Jennifer Coria-Munoz

I think my success comes from my passion and my work. My clients come to my office because of word of mouth - they're talking about the improvements they've experienced with other people, and those people are calling because they're interested. I think my work speaks for itself. I also use something that's evidence-based, EMDR, which has repeatedly shown to have massive improvements in treating trauma. Beyond that, I love networking and connecting with other clinicians in the community. When I first opened my business, I messaged a ton of therapists and said, 'Hey, I know you do similar work, can we grab some coffee and just chit-chat?' Now we have built a great referral system, and I know what they do, so anybody that comes to me that I feel would be a better fit with them, I send to them. I try to be a supporter of other clinicians in the community and show up for them, and clinicians do that for me as well. I've also been invited to be in pilot programs with Corwell Health because they heard of me and the work that I did - it was all word of mouth. The goal was to connect their patients with therapists that represented them, so we had a small group of BIPOC clinicians committed to this program for a year working with BIPOC clients. My mission has always stayed the same - to provide culturally sensitive and trauma-informed care to communities like mine. I think because I'm also a supporter and show up for other clinicians, and clinicians do that for me as well, that's part of the reason why the practice has been so successful.

The best piece of advice I received was to focus on the tree, not the whole forest. I am someone who is always on the move and working on something - if you were involved in my life, everybody knows that about me. I've been actively working on trying to slow down for my own health and sanity, but also because I recognize that I can't do everything at once. When I think about the practice I want to have and everything I'm trying to do, it can be very overwhelming. Getting that piece of advice to just focus on the tree, not everything that you're trying to do, and take it one step at a time - once you check that off, move on to the next piece - that was so helpful for me. I know where I want to be in 5 years from now, but I just have to focus on this one step that's in front of me right now.

I think the piece of advice that I would have, especially for young women like me who might be a person of color, is to be cautious of imposter syndrome. I think BIPOC folks in general have this sentiment that we're not supposed to be here, and that we're not good enough. But the fact is, you should be there. That spot is reserved and made just for you, because you don't know who's on the other side waiting for you. Be mindful of imposter syndrome, and have confidence in yourselves. It's okay not to know everything right now, and trust yourselves to have the capacity to figure it out. I always go back to that piece of advice myself - I know that I don't have all the answers, but I know that I'm resourceful enough that I can contact someone, and they can point me in the right direction, or I can do some research and get some clarity.

I think one of the biggest challenges is the lack of education and training on financial literacy. My degree is in Bachelor's of Social Work and Master's in medical social work - I am not good at math. But what I've noticed across the board in my meetings - I attend something called the Boss's Lunch and I'm part of different organizations where practice owners meet - is that we all kind of struggle in some format with financial literacy. Things like knowing how much should I put away for my taxes as an independent contractor and self-employed person, how do I open up a 401K, who do I contact for my taxes, who do I contact to invest my retirement account? Financial literacy has been gatekept, so even though Hispanics have been in this country for many decades, we don't have the same amount of generational wealth as other groups. One of the reasons is that financial literacy is gatekept. We don't have a lot of knowledge, and it's also a cultural component where everybody back home needs money, so the little that we have saved up, now we're sending over there. One of the issues that I've encountered as a clinician of color is just not knowing how do I properly manage the money that's coming in, what should I invest in, how am I going to manage my taxes, and questions as simple as should I switch over to an S-Corp to reduce my taxes. That's why I mentioned Spring GR and the instructors and mentors that I had - they were so helpful in covering all the bases of being a business owner, and that was one of them. I wish that there was more formal training on how to manage the financials piece of being a business owner and a therapist, especially because it feels a little bit strange being in a helping profession but also being in private practice, because the expectation is that you're still being reimbursed for the service that you're providing.

The values that are most important to me are compassion, empathy, cultural sensitivity, and service to others. My whole mission has been to provide culturally sensitive and trauma-informed care to communities that look like me and share my experiences. As a Mexican-American daughter of a Mexican immigrant who is bilingual and navigates both American and Mexican cultures, I have a deeper understanding of what it's like to be stuck between two worlds. I treat a lot of folks that are just like me - daughters of immigrants or immigrants themselves - and I'm passionate about being in spaces where I can normalize mental health for Hispanic individuals, showing them that therapy is not just for crazy people or for white people. Especially right now in this political climate when Hispanics are being targeted and villainized, when families are being destroyed and communities are being torn apart, my heart and my passion is making sure that my community is being supported and treated. I believe that when individuals do well, families do well, and communities do well - there's a domino effect. I also value self-care and balance, which is why I've been actively working on trying to slow down for my own health and sanity, recognizing that I can't do everything at once.