“I would like to acknowledge that I reside on the land of the Eno, Tutelo, Saponi, Occaneechi, and Shakori Native people. This land was traditionally part of the territory of the Saponi people, in the Piedmont of what is now the state of North Carolina. This area is not far from the “Great Trading Path”, used by both the native people of this area and non-native peoples during the early years of contact.

The Saponi people, whose descendants include the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation Indian Tribe still thrive and live in this region, officially recognized by the state government of North Carolina. We pay respect to their elders past and present. The Occaneechi People (The Ye’sah), ask that you will keep these thoughts in mind, while here on their ancestral lands and treat it with the respect, love, and care that their Ancestors did, and as the Occaneechi Saponi people do so today.”

- OBSN Tribal Council

An Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) is a professional who is on the path to becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). In the state of California, after obtaining a Masters degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, the Associate operates under the supervision of a licensed professional who they meet with weekly, while they accumulate 3,000 hours of clinical experience.

These hours include working directly with clients and tending to clinical tasks such as reserach, trainings, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning. These hours are crucial for gaining practical, hands-on experience in the field.

Therapy is expensive, and often inaccessible for many people, especially marginalized communities who may need it most. And it can feel really defeating and angering to reach out for help in a time of need and be met with inaccessible fees. Money shouldn’t stand in the way of anyone receiving mental health support.

My practice is not perfect, and my own looming student loans, housing, cost of living, and experiences of exploitation of labor that disproportionately impacts therapists of color like myself, often prevents us from offering lower fees. Additionally, this work is emotionally taxing, and in order to make it sustainable over a lifetime, there is a limit to how many clients I am able to see.

At this time, to help offset this challenge, I do reserve a small number of lower fee/sliding scale spaces and accept payment vouchers from specific community organizations like the Loveland Foundation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and share your financial needs.

Telehealth virtual therapy, also called online therapy or teletherapy, refers to a mental health treatment session conducted remotely using video conferencing or phone calls, allowing patients to connect with a therapist from their own location instead of traveling to an office, typically through a computer or mobile app; essentially, it's therapy delivered via technology rather than in person.

I, Zena Carlota Pearl Allen, am a Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist who is completing the last 150 hours of the 3,000 hour requirement for licensure.

My California registration number is AMFT 129203 and I currently work under the license and supervision of Elysha Martinez, LMFT 93493, Executive Director of axismunditherapy.org