Ivonne Guerrero has been the de facto family counselor for her own family since she was a preteen.
Although she was the baby of the household, Guerrero has had to take on the vital roles of caregiver, peacemaker, and disciplinarian. Her youth served as the training ground, as well as the inspiration, for her future career as a counselor specializing in families and couples.
Guerrero, 29, will receive her Master of Science in Counseling with an option in School-Based Family Counseling during the Commencement ceremony for the College of Education at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, at the Shrine Auditorium.
“This work is fulfilling because I know the power it can have,” she said. “It creates a lot of questions, a lot of curiosity. Clients get to challenge their thoughts and grow within themselves. It’s an experience of growth that everybody gets to have at their own pace.”
Guerrero added, “I want to create a safe space. I’ve had people cry because they’d never had that before. It’s very powerful for me to see people find comfort and safety.”
Guerrero has been providing that safe space for a while.
Growing up in Lynwood, she said her immigrant parents never argued in front of her and her brother, but she knew there were issues in their marriage. Her brother, who is 6 years older than Guerrero, married early and had children as a teenager, and he at times struggled to provide emotional support to his family, according to Guerrero.
“As a child, you don’t really know a lot about what’s going on, but I always wanted to magically fix grown-up problems,” she said. “As the daughter of immigrants, I fell into that helper role.”
She said it began with her translating English into Spanish to help her Mexican-born parents at their jobs, and then it carried over into their household.
So, when her father and brother argued loudly, Guerrero would step in between them and say, “We can work this out.” When her brother’s two daughters needed attention, she would provide support and discipline.
Culturally, Guerrero said, Latinas are often expected to take on the “nurturing role” and fix family problems. The cultural aspect is one that Guerrero wants to address in her work.
“My ultimate career goal is to be able to work with couples and families, and to provide support to the Latino community,” she said. “There are a lot of stigmas regarding mental health. I faced that within my own family, but I think we’ve improved over the years.”
Prior to Cal State LA, Guerrero attended East Los Angeles College and California State University, Northridge, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2022.
Guerrero is currently applying for positions that will allow her to acquire 3,000 hours of experience for her Associated Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor licenses.
Her internship at Rio Hondo College has allowed her to provide support for the LGBTQ community, undocumented individuals, students struggling with substance abuse, and parent groups.
“Every group is different, and I got to work with a lot of people and provide space for them to vent and express a lot of difficult things,” Guerrero said of her work as a therapist trainee. “I think we were able to find connections, and we made sure they knew they were not alone.”
She has also served as the clinic director of Cal State LA’s School-Based Family Clinic, which emphasizes respect for the values and culture of clients with a focus on empowering them to address and resolve areas of difficulty while recognizing positive assets.
“I ended up at Cal State LA because there aren’t a lot of programs that have an on-site clinic that provides that firsthand experience,” Guerrero said. “It provided a lot of positive experiences, and the program focuses on family and views the child as a whole. It doesn’t just focus on academics, but what academics mean in the student’s home life.”
Guerrero lives with her wife, Natalie Martinez, in Lynwood. She wants to work in nonprofits before eventually going into private practice.
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