happening as we speak.