Abby Esquivel

MSW, LCSW, RPT-S, ACS, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Founder and Clinical Director

Abby (she/her/ella) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Abby is a bicultural therapist and is specifically passionate about providing care to the Latinx community. She has ten years of experience working with women and child survivors of trauma, toxic stress, and attachment injuries.

Prior to founding Be and Belong Counseling, Abby has experience providing services to runaway and homeless youth, adolescent girls in residential treatment, women residing in domestic violence shelters, and providing intensive in-home therapy to families formed through adoption.

 

Abby uses an attachment lens when working with children and adults. Some of the frameworks that inform her work include Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB), Polyvagal Theory, and she is a Circle of Security Parent Facilitator. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and interweaves EMDR and expressive therapies in her work. She has a passion for helping people feel less alone and more connected to others. As the founder of Be and Belong, she is grateful every day for the team she gets to oversee, work with, and learn from.

 

When not working, you can find Abby going on a hike or reading a good book. She enjoys all things chocolate and is an avid gardener.

 

Bachelors of Social Work – Illinois State University
Masters of Social Work – University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLicense #CSW.09924660

Abby also offers consultation and supervision to interns and clinicians working towards clinical licensure, their Registered Play Therapist credential, or EMDR Certification as an Advanced Clinical Supervisor (ACS) and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. She is currently accepting consultees and supervisees. Interested pre-licensed and licensed therapists can read and hear more about her consultation style through her blog and podcast at The Whole Therapist Institute. Please also feel free to reach out to Abby directly at abby@beandbelongcounseling.org.

Supervision & Consultation

Cultural Resume

I am Latina and moderately fluent in Spanish, with Mexican and Apache ancestry on my maternal side and German ancestry on my paternal side. Connecting with and holding these different ancestral narratives has become an important part of my own inner work and ongoing journey of understanding myself and where I come from.

I also carry the lived experience of being a parent to four beautiful children, which has deeply shaped who I am and how I move through the world. My family history includes experiences of substance abuse, gender-based violence, and anti-Latinx abuse. Alongside those experiences, I continue to work toward healing and unlearning messages around ableism, racism, classism, and fatphobia that were present in my upbringing.

I also recognize the ways privilege is a part of my identity and experience. This includes being white, educated, non-disabled, cisgender, a U.S. citizen, English-speaking, thin-bodied, and having consistent access to mental health care. I try to hold both my experiences of marginalization and privilege with awareness, recognizing how each has shaped my perspective and continues to influence my growth.

Abby Esquivel ›

MSW, LCSW, RPT-S, ACS,
EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Founder and Clinical Director

Alma Olaechea › MA, LPCC
Inez Garcia ›
MSW, Bilingual Spanish
Nicole Whynott ›
MSW, LCSW, SOMB Juvenile Treatment Provider
Megan McMahon ›
Master's Level Intern
Kelly Cotten ›

MA, LPCC

Tori Acton ›
Master's Level Intern
Samantha Miscles ›
Master's Level Intern