GET TO KNOW ME

My name is Natalie Mena and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-R) in New York State. I like to describe myself as a Latina woman, student of life, and healer. In my Latino culture, a healer is translated as a curandera, and I am just that. I describe healer as someone who can persevere from trauma and become the greatest version of themselves. I am on a journey to greater self-discovery, and I want to encourage others to do the same.

I was born and raised in the Boogie Down Bronx by a Nuyorican mother and Dominican father. Being an orphan by the age of seventeen has helped me to thrive in a world that did not expect me to succeed. With the memories of my mother’s love and her great influence on my educational path, I have navigated systems that were meant to tear me apart and became the woman I am today. I care deeply about sharing my experience and helping others in hopes of giving a voice to the voiceless. I want to make a difference in the world by improving mental health care access for our communities.

I have been providing quality mental health care since graduating from Columbia University School of Social Work in 2011. I have completed a Two-Year Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis from the Postgraduate Psychoanalytic Society & Institute in 2023. My professional experience includes working with individuals who have been affected by intergenerational trauma, anxiety, and depression. I believe in the collaborative efforts of communities to bring about change in the world, not just for us but for the future generations to come. That is why I became a Curandera, to help heal the world.