Lu Rocha, MA, MSW, LCSW, RYI (Founder)
Lu is a bilingual Spanish speaking trauma therapist. Her professional experience includes more than twenty years of counseling, organizing, activism, and advocacy within the Latinx community and other marginalized communities. Lu identifies as a Latina with indigenous roots, first born generation in the United States, a proud daughter of a Brazero. She is the founder of Multicultural Consulting Services, a for-profit business dedicated in helping institutions make their services accessible to everyone.
Lu is dedicated in addressing trauma from a cultural perspective, while using methods that are evidence-based and trauma-informed. She works with clients from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and has experience in providing services to youth who have experienced and/or witnessed family and community violence. Her professional aspiration is to support the growth of providers of color in the mental health field so that communities of color can have more options in obtaining services that align to their cultural beliefs and values.
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About the Team
Lu Rocha, MA, MSW, LCSW, RYI (Founder)
Lu is a bilingual Spanish speaking trauma therapist. Her professional experience includes more than twenty years of counseling, organizing, activism, and advocacy within the Latinx community and other marginalized communities. Lu identifies as a Latina with indigenous roots, first born generation in the United States, a proud daughter of a Brazero. She is the founder of Multicultural Consulting Services, a for-profit business dedicated in helping institutions make their services accessible to everyone.
Lu is dedicated in addressing trauma from a cultural perspective, while using methods that are evidence-based and trauma-informed. She works with clients from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and has experience in providing services to youth who have experienced and/or witnessed family and community violence. Her professional aspiration is to support the growth of providers of color in the mental health field so that communities of color can have more options in obtaining services that align to their cultural beliefs and values.
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Tamara Fermaint, Biller/Community Liaison
Tamara Fermaint has been in the health care field for over 30 years as a registered dental hygienist. She has experience in providing patient care services in hospitals, private practice, and community settings.
She brings with her a commitment to advocate for individuals living with mental health illness, LGBTQ community members, people affected by homelessness, and children with learning disabilities, obtain quality services and support.
Tamara is excited to join Lu Rocha Counseling Service as their new insurance biller and care coordinator.
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Briana Wright, LCSW, Psychotherapist
Briana is an advocate and therapist. Her professional experience includes 20 years of serving young children, adolescents, and communities, including providing home visiting services, training and technical assistance, and counseling. Briana has provided professional development training on working with schools, substance abuse prevention, and supporting trauma impacted families, engaging community leaders, youth, and volunteer development.
As a therapist, Briana wants to collaborate by listening to concerns and challenges, while establishing a healthy rapport. Through these conversations, she hopes to cultivate a consistent and honest dialogue. Collectively, with the individual, Briana creates a space of safety and trust. She employs a blend of therapeutic approaches, which includes Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Strength-Based, and Reality, to yield a more holistic approach to achieving your goals and desired outcomes.
She has experience in providing support to individuals experiencing challenges with anxiety, anger management, depression, grief, healthy-relationship management, life management and post-traumatic stress. Briana has a desire to assist individuals in the process of self-discovery, empowerment and development of strategies that improve your mental and spiritual health.
Gema Gaete-Tapia, LPC, M.S. Counseling
Gema is a bilingual Spanish-speaking counselor, advocate, and Racial Healing Practitioner. She was born in a small desert town in northern Chile. Her family was forced into exile and settled in Little Village, Chicago in 1976.
Gema has over 20 years of experience in youth development, community organizing, and education. In her years of working with community youth and in her own personal healing journey, she struggled to find mental health providers of color. Therefore, in 2015 Gema decided to add her little grain of sand and
contribute to our individual and collective healing and help fill this void by pursuing a master’s degree in counseling.
Gema’s core values include equity, self-determination, and honoring each other’s humanity. In this spirit, she will collaborate with you to create a supportive, safe, and empowering environment where you are an active participant in exploring and addressing your concerns. This process may include narrative and/or art therapy, as well as the practice of meditation and breathing techniques. Gema is devoted to providing a culturally relevant and accessible, trauma-informed, mental health practice.
Dulce Sanchez, MSW, Psychotherapist
Dulce is a bilingual Spanish-speaking psychotherapist who graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from Northeastern Illinois University. Dulce is a first-generation immigrant, living in the U.S. since 2000, and she is currently a DACA recipient.
Dulce's passion lies in supporting BIPOC community members, 1st and 2nd generation immigrants, children, and teens and helping them understand their mental health.
Dulce focuses on:
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-emotional awareness
-anxiety
-depression
-anger
-self esteem
-time management
-healthy boundaries
-healthy relationships
She is eager to help and provide a safe environment for all of her clients. She hopes to make a change and help members of marginalized communities see the importance of mental health in all stages of life. Dulce includes meditation, yoga, and clients' religious/spiritual practices (if any) into treatment.
Samekquel is dedicated to creating a safe, affirming space for individuals and families, especially those from Black and Brown communities, who are navigating the lasting impact of trauma.
She recognizes that healing is not one-size-fits-all and works with people across the lifespan to build a path forward that honors culture, identity, and lived experience. Warmth, humor, and authenticity are at the heart of Samekquel’s approach.
She believes therapy should be a space where clients can truly exhale, a place to feel seen, not judged. Whether it's a child learning to name their feelings, a teen discovering their voice, or an adult unpacking years of emotional weight,
Samekquel walks alongside them with compassion and clarity. She integrates real-life, culturally mindful coping strategies that extend beyond the therapy session, helping clients manage stress, reconnect with joy, and build lasting resilience. Her goal is to support healing in ways that are empowering, practical, and deeply personal.
lana@lurocha.org
Lana Sestovic, Intern Therapist
Lana is an intern therapist currently in her third year of a Master's program in Mental Health Counseling at DePaul University. Originally from Serbia and Montenegro, Lana moved to Chicago at the age of 12, offering her a distinctive perspective as a first-generation immigrant.
She is deeply committed to working with immigrants and diverse communities, driven by her dedication to equality and the crucial role of mental health in everyone's life.
Lana has gained valuable experience through her role as a utilization review specialist at a mental health clinic, as well as in various school and community settings. She is committed to meeting clients where they are in their healing process, focusing on emotional regulation, effective communication, and healthy boundaries. Lana prioritizes creating a supportive and inclusive environment to foster her clients' growth and well-being.
Samekquel McGill, Psychotherapist, LCPC
Jessica Saldana, MSW Psychotherapist
Jessica Saldana is a bilingual Spanish-speaking psychotherapist with a Master’s in Social Work from Dominican University. As a first-generation Mexican American, she brings both personal insight and professional expertise to her work, guiding individuals through the process of healing, growth, and self-discovery.
Jessica is dedicated to supporting BIPOC community members, 1st and 2nd generation, children, teens, young adults, and adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem, and life transitions. Her therapeutic approach is integrative, utilizing evidence-based modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy while grounding her practice in somatic techniques. Jessica honors the role of spirituality and ancestral wisdom in the healing journey, creating a space where clients can reconnect with their bodies, reclaim their stories, and find empowerment in their healing process.
ben@lurocha.org
Ben Xing, Intern Therapist
Ben, a fluent Mandarin-speaking intern, completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago with majors in Psychology and Criminal Law and Justice.
Currently pursuing his second year in the Mental Health Counseling master’s program at DePaul University, Ben brings a distinctive perspective shaped by his experience working with at-risk teens and previous classroom engagements.
Hailing from an immigrant background, he deeply values the significance of community support. Ben is dedicated to leveraging his empathy and expertise to make a meaningful difference in his community.
rodolfo@lurocha.org
Rodolfo Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant & Intake coordinator
Rodolfo Rodriguez is a bilingual Spanish-speaking Administrative Assistant committed to advancing mental health services and advocacy for underserved communities. Growing up in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago, Rodolfo witnessed the profound impact of systemic challenges on mental well-being. This awareness drives his passion for connecting individuals and families to critical resources such as therapy services, domestic violence support, and housing assistance. His hands-on experience at a family advocacy center in the Back of the Yards neighborhood equipped him with the skills to support clients facing mental health challenges and navigate the complexities of the DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) system, making him a trusted advocate for holistic care.
As a DCFS Housing Youth & Family Supervisor with a national organization in Illinois, Rodolfo ensures that mental health services remain central to his work in promoting stability and well-being for youth and families. His academic background—a master’s degree in justice administration and public safety and a Bachelor’s degree in justice studies—strengthens his ability to address the intersection of mental health, advocacy, and justice. By fostering partnerships, expanding access to mental health resources, and empowering clients, Rodolfo’s unwavering dedication creates lasting change, ensuring that vulnerable populations have the tools and support they need to thrive.
Lu's Method of Therapy
Lu prefers to provide therapy from a strength-based approach. This form of therapy emphasizes a person’s self-determination and strengths. It is a philosophy and a way of viewing a client as resourceful and resilient in the face of adversity. To help clients improve their mental health, Lu utilizes diverse inclusive therapy (DIT), which includes talk therapy and other modalities that have been proven to be effective and beneficial.
DIT includes:
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Talk therapy
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Breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga, which are proven to improve one’s mental health. And as a registered yoga instructor (RYI), trained in therapeutic yoga, Lu teaches her clients how to use these tools to better manage anxiety, anger and other overwhelming emotions and sensations.
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Understanding how trauma and anxiety effects the body, brain, and one’s overall health is important; therefore, Lu teaches her clients how the effects manifests within the body.
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Lu believes that having a spiritual practice is important in one’s healing, so when appropriate, Lu addresses spirituality in her therapy sessions. This may include conversations on connecting with one’s ancestors, practicing traditions or rituals, smudging etc.
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Historical trauma (HT) is an emotional and psychological wounding experienced by a group/community across generations and within one's lifespan. When appropriate, Lu believes it is important to explore how historical trauma is currently affecting one’s mental and physical health.
