Mirna Pacheco is a Licensed Professional Counselor who works with adults in all stages of life to help them spark their innate ability to heal from traumatic experiences, navigate through life challenges, foster healthy relationships and rediscover a meaningful life. Mirna believes in personalized care and a holistic approach to healing, considering that each person has a unique set of circumstances and needs for treatment.
Inspiration
Mirna was inspired by her experience working in the legal field with a nonprofit organization in New York City. She helped women who were seeking legal services after having been victims of domestic violence and abuse. In the process of listening to these women give details of their experiences with the purpose of seeking safety and positive change in their lives, Mirna learned that in order to accomplish this goal, the most important factor was addressing their mental health. It was these connections and passion to help others overcome past traumatic experiences that led her to seek a career in professional counseling.
Education
Mirna holds a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy from Ottawa University.
After graduation, she began working in a community mental health clinic as a family therapist in Maricopa, Arizona providing mental health services to adults and families from diverse backgrounds, presenting problems ranging from general mental health to more complex conditions like mood disorders, chronic trauma and serious mental illnesses. Mirna then joined an outreach community program with a local hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona where she worked as behavioral health counselor and had the opportunity to utilize an integrative model of wellness working closely with medical doctors, nutritionists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, providing compassionate care and addressing the needs of the community in different aspects of their wellness. Now Mirna practices in Phoenix with Mental Health Center of America as a licensed professional counselor, providing evidence-based psychotherapy services utilizing a multi-disciplinary model and collaborating with a team of professionals dedicated to addressing the needs of clients as a whole.
Professional Experience
Over the last eleven years, Mirna has garnered the respect of her clients and fellow professionals by providing quality and compassionate care to the people she serves while upholding the mission of the organization she represents.
Mirna has completed advanced training in EMDR and utilizes other evidence-based treatments including DBT, CBT, CPT, along with client-centered approaches to better address her client’s needs and preferences for treatment. Mirna also holds a Graduate Certification in Expressive Arts Therapy and is a National Certified Counselor (NBCC).
Personal Interests
When she is not working with her clients, Mirna enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors hiking and kayaking, exploring new places, painting and working to improve her cooking abilities in the kitchen.
Mirna’s favorite movies include:
- The Green Mile
- Scent of a Woman
And her favorite authors include:
- Charles Dickens
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
