I. Alexis Hernandez

LMFT-Associate #206092, LPC-Associate #99790

Supervised by Alejandra Peña LMFT-S, LPC-S

I’m Alexis (they/them) and it is an honor to greet you. As a fellow traveler in life, I too walk step by step in this grand sandbox we know as the world, awing in its natural beauty, dreaming of realizing our potential, and grieving its plights.

In session, I cultivate presence and openness in meeting with each client. I don’t feign to be an expert of your life. Rather, I intently listen to your living story and identify meaningful themes. I strive to understand the unique intersectional tesseract that represents each person’s will to be. From the stories you might’ve inherited by your ancestors, to your identity and lived experience. Who we are, why we are and what we wish to be and do with our time roaming this sandbox is the core of my work. By understanding the factors that created the engine of our life story, we are to explore how to structure your life to align with the most authentic version of yourself.

My background influences my ability to connect with clients from many non-traditional backgrounds. I am a child of immigrants from rural Mexico, and have primarily lived in Texas and Guanajuato, Mx. I am a neurodivergent, first-generation college graduate. Lastly, I am queer in every sense of the word - a rebellious kook fighting for liberation against oppressive forces.

How I work:

I work from a narrative and existential lens, which focus on meaning, identity, and narratives. I also implement some somatic work to attune our mind with our body. My style is warm, thoughtful, and culturally aware. I want you to feel safe and supported as we explore what’s going on in your life. As a champion of authenticity, I check in with my clients routinely to ensure our work is authentic to you and meeting your expectations.

For relational clients, I draw on the Gottman method to improve communication patterns, while tending to the attachment wounds that emerge. These sessions may initially be psychoeducational and directive, but the goal is to eventually build skills where the relationship no longer requires my steering. Generally, I recommend starting with weekly sessions for the first 3–4 sessions while we get into a rhythm with each other and establish goals of the relationship. After that, we discuss an alternative meeting schedule or meeting for 80-minute sessions.

Who I work with:

I work with older teens and adults through individual, couples, relational or family counseling. My clients tend to have some non-traditional identity and experience the process of creating their own walk of life. I am passionate about working with fellow first-gen students or immigrants, as well as queer, and/or polyamorous individuals. Some of my focus areas include

Communication issues with partners or family members
Pre-marital counseling (ask me about the Texas Two-gether program!)
Value discrepancies
Identity exploration (neurodiversity, queerness, gender, etc.)
Grief and loss, particularly with immigrants or relatives of immigrants
Thinkers who tend to intellectualize their experience
Attachment wounds, and issues during conflict.

Who I am:

Like many folks, my identities politicize my existence. As a child of immigrants from rural Mexico, I am attuned to discrepancies in values between collectivistic and individualistic cultures. As a first-generation college graduate of Texas A&M University, I understand the pressure to assimilate into a system that isn’t designed to include us. As a queer and neurodivergent person, I have the task and honor of creating my own unorthodox lifestyle.

In my free time, I enjoy reading philosophy/fantasy/sci-fi, catching up on the latest drag show, gayming RPGs (LOVE Fallout) or team comp games, and connecting with nature with a jazzy or prog rock album. I also have an orange cat named Reuben (my telehealth folks will certainly hear him near dinner time…)

Other Services I Offer

Letters for Gender-Affirming Care

Many clinics and companies adhere to WPATH Standards of Care, requiring at least one letter of gender-affirming care. Our therapists can assist! Meet with one of our therapists for an hour consultation, which helps us understand your need and write the best letter possible.

Immigration Evaluations / Evaluaciones Migratorias

We offer psychosocial evaluations to assist individuals and families in their immigration process. Individuals often seek Immigration Evaluations services to document various difficulties. We offer this to individuals who might be seeking Asylum, VAWA, U-Visa, T-Visa or are wanting to document Extreme Hardship. Click Here to learn more

*We strongly suggest consulting with an immigration attorney who understands your specific case before submitting any paperwork or requesting an immigration evaluation. If you need assistance in connecting with an immigration attorney, we can provide various referrals. *

Process

Each immigration evaluation is unique with variation due to needs, and scheduling. Generally, the process looks like the following:

Reach out and book first appointment. Complete intake paperwork before the first appointment. One of these documents is a Release of Information to permit me to collaborate with your legal team. This is to ensure the report contain all the necessary information.
Clinical evaluation interview(s): anywhere from 1-4 times, for a total of 2-5 hours. Payment is collected at the end of the first meeting. May be half or full cost of the service.
I will draft the report in English and collaborate with your legal team. Once I have input from them, I will send the draft to you.
The remaining balance is collected. I send the report to your legal team and make any edits. The final report is sent to both you and your legal team.

Cost:

This process may take up to 4 weeks and costs $750. If you need the document quicker, I offer an express service for $1000 and can have it within 10 days.

If service cannot be paid upfront, I offer the following payment plan:

½ payment is due after our first meeting, the remaining half is paid prior to sending the report to the legal team.

Terapia Conmigo

Mis clientes tienden ser dedicados, trabajadores y aspirantes, cualidades que han sido necesarias para salir adelante y poder cuidar a familiares cercanos y lejanos. Muchos de mis clientes han tenido una vida con dolor, sufrimiento y luto, sin tener la oportunidad de reconocer y atender a esto. Cargan con heridas que no pudieron sanar adecuadamente, y siguen impactando su vida de manera directa o indirecta. A largo plazo, esto ocasiona problemas de salud mental como ansiedad, depresión y/o angustia. En nuestro trabajo juntos, entenderemos sus raíces, descubriremos cómo impactan su existencia y acudiremos a los recursos en su entorno. Mi meta es que usted esté en armonía con sus relaciones, con usted mismo/a y con su sentido de la vida.

Terapia individual

Si es su primera vez en terapia, entiendo que quizá sienta miedo frente esta incertidumbre del proceso terapéutico. Algunas personas piensan que terapia es para ser juzgado por sus pensamientos, comportamiento o emociones. ¡Pues este no es mi estilo! Mi estilo de terapia es colaborativo, es decir, no estoy para decirle la respuesta mágica a sus problemas o circunstancias. Usted conoce su vida y su entorno social y familiar más que yo. De este modo, apoyo mis clientes identificar cuáles son sus metas en la vida y en nuestro tratamiento. Yo estaré a su lado, reflejando las temáticas que cargan significado profundo y apoyando su camino a mejorar su salud mental.

Terapia de relaciones

Mi especialidad es terapia de relaciones, ya sea su pareja romántica o sus familiares. Práctico utilizando el método de Gottman, el cual lleva años de estudios científicos para informar sus intervenciones. Mi rol en estas terapias es identificar donde surgen malentendidos, y cuáles son sus raíces. Con este contexto, podemos mejorar la comunicación entre los integrantes del sistema con el fin de vivir unidos auténticamente. Para llegar ahí, es esencial sentir seguridad entre todos para poder tener pláticas honestas y con respeto mutuo. Saber escuchar a nuestro ser querido con compasión es sumamente de igual importancia que saber comunicar su propia experiencia y emociones sin ser juzgado.

Evaluaciones Psicológicas para Inmigración

Ofrezco evaluaciones psicológicas para su caso de inmigración. Este servicio es distinto a terapia, ya que es una evaluación para documentar el impacto que ha tenido su salud mental. Colaboro con su abogada/o para asegurar que este servicio cumpla con los requisitos. Este servicio está compuesto por la evaluación clínica, y el reporte.

La evaluación clínica es aproximadamente de 3 horas, la cual puede ser dividida en 2 o 3 sesiones. El costo total es de $750. Se puede pagar en completo o en 2 pagos, uno antes de nuestra primera sesión, y el otro antes de mandar el borrador a su equipo legal.

Es mi meta ser equitativo, si tiene dudas sobre este servicio, con confianza hágamelo saber.