Today we’d like to introduce you to Yesenia Delgado.
Hi Yesenia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a first-generation Cuban woman, and I grew up watching the complexities of family, culture, and relationships up close. My parents’ marriage, like many within Latinx households, was shaped by machismo and marianismo narratives. Even as a child, I was fascinated by the unspoken rules, the emotional undercurrents, and the way love and sacrifice showed up in our home. I didn’t have the language for it then, but I was already studying family systems before I ever knew what a therapist was.
That early curiosity stayed with me. Becoming a marriage and family therapist felt like a natural extension of trying to understand the emotional worlds I grew up in. As a first-generation daughter, I was often the emotional translator, bridging cultural expectations, navigating generational patterns, and learning how identity and relationships intertwine.
Those experiences deeply shaped my career. Today, as a licensed therapist and doctoral candidate, my work centers not only on trauma and relationships but also on cultural narratives and identity. My applied clinical project focuses on strengthening culturally responsive training for therapists working with Latinx clients, a direct reflection of the gaps I witnessed both personally and professionally.
After years in the field, I founded Authentic Growth Counseling to create the kind of space I wished had existed for my community: warm, culturally attuned, and transformative. My practice now spans trauma-focused work, clinical supervision, EMDR, couples intensives, and psychoeducation. Every part of my journey, from my Cuban upbringing to my academic training, informs the way I show up for the people I serve.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all. As a first-generation Cuban woman, I’ve spent most of my life learning how to navigate two worlds at once, the culture I was raised in and the one I had to build for myself. I grew up surrounded by strong narratives around gender, sacrifice, silence, and what it means to be a “good” woman. Machismo and marianismo were the air I breathed, and for a long time, I didn’t even realize how much those expectations shaped my sense of worth.
Finding my own voice has been a long, painful process. I was the first woman in my family to leave home, to live alone, to pursue higher education. There wasn’t anyone ahead of me showing me how to do it. I had to emotionally parent myself through every step. And while I’m proud of that, it also meant carrying the weight of guilt, fear, and internal conflict, wanting to honor my culture but also wanting to break free from the parts of it that kept me small.
The hardest part has been learning to separate my worth from relationships. In the Latin community, being partnered is often seen as a marker of stability or success, especially for women. There were moments where I genuinely wondered if not being married meant I was failing, or if something was “wrong” with me. Those beliefs led me into relationships that were misaligned, codependent, or not healthy for me, simply because being alone felt scarier than being in the wrong place.
The truth is, I’ve had to do a lot of unlearning. I’ve had to sit with loneliness, confront generational wounds, and rebuild my sense of self from the inside out. It’s been messy. It’s been humbling. But it’s also been the most important work of my life. And it’s made me a better therapist, a more grounded woman, and someone who now helps others break their own cycles with compassion and clarity.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My practice, Authentic Growth Counseling, was born out of both professional expertise and personal evolution. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing across multiple states, a Qualified and Clinical state supervisor for interns in Florida and Nevada, an EMDR-trained trauma therapist, a couples therapist specializing in intensive work, and a doctoral candidate focusing on culturally responsive psychotherapy training for clinicians working with Latinx communities. I work with individuals, couples, and therapists-in-training, blending trauma-informed care with culturally attuned, relational frameworks.
Clinically, I specialize in trauma, attachment wounds, generational narratives, relationship patterns, and identity development. I integrate modalities like EMDR, trauma-focused therapies, systemic approaches, sex therapy principles, and Encounter-Centered Couples Therapy into the work I do. I also offer intensives for individuals and couples, clinical supervision for therapists, and culturally grounded trainings for mental health professionals.
But above all of the training, certifications, and modalities, what truly sets my brand apart is who I am and where I come from. I’m a first-generation Cuban woman who has lived through multiple seasons of reinvention, heartbreak, codependency, financial resets, academic pressure, cultural expectations, and the experience of having to rebuild myself from the ground up more than once. I’ve lived a thousand lives, and I think that’s why my clients feel safe with me. My work isn’t just theory, it’s lived experience, resilience, and a deep understanding of what it means to fight for yourself when it feels easier to stay small.
I’m most proud of the emotional space I’ve created at Authentic Growth Counseling. It’s not just a therapy practice, it’s a space where people feel seen, validated, and deeply understood. I work with clients who are navigating identity, culture, trauma, relationships, and self-worth. People who are tired of repeating cycles. People who want to heal, but also want to evolve. My brand is a blend of clinical expertise with human truth, direct, warm, compassionate, and real.
What I want readers to know is that my work is rooted in connection. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all therapy, and I don’t treat people as diagnoses or checklists. I treat the whole person, their culture, their stories, their relationships, their history, their fears, and their hopes. Whether it’s trauma healing, couples intensives, deep identity work, or supporting other therapists in their development, my mission is to help people reconnect with their power and rewrite the narratives that have held them back.
Authentic Growth Counseling is truly that, a place for honest growth, grounded healing, and transformation that honors both the mind and the culture we come from.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a really simple, gentle little girl who found joy in the smallest things. I loved being outside, riding bikes, sitting in the grass, feeling the sun, just letting nature entertain me. There was something about the simplicity of being outdoors that always centered me, even as a child.
I also had this big imaginative, expressive side. I would host full-blown mini-concerts in my bedroom, blasting Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, putting on performances like I was on the VMAs. At every family gathering, I was the one putting on a show, choreographing dances, and making everyone watch. It was my way of expressing myself, even before I knew what self-expression meant.
Looking back, there was a softness and innocence to how I moved through the world. I wasn’t chasing anything complicated just joy, music, connection, and the comfort of nature. A lot of that still lives inside me, and honestly, it’s shaped the way I show up with my clients today: grounded, expressive, and always tuned into the simple things that make people feel human.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://authenticgrowthcounseling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapywithyesenia/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yesenia-delgado-lmft-01a28013b/?skipRedirect=true
