100+
Clients Served
500+
Sessions
5+
Years active
FOLLOW STEPHANIE
Hi, I’m Steff Sorady (LCSW). I work with high-functioning women—especially eldest daughters and bilingual/bicultural women—who are competent on the outside but exhausted on the inside. If you’re the caretaker, the fixer, the “responsible one,” you may also feel anxious, resentful, guilty for having needs, or stuck in people-pleasing and perfectionism.
My work is trauma-informed and strengths-based. We’ll honor the strengths that helped you survive (loyalty, leadership, drive) while healing the patterns that keep costing you—overfunctioning, self-abandonment, and chronic over-giving. Therapy with me focuses on building self-trust, boundaries without guilt, and a grounded sense of inner authority. I’m EMDR certified and often integrate EMDR alongside practical tools for nervous system regulation and trauma recovery, always at a pace that feels safe and collaborative.
I also support women navigating workplace-related trauma (including discrimination and wrongful termination stress).
Fun fact: My mom inspired the name Luz Trauma Therapy! Her middle name is Luz, which means light in Spanish. My mom and her Mexican culture have deeply influenced me and my work; this was a small way to honor that.
Brenda Alvarez, MS - Mental Health Counseling, LMFT
Brenda Alvarez is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and part of Luz Trauma Therapy. She supports first-generation and bicultural clients navigating identity, anxiety, burnout, intergenerational dynamics, and systemic trauma. As a bilingual Mexican immigrant, Brenda brings a culturally responsive and equity-centered lens to her work. Her approach is holistic, trauma-informed, and grounded in somatic practices and EMDR to support nervous system healing, self-trust, and reconnecting with the body. She offers therapy in English and Spanish via telehealth throughout California.
