Chauntell Sanchez. Courtesy photo.
THOUSAND OAKS — Connecting through a shared heritage gives one therapist a unique perspective when providing personalized care and building rapport. Dedicated to her work, her cultural background, and her impact on her patients, Chauntell Sanchez is demonstrating the power of rapport.
Mental health needs are personal, and a good behavioral health clinician works to root them out delicately. As a passionate psychiatric social worker, Chauntell Sanchez, a licensed marriage and family therapist, consciously brings her self-awareness and her identity as a Latina to her work with patients at the Kaiser Permanente Thousand Oaks Medical Offices. Belonging to a minority group gives her a useful perspective in helping patients work through some of their psychological challenges.
“I have had a special connection with a few of my Latinx clients over their lived experience as first-generation individuals attempting to acculturate in this day and age,” said Sanchez. “We often talk about how our parents’ journey to a new country and the enduring trauma across generations have shaped expectations placed upon their children.”
Sanchez cited some everyday experiences: having to interpret for parents at their medical appointments, translating academic or professional documents, and dealing with expectations. Many people have also faced the challenges of risk aversity, responsibilities, imposter syndrome, and power dynamics that accompany birth order or gender.
“I like to have them try to figure out something they treasured from their upbringing, and something that they would want of their own, so they can have this bicultural identity and feel solidified as an individual,” she explained.
Sanchez first became interested in the field of mental health counseling back in high school, where she joined a peer group to talk about family challenges. She found herself leading the peer group in her senior year. From there, she studied and earned her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s degree in clinical psychology at California Lutheran University. She was the first in her family to achieve a graduate degree.
Before joining Kaiser Permanente in 2022, Sanchez worked as a clinician at the Ventura County Office of Education, Interface Behavioral Health, and Ventura County Behavioral Health. She takes an individualized approach with every patient and nurtures the bond with each one.
“Rapport is the best way toward progress.” Sanchez responds genuinely to each patient, using her natural curiosity and humility to find out what matters and how she can help.
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