About me

Hi, I'm Tahirih Herrera. I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker...but what I am really is a helper. I help people of all ages who have experienced hard things, from young children to adults. I work with people who long to feel relief, but they're overwhelmed and don't know how to move forward.

This page is to give you a sense of who I am and how I can help.

I'm down to earth and my clients know they won't be judged.  I’m not here to tell you to think about the issue differently. I'm here to listen and to support you toward your goals.

I guide my clients to learn how to be and do with their grief, and for those who have experienced trauma, I support them in healing at the root so they can find relief and joy in their lives.

I am passionate about the need to depathologize grief. Grief is a natural response to losing someone you love and care about. This is especially true for the untimely death of a child or loved one, which may cause trauma symptoms. The bereaved have a natural reaction to an unnatural event.

Many of my clients come to me around grief, medical trauma, and early or developmental trauma that lives in the body without a clear story. They often understand their patterns well but still feel them in their bodies and relationships, and that's where a somatic and attachment-focused approach can help.

My understanding of grief and trauma isn't only professional. I've experienced traumatic loss as an aunt and sister-in-law, I've grieved my father and other loved ones, and I've walked my own road of healing from developmental and medical trauma. I know what it's like to continue to walk that road.

What I bring is an individualized approach-where each feels seen for who they truly are and to reconnect with their best parts of themselves. Therapy doesn't always look like it does on TV - maybe we'll cry. Perhaps we'll laugh. Maybe we'll talk about the hard stuff and do both. But I follow your child's lead. We'll talk about the day-to-day and the complex parts. But what is most important is, I'm learning how best to help them and you, and they're learning how to rely on themselves and thrive.

If you've been "othered," or have had to mask, code-switch, or tuck away parts of yourself to feel safe or belong, you're welcome here. That includes people who are neurodivergent, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+, and their families. You do not have to worry that I won't believe you or minimize your experiences. I am social justice-oriented and committed to depathologizing and decolonizing mental health. I am an ally and LGBTQIA+ affirming.

I believe healing from the deepest of traumas, changing those negative stories, learning self-compassion, and living by your values is possible for everyone, at every age. That's why I hope you'll reach out today.

Wondering if I know what I'm doing? I do and I love it! I began working with families more than a decade ago as a parent coach, and over time my clinical work has grown into a somatic and attachment-focused approach. I'm a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, Certified Brainspotting Practitioner, and Certified Theraplay Practitioner, with additional training in somatic touch skills for therapists, DARe, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, and EMDR. My roots include a postgraduate residency with Phoenix Interfaith Counseling, providing full-protocol DBT, and work in inpatient psychiatric and medical settings. I hold an MSW from Arizona State University and am licensed through the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health.

Outside of work, you'll find me with family, in community, always learning, and happiest when I'm traveling or coming home from it.