Pau Benavides, LCSW
Therapist
Pronouns: they/them/elle
Do you find yourself repeating difficult relational dynamics in different parts of your life? Do you notice a harsh internal dialogue that makes it tricky to connect to complex emotions and thoughts? Maybe you feel exhausted trying to navigate oppressive systems and want to allow for grief and rage while also finding ways to live life on your own terms. Together, we can explore these and many more areas of your life with openness, vulnerability, and a dash of humor!
About Pau
I am a genderqueer, lesbian, Latine immigrant who loves celebrating and supporting multicultural and bilingual experiences in the therapy space, and welcomes clients who want to move between English and Spanish throughout our sessions. As someone living with chronic pain, I understand how difficult it can be to navigate life while carrying invisible experiences. These intersecting identities, alongside my work with transformative justice, have shaped how I see rupture and harm not as irreparable, but as opportunities to deepen our relationships and better understand our internal world.
I am a relational, anti-oppressive, and abolitionist therapist, who honors the political nature of therapy. I draw from Relational-Cultural Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to co-create a safe enough space for discomfort, curiosity, and growth. These lenses create space for all of your complexity so that we can move beyond intellectualizing and toward a deeper connection with yourself and the relationships that shape your life.
Working with Pau
I think of therapy as a collaborative space where I invite you to show up exactly as you are and bring your feelings, curiosities, and lifelong expertise. My practice recognizes that the feelings, thoughts, and dynamics that show up in your life may also find themselves in the therapy space. We will use the therapeutic relationship as an important part of healing and a nonjudgemental container where you can show up as your messiest self.
In session, we will get to know the vulnerable, protective, worried parts of you and find ways to create safety for them so that you can better connect with yourself and work towards meaningful change in your life. If you feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to slow down and tune into your body and emotions, we will sit in the wordlessness of your emotional landscape, and create room for whatever comes up, infusing humor and vulnerability to explore the depth of your emotional experiences.
To me, therapy is a space to get curious, play, and make meaning of the things you may not otherwise allow yourself to name. Together we will examine old patterns and stories you’ve inherited, deepen self-understanding, and consider how you want to show up in your life and relationships moving forward.
Specialty
I may be a good fit if you want to explore the following experiences and identities:
Immigrant family dynamics
Gender and sexuality identity and expansiveness
Chronic pain and disability
Non-traditional relationship structures (e.g. ethical nonmonogamy)
Kink, BDSM, and fetish communities
Complex trauma/C-PTSD (e.g. attachment trauma, parentification, and intimate partner violence)
Anxiety
Depression
Neurodivergence
Sex work
Navigating oppressive structures and institutions
Care givers and care partners
Conflict resolution and compassionate communication
Education, Training, and Certifications
Master of Social Work from Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work
Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies from The University of Texas at Austin
Restorative Justice Facilitation Graduate Certificate from The University of San Diego
