Life & Work with Alisha Saucedo of Topeka (Private Practice Therapist)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisha Saucedo.

Hi Alisha, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Following my history of working as a massage therapist and being trained as a labor and support doula, I found that my desire to connect and support people through their healing has been a path I’ve been destined to be on. I am a trauma-focused therapist in a private practice in Topeka, KS. I am a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker, Certified Sex Therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and Somatic Experiencing practitioner. I enjoy working with people with relationship issues related to sexuality and trauma. My partner Jose and I own a commercial building in Topeka, Kansas, where we have tenants who are therapists (with a variety of focus areas), massage therapists, and an artist. There is also a workspace that can be utilized for meetings and workshops. We would like to have body-based and creative approaches to be accessible to our clientele from a variety of providers. We will be offering Creative Expressions sessions, which provide a creative outlet for first responders, veterans, and those who experience PTSD.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to my current practice has been smooth because I have always followed what has felt right in my heart. I don’t hesitate to learn new techniques or utilize nontraditional psychotherapy healing approaches. The biggest struggle I have experienced is a fear of myself, a fear of failing.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
This response includes both professional/work and creative/art responses. In addition to being a therapist who utilizes body-based approaches to treating trauma, I am inspired by the use of art to heal and create change. I am a ceramic artist inspired to create functional art to build community.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
My life lessons taken from the Covid 19 crisis include:
– Re-learning to make time for the slower, more embodied practices in life.
– Appreciating all types of connection and healing
Finally, as a fat Black woman, I have learned to never accept unfair, inequitable, or inconsiderate treatment from anyone, even those who claim to care for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.risewithalisha.com
• Instagram: realintimacysexualempowerment
• Other: risingsol_ceramics

Image Credits
Please note that the mural painting was done by artist Aisha Imani Sanaa