Xochitl Sandoval, LCSW

Howdy! My name is Xochitl (ze/zir). I am proudly queer, agender, Mexican, and neurodivergent and work as a healer and clinical social worker. My winding journey started in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. I was fortunate to have been raised on hood wisdom like: how to practice mindfulness by sitting on the front stoop and watching the neighbors pass by, how to cultivate joy through eating paletas, how to survive grief by singing, how to survive in general, how to rebel against oppression, how to speak to ancestors. This wisdom continues to fuel my life both personally and professionally.

Before becoming a therapist I wanted to be a high school history teacher. I thought I would get a teaching degree and have a hallmark movie moment where my idealism saves all of the high schoolers (lol). I completed my B.A. in Latin American and Caribbean studies and then decided I might not want to be a teacher after all. I did an internship at a Law Firm thinking I might want to study Family Law-I did not. I then applied to be a volunteer at the Champaign County Special Advocates and knew that the mental health field and I were destined to be. I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2016 with a masters in social work and have since worked as a clinician, clinical supervisor, intensive case manager, and SASS worker. I have also served as a volunteer therapist for the Kovler Center for Victims of Torture.

As a therapist I believe that people have a divine right to be free, and my role is to support people in cultivating the lives they want. Living a good life can feel impossible when we realize that there are systemic, intergenerational, and traumatic barriers to our success. It can be frightening to exist in a world facing climate catastrophe and multi-layered grief. Our work will be learning how to make our bodies a safe and empowering refuge to weather the storm. I offer indigenous spiritual healing work, and western modalities such as trauma informed care, attachment therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, internal family systems, mindfulness, and somatic based practices. Through humor, creativity, and realness, we will uncover your innate brilliance. As one therapist told me years ago “some day you are going to have to accept that you’re cool af.” Might as well have your day be today.

When I am not working I am organizing free community wellness events, listening to audiobooks, napping with my dog, dreaming about liberation, watching North of North, or hanging out in nature. Most likely I am doing one of those things and also 1-2 other things.