Luz Maria Miranda LCPC, NCC

My name is Luz and my pronouns are she/they. I am a National Certified Counselor who specializes in working with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals in areas such as identity, queerness, anxiety, depression, attachment, life transitions, relationship conflicts, childhood trauma, and acculturation stress from being first-generation and in immigrant families. I understand that therapy can be scary! It’s not easy opening up to a stranger, but I want you to know I will meet you where you are. I believe in treating my clients with softness and aim to build trust and safety in the therapeutic relationship through empathy and patience.

Identity work has always been a passion of mine. I am proudly Queer and know first-hand how difficult and time-consuming it can be to find acceptance around your identities and therefore work tirelessly to validate and affirm the queer identities of my clients. I am especially passionate about working with survivors of religious trauma. Along with my Queer identity, I am also a first-generation child of immigrants. I know too well the feeling of not belonging and what that can do to our mental health. I am passionate about working with children of immigrants with generational trauma that has influenced the perceptions of the self and has hindered personal growth. You may be having a hard time setting boundaries, celebrating your success, or not diminishing your struggle because “my parents had it worse.” There is space for both being grateful and also feeling a sense of loss caused by parentification and/or self neglect. I am here to help you navigate and accept that those feelings are all valid and are allowed to co-exist.

My work centers Queer, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with a focus of decolonizing and decentering eurocentric perceptions of life – from beauty to mental health. As a descendant of the Nahua (indigenous people from Mexico), I honor the mind, body, and spirit connection. I value indigenous healing like breathwork, mindfulness, and dance and movement. In our capitalist society, it is easy for us to go on autopilot and simply work, work, work. That is completely valid since we need to work to survive. However, slowing down and being mindful of our breath, what we feel in our bodies, and simply listening to our heartbeats reconnects us to not only ourselves, but the Earth. I find it vital to practice mindfulness to break the conditioning that we aren’t worthy of rest, slowing down, or taking care of ourselves unless we’re actively “doing.” You are a human being, not a human doing! 

My therapeutic approach is compassion based and trauma-informed. Being trauma-informed means I will never push you to open up before you’re ready. This is your space, your time, and I respect you always. Storytelling is a way I engage clients when working through their trauma. We will work together in identifying the stories in your life that have been the most painful and re-write the memories in a way that makes them more approachable to you. I wish to empower you to find your voice, be the expert of your own life, and take accountability for your healing. I believe it is important to connect to our inner child in trauma work as well. 

 As a descendant of the Nahua (indigenous people from Mexico), I honor the mind, body, and spirit connection. I value indigenous healing like breathwork, mindfulness, and dance and movement. In our capitalist society, it is easy for us to go on autopilot and simply work, work, work. That is completely valid since we need to work to survive. However, slowing down and being mindful of our breath, what we feel in our bodies, and simply listening to our heartbeats reconnects us to not only ourselves, but the Earth. I find it vital to practice mindfulness to break the conditioning that we aren’t worthy of rest, slowing down, or taking care of ourselves unless we’re actively “doing.” You are a human being, not a human doing! 

I welcome intuition, creativity, and all forms of expression that honors your inner child. As a therapist that also holds a degree in studio art, I value the arts as a medium to express and explore perceptions of the self that are strengths-based. I encourage and challenge clients to be “in the here and now.” This can look like role playing, exploring your imagination, and being present with uncomfy feelings coming up in therapy.

I’ve served as a crisis counselor for The Trevor Project where I supported LGBTQIA+ individuals with issues related to gender and sexual identity. I also worked as a Queer Sex Therapy (QST) co-writing a gender-neutral workshops that were designed to cover general and basic LGBTQIA+ education for the general public. And I’m currently completing a Sex Educator Certification, Everyone Deserves Sex Education this summer.

A fun fact about me is that I love changing my hair color. You see my hair color in my photo? Yeah, most likely it’ll change every 3 months! I had a strict childhood, so changing my hair color is something I do for my inner queer child. I also love going to Target. Perhaps you’ve heard of the phrase “you don’t go to Target because you need something, you go to Target and let Target tell you what you need.” I think it’s hilarious because it’s true. I love spending time with my community engaging in activist work and being around people. I also love going to the beach and parks. My degree in art has made me have a love/hate relationship with painting, but I still love it nonetheless! On my off time, I also volunteer for the Chicago Period Project where I help distribute period products to homeless or menstruators in need.

Luz Maria Miranda received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art with a Concentration in Studio Art and a Minor in Child Advocacy Studies in 2019, and Master of Arts degree in Clinical Counseling from Northwestern University in 2022.

To schedule an appointment: info@mindfullifechicago.com