Member Highlight

Christina “Tina” Cacho Sakai, LMFT, SEP (she/her)

What inspired you to become a therapist?

My path to becoming a therapist began early in life. As a child growing up in Los Angeles, I noticed that people naturally came to me to share their stories and struggles. I felt deeply drawn to listening, understanding, and helping others make sense of their experiences. Over time, this intuitive calling evolved into a professional mission, one grounded in social justice, cultural responsiveness, and healing from trauma.

As a Mexican-American therapist, I was especially inspired by the unmet mental health needs within BIPOC communities. I recognized a profound longing for spaces where people of color could feel seen, heard, affirmed, and empowered. This awareness ultimately shaped my decision to pursue psychotherapy and later to open a private practice dedicated to serving BIPOC folx.

What areas of practice are you most passionate about today?

Today, I am most passionate about trauma healing, identity exploration, and supporting clients in embodying their full, intersectional selves. My work centers on helping clients navigate racial trauma, historical and intergenerational trauma, anxiety, grief and loss, and the complexities of living “in-between” cultures.

I am deeply committed to integrating culturally meaningful and creative elements into therapy; such as, storytelling, art, music, movement, food, and language of origin, because healing is not only psychological, but relational, cultural, and embodied. What kinds of clients are you most interested in working with?

My practice primarily serves BIPOC adults, as well as couples and families, who are seeking culturally responsive, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and social justice-oriented therapy. I am especially drawn to working with clients who are ready to engage in deeper, process-oriented work, those who want to explore identity, heal trauma, build resilience, and reconnect with their creativity and inner wisdom.

What modalities and approaches guide your work?

I integrate Somatic Experiencing®, psychodynamic therapy, and strength-based approaches, with a strong emphasis on body-based awareness and nervous system regulation. I believe the body holds both trauma and wisdom, and that healing happens when clients learn to track sensations, emotions, and meaning across past, present, and future experiences. My goal is to help clients build safety, set boundaries, release what no longer serves them and cultivate resilience and trust.

LA-CAMFT Involvement

In addition to my clinical work, I am deeply involved with LA-CAMFT. I have served as a founding member of the Diversity Committee, Diversity Committee Chair, Therapists of Color Mentorship Program Chair, President-Elect, President, Past-President and currently Board Member-At-Large. My involvement reflects my ongoing commitment to equity, representation, mentorship, and systemic change within our profession. When I joined LA-CAMFT’s Diversity Committee in 2017, I didn’t yet realize how deeply this community would shape both my professional path and my commitment to social justice. What began as a shared desire among therapists of color to increase representation and equity grew into meaningful, relationship-centered work that continues to inspire me today.

Together, we have created spaces of belonging and empowerment, including the Therapists of Color Support Group, culturally responsive trainings, and expanded resources for therapists across Los Angeles. What started as an idea became infrastructure. What started as concern became sustained action.

In 2020, the Diversity Committee hosted its first of three “Anti-Racism as a Movement, Not a Moment,” a call to move beyond performative allyship and into structural change. From that community togetherness emerged the Black Therapists Support Group, the Therapists of Color Mentorship Program, the TOC Grant Award, and additional affinity spaces to provide a safe space for our members to be in community. We currently have the following affinity spaces: Black Therapists Support Group, Middle Eastern North African (MENA) Community Group and White Therapists Fighting Racism Group (WTFR).

My involvement with LA-CAMFT has given me so much including a source of purpose, connection, and community impact. My hope is that other members feel encouraged to step forward, to build what doesn’t yet exist, to serve with heart, and to discover how their unique voice can help shape the future of LA-CAMFT and our profession.

Christina “Tina” Cacho Sakai, LMFT, SEP (she/her) is a Mexican-American psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner with over 20 years of experience providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive psychotherapy. Drawing on her background in community mental health, clinical supervision, and academia, Tina now focuses on her private practice serving BIPOC individuals, couples, and families. Her work centers on trauma healing, anxiety, grief, creativity, and affirming full intersectional identities within an LGBTQIA+ and social justice-oriented framework. Website: ChristinaCachoSakai.com