A Hero's Welcome Podcast
A Hero’s Welcome Podcast
Hosted by Maria Laquerre Diego, and Liliana Baylon, both LMFT-S and RPT-S
A Hero’s Welcome is a podcast for mental health professionals committed to culturally responsive care. Each episode features in-depth conversations with clinicians, supervisors, and consultants who bring diverse perspectives to the forefront.
We discuss mental health topics including psychotherapy models, clinical interventions, trauma-informed practices, and the role of cultural humility in therapeutic work. Our guests share their experiences serving children, families, and communities impacted by systemic stressors, offering insights and practical tools for fellow practitioners.
Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of culturally competent care or seeking a community that values diversity and inclusion, A Hero’s Welcome offers a space for reflection, learning, and growth.
Hosts:
Maria Laquerre-Diego
maria@anewhopetc.org
Liliana Baylon
liliana@lilianabaylon.com
Episodes
62 episodes
Naming Career Trauma In Therapy with Khara Croswaite Brindle
The moment someone said, “Just write the note and get back to work,” we knew this conversation had to happen. Kara returns to help us put words to the wounds so many clinicians carry in silence, Adverse Psychological Events that hit confidence,...
Burnout, Boundaries, And Being Human
The world feels loud, relentless, and on fire, and we’re saying it out loud. We unpack what burnout looks like when you’re a therapist, a caregiver, a business owner, and a human with real health needs. From gendered reactions to boundaries to ...
Why Therapists Should Lean Into Kids’ Digital Worlds with Rachel Altvater
What if “screen time” could become the most connective part of your day? We sit down with psychologist and play therapy supervisor Rachel to rethink digital life not as a threat to childhood, but as a modern playground where families can heal, ...
How Play, Structure, And Compassion Rebuild Broken Attachment with Dorothy A Derapelian
What if the “defiant” behavior you’re seeing is really an attachment alarm? We sit with licensed counselor and adoptive parent Dorothy Derapellian to unpack Core Attachment Therapy, a practical, compassionate framework that steadies the home fi...
Gatekeeping Diagnoses with Jessica Kruckeberg
What happens when the checklist says “no,” but your body and life keep saying “something is real”? We open the new season by taking aim at diagnostic gatekeeping across therapy offices, clinics, and urgent care, and making the case for care tha...
The Stories That Stayed With Us with Liliana & Maria
The conversations that shaped our year didn’t push us to work harder. They moved us to be human. We revisit the moments that shifted our lens: naming white supremacy inside everyday clinical decisions, strengthening cultural competence with Lat...
Breaking Down Professional Gatekeeping with Liliana & Maria
The mental health field has a problem we need to talk about - one that's driving talented clinicians away and ultimately harming the clients we all serve. In this candid conversation, two Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists strip away profe...
Mirroring the Playroom: Lived Experience in Therapy with Heather Fairlee Denbrough
What happens when therapists bring their authentic, neurodivergent selves into the playroom? Magic, according to Heather Fairley-Denbrough, a licensed clinical social worker and registered play therapist supervisor with 16 years of experience.<...
Beyond Play: Why Child Therapists Matter with Laura Brownstein
Child therapist Laura joins us to explore the concerning shortage of therapists willing to work with children, despite growing mental health needs among youth populations. • Laura explains how even in therapy-rich Los Angeles, ther...
EMDR Sandtray based Therapy by Ana M. Gómez
When words collapse under the weight of trauma, symbols step in with clarity and care. We sit down with Anna Gomez to explore how EMDR and sand tray therapy, used together, create a safer path into memory networks, one that honors culture, prot...
Using D&D as a Healing Tool with Erika Walker
Erika brings Dungeons & Dragons into therapy sessions, creating transformative healing experiences for clients through role-playing games and character development.• Using D&D with clients to build characters and create new ther...
Removing Your Armor: Embracing Authenticity with Miranda Stoll
Miranda shares how we can create the life we want by letting go of fear and embracing our authentic selves through the removal of protective armor that no longer serves us.• Exploring how our "armor" protects us from vulnerability but a...
Travel Hacking Your Way to Therapist Wellness: A Conversation with Allison Rimland
We explore how pursuing personal passions, such as travel, can serve as a powerful burnout prevention strategy for therapists, with special guest Allison Rimland sharing her journey after losing her father and discovering the world of travel ha...
The Therapist's Journey with Maria & Liliana
The secret evolution of therapists that nobody talks about in graduate school - from survival mode to seasoned professional, Maria and Liliana crack open the unspoken developmental journey that shapes our careers and lives as mental health prof...
Beyond Burnout: Discovering Your Authentic Professional Self with Madison Duran
Professional identity formation is a crucial yet often overlooked process for preventing burnout and achieving fulfillment in the mental health field.Burnout symptoms closely mirror those of an identity crisisMany clinician...
SITH Conference 2025: Join us for a deep dive into Beyond Borders & Supervising with Caution with Liliana Baylon
Liliana joins us to preview her two upcoming workshops at the SITH conference in Las Cruces this October, focusing on cultural humility in mental health and ethical supervision practices. Her unique approach combines her experience as a migrant...
SITH Conference 2025: Rooted & Resilient: Healing Ourselves While We Heal Systems with Maria Laquerre-Diego
Maria introduces the SITH (Supportive Innovation for Therapeutic Heroes) conference, taking place in Las Cruces this October, featuring her session, "Rooted and Resilient: Healing Ourselves While we Heal Systems."• SITH conference provi...
SITH Conference 2025: The Legal Arena: Playing by the Rules and Advocating for ClientsThrough Play Therapy & Clinical Expertise with Val Bruno
We welcome special guest Val to discuss her upcoming session at the SITH Conference, which focuses on helping clinicians navigate the legal arena with confidence. Val shares her expertise as a translator between the therapeutic world and legal ...
SITH Conference 2025 - The Force Within the Family with Jen Shivey
We delve into the upcoming SITH Conference (Supportive Innovations for Therapeutic Heroes) taking place October 9-11 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with a special focus on court-involved cases and family systems work in play therapy.• Jenny...
Balancing Ethics and Flexibility Creates Better Therapy with Dr. Dana Wyss
How do we honor therapeutic boundaries while truly meeting clients where they are? In this thought-provoking reunion episode with Dr. Dana Weiss, we explore the delicate dance between ethical practice and therapeutic flexibility.Dana sh...
Navigating High-Conflict Divorce Therapy with Berenice Leon-Fonseca
Few therapists willingly choose to work with high-conflict divorce cases. The fear of subpoenas, licensing board complaints, and getting caught in legal crossfire keeps many clinicians from helping the families who may need them most. But Beren...
Beyond Control: How Behavior Speaks with Robyn Gobbel
Demystifying the complex world of childhood trauma behaviors demands more than clinical knowledge—it requires a profound shift in how we view challenging behaviors altogether. Robin, a seasoned former therapist who specialized in supporting fam...
The Role of Attachment and Mentorship with Clair Mellenthin
Discover the transformative power of earned security in attachment theory with the insightful Clair Mellenthin, the brilliant mind behind Attachment-Centered Play Therapy. Clair unveils her pioneering research on the journey of registered play ...
Officers' Path to Personal Growth and Well-being with Anjuli R. Thompson
Ever wonder how law enforcement officers manage their roles' immense stress while maintaining their identities? Our insightful guest, Anjuli Raven Thompson, a licensed professional counselor supervisor, steps into the spotlight to share her fas...
Embracing Cultural Sensitivity and Early Relational Health with Dr. Meyleen Velasquez
Dr. Meyleen Velasquez, an inspiring Latina clinician, joins us to share her profound journey in mental health, shaped by her own life with vitiligo and her dedication to working with perinatal and early relational health. Embarking on this path...
