I’m E. Sofia Mendoza, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and proud First Generation Latina who understands what it means to navigate between worlds. Born and raised in inner-city Los Angeles to immigrant parents, I learned early on how to code-switch, carry family expectations, and find my way in spaces that weren’t always designed for people like us.
Now living in Long Beach with my husband and daughter, I bring over 15 years of clinical experience to my practice—but more importantly, I bring the lived experience of walking the path many of my clients are on. I know what it feels like to question whether you belong in professional spaces, to carry the weight of being “the first” in your family to achieve certain milestones, and to heal while honoring the cultural strengths that sustain you.
My journey into mental health began with a deep understanding that our individual healing can’t be separated from the larger systems that shape our lives. After earning my Bachelor’s in Sociology and Master’s in Social Work, I became licensed in 2007 (LCSW28884) with a mission: to create therapeutic spaces where Women of Color—especially mothers and professionals—could heal without having to explain their cultural context or minimize their experiences.
I’ve spent years training in evidence-based approaches like EMDR, CBT, ACT, and DBT, but I don’t use these modalities in isolation. Instead, I weave them together with Liberation Psychology, Chicana/o Psychology, and decolonizing therapy frameworks because I believe healing happens when we honor both the science and the wisdom our ancestors carried forward.
You’ll also see that I reference child mental health and parenting quite often. I specialized in treating children and adolescents for many years. I still see a few children, but I mainly train other child therapists. This specialty has primed me for nurturing inner child wounds and assisting the loving reparenting process.
I believe collective healing- the understanding that your individual wellbeing is connected to your family, community, and the rest of our parts. Together, we’ll explore how all your experiences and generational pains have impacted your mental health, while also identifying the ancestral wisdom and cultural strengths that support your healing.
Whether you’re recovering from burnout, processing maternal mental health challenges, or working through trauma, our sessions create space for you to be fully yourself. No code-switching required. Just authentic, culturally responsive therapy that meets you where you are.
I speak both languages—literally and culturally. Whether we work in English or Spanish, I understand the nuances of living between cultures and the unique stressors that come with intersectional identities.
I get the professional struggle. As someone who has navigated predominantly white professional spaces while maintaining my cultural identity, I understand imposter syndrome, the exhaustion of constant code-switching, and the pressure to represent your entire community.
I see your strength, not just your symptoms. While I’m trained to recognize and treat trauma, anxiety, and depression, I also recognize the resilience, cultural wisdom, and survival skills you’ve developed. Our work builds on these existing strengths.
I understand the motherhood journey for women of color. From navigating healthcare systems that may not understand your needs to raising children while processing your own childhood experiences, I recognize the unique challenges that come with motherhood in BIPOC communities.
Burnout Recovery Intensive Therapy: An accelerated and deeply focused approach for high-achieving women of color who are exhausted from carrying too much for too long. Programs range from 6-15 hours of therapy in a short timeframe. Learn more about intensives here. Learn more about burnout here.
EMDR Trauma-Intensives: For deeper healing work, I offer therapy intensives—extended sessions designed to create breakthrough moments when you’re ready to dive deeper into your healing journey. Programs range from 6-15 hours of therapy in a short timeframe. Learn more about intensives here.
I’m also the author of the Mending Roots Coping Guides Collection—resources designed to make mental health tools accessible to our communities in both English and Spanish. This work reflects my commitment to healing that extends beyond individual therapy sessions to support collective wellbeing. I’m also currently co-authoring a book on Healing from Race Based Stress and Trauma. Read about it here.
If you’re tired of feeling like you need to choose between your cultural identity and your professional success, if you’re ready to heal in a space that honors all parts of who you are, I’d love to walk alongside you on this journey.
Your healing matters—not just for you, but for the generations that came before and those who will come after. Let’s honor that legacy together.
Currently accepting new clients for Therapy Intensive Programs in English and Spanish. I am located in Long Beach, California, serving clients throughout California via secure telehealth platforms.
While I have received several trainings with researched backed methods, I also acknowledge research limitations. I validate the experiences of those who did not find relief with such treatments, especially for BIPOC clients.
I am committed to providing therapy to folks in marginalized communities. I continuously seek to learn and become educated on how to bring in other modalities such as Liberation Psychology, Chicana/o Psychology and Decolonizing Therapy. I believe that therapy is an art form that is informed by researched, ancestral, spiritual, and cultural practices.
We can incorporate several healing tools in your therapy journey. Please read about the APA’s apology to BIPOC communities about being complicit in the USA’s history of racism and discrimination. I’m here to validate BIPOC folxs in their experiences. As a mujer of color, I do have experienced the microaggressions, discrimination, and race based invalidation throughout my personal and professional life. I’m here for you in processing it all. I’m committed to your effort in deprogramming society’s expectations of you.
Fun Facts about me: I’ve completed three Long Beach Half-Marathons. My current method of exercise is walking as much as possible.
I love to crochet and always bring my yarn and hook everywhere I go (it’s how I self-soothe). My guilty pleasures include binge watching TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy (yes, I’m very loyal and hanging on until the end), Scandal (Yes, I’m a Shonda fan), Reasonable Doubt, Gordita Chronicals, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Catastrophe, Schitt’s Creek, HBO documentaries and Jane the Virgin. Some childhood favorites are Chespirito, Chavo del 8, Small Wonder, and The Simpsons (I’m an 80s babies, what can I say.)
My favorite movies tend to be biographical and musical in nature. That means that ‘Selena’ is at the top of the list. KLOVE is the only radio station I listen to these days because it helps me stay in tune with Spanish language news and music, and I’m committed to bilingualism in my family.
Sofia Mendoza, LCSW offers courses, workshops, and trainings for the public as well as mental health professionals online and throughout Long Beach, Los Angeles and Orange County California. All courses center mental wellness and creating a space to support individuals and professionals in collective healing.
Licensed clinical social worker (LCS28884)
I am a bilingual/bicultural therapist who has specialized in mental health and psychotherapy since 2007.
Available for psychotherapy appointments for first generation professionals, burnout, depression, anxiety, and more virtually, or in Long Beach, California.
