Harlene dela Torre-McIlwain

Mental health counselor (MHC-LP)
Pronouns: She/her/hers

As a BIPOC and first-generation immigrant
I understand the challenges, stresses, and difficulties of immigration and acculturation. With change, there is grief and loss but there is also renewal that comes with (re)discovering your resilience, strengths, and capabilities. And so, whether you choose to salvage whatever is left or build anew is up to you, but you do not have to do it alone. 

I believe that the power of therapy lies not in the modalities or interventions but in making you feel seen, heard, supported, and challenged. 

Therapy is difficult work, and you will feel worse before you feel better. But I am here as your guide, resource, co-conspirator, cheerleader, advocate, and sometimes, devil’s advocate.

Give yourself over to the therapeutic process and see what you are truly capable of within the confines of a safe, and accepting relationship.

Professional & Clinical Experience

• Therapeutic Modalities

  Attachment-Informed

  Trauma-Informed

  Integrative Mental Health

  Internal Family Systems/Ego-Based Psychotherapy

  Somatic and Body-Centered Therapy

  Psychodynamic

• Clinical Expertise

  Anxiety

  Trauma/Complex Trauma

  PMS/PMDD

  Cultural bereavement and migratory grief

  Grief and loss

  Millennial dating

  Life transitions

  Intergenerational trauma, family of origin, and Relationship issues

• Client Focus

  Young adults

  Students/International Students

  Adults

  Immigrants

  QTBIPOC

• Education

  MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling Antioch University New England

  BA Social Sciences (Psychology and Political Science) University of the Philippines

• Certifications and Training

  Certificate in Trauma Counseling

  Certified Trauma Professional (CTP)

  Integrative Mental Health Practitioner Training

  Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy: An Experiential Introduction

  Clinical Applications of Polyvagal Theory in Trauma Treatment

  Clinical Applications of Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  Motivational Interviewing