Dr. Zo Amaro Jimenez
Hi, I’m Dr. Zo (they/he pronouns). I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California (PSY33253) and New York (028199) living on unceded Ohlone land (Oakland, CA). With telehealth, I am able to see people all across California and New York. For now, my practice will remain telehealth to increase accessibility for clients. I work with adults 18 years old and older for individual therapy.
Why Work With Me?
I work well with people who want a therapist who is an active participant in the therapy process. I am someone who will ask questions to help you think deeper about your values and actions. I show my clients practical skills to feel and process their emotions. When I’ve asked clients about how I feel as a therapist, people have used words like “earnest” and “authentic.” I work to be a professional, but I also care about not coming off as stilted or stuffy. I am a millennial beach kid at heart, so I will be using silly words like “dude” and “bro” (unless these are not gender affirming to you obviously) and cussing every once in a while. If this sounds appealing, I may be a good fit for you.
The majority of my clients are queer, trans, black, indigenous, and other people of color (QTBIPOC). While I love working with these communities, I also enjoy working with white, cisgender, and straight people. Whoever I work with, they tend to struggle with feeling like they have to hide parts of themselves in different contexts to be included, accepted, or loved. They feel like they have to code-switch, mask, or deny parts of themself. They might feel disconnected from their own values or what they truly want. I work with them to build a therapy experience that is a place to rest, heal, and discover themselves. Together my clients and I build more places and experiences where they just get to be. I have specialized interest in working with people who experienced parentification within BIPOC families (such as eldest children), caregivers, therapists and healers, and trans people wanting specific therapy around their identity. I also enjoy working with trans people who want therapy about anything other than their identity.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Internal Family Systems Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Relational Therapy
Who Am I
I am queer, nonbinary, and Latine with indigenous (Quechua and Aymara) ancestry. I’ve lived in California most of my life, and I’ve spent transformative time in other contexts that weren’t so progressive or supportive for queer, trans, and BIPOC people. Throughout my life, I recognized many health fields fail to adequately address the needs of these communities, and I decided that I wanted to do my part to try to change the mental health field for the better. When I am not working or geeking out with colleagues on queer/trans and BIPOC mental health, I am spending time in the sun and water, crocheting, playing with my cat, or salsa dancing.
Who is the co-therapist
Frijol is a mostly black long-hair tuxedo cat. She has not been formally trained in the art and science of therapy, but she is an expert in everything. She has no wrong opinions ever, and she is the cutest animal to ever walk the Earth. You will be graced with her presence, especially if you are an early morning or evening client. Despite her judgmental stare, she loves each one of her clients. You have no need to worry about confidentiality, as she only communicates nonverbally unless she has the zoomies.
Services & Rates
Please contact me for any questions about any of my therapy and consulting/training services.
Therapy Services
15 minute consultation – Free
I provide a free 15-minute consultation so you and I can get a sense of each other. You can ask whatever questions you like and get a sense of what therapy is like with me. During this call, we will decide if we are a good fit to do an initial intake.
Initial Intake (1st session) – $260
The goal of the first sessions of therapy is for us to get comfortable with each other. In the first session, I will ask you what you would like to address in therapy and other things about your background. This is an opportunity to let me know the things that feel important for me to know.
Individual Therapy – $240*
Individual therapy sessions are between 45 to 50 minutes and typically occur on a weekly basis. We will focus on the things that you brought up in the initial intake session, but we will also have the opportunity to address other important issues that may come up over time.
*Sliding scale spots are sometimes available. Feel free to ask.
Support Letters for Gender Affirming Care – $0-240
In this session, I will conduct a thorough and concise assessment. Following the assessment and diagnosis of gender dysphoria, a letter of support will be provided following the guidelines of your insurance and/or medical provider. The fee, if any, will be up to you.
Consulting/Training Services
Individual Consulting/Training – $250/hour
Individual or small group consulting and training sessions are for individual clinicians and small groups who cannot afford my full-fee rate for training and consulting. I offer trainings around trauma-informed care and treatment of queer and transgender clients and how to use trauma-informed frameworks in small business settings.
Organizational Consulting/Training – $1000/hour*
I currently offer trainings around proper care of transgender clients in therapeutic practice and Gender 101 trainings for organizations interested in being more inclusive to their trans clients and employees. More specific trainings are available upon request.
*Sliding scale is available for organizations based on financial need. Please do not hesitate to ask about this option if you are interested in inviting me to offer training.
Have questions?
Check the FAQs for answers about process, insurance, and for more therapy resources.
About My Work
I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of California and New York. I decided to become a clinical psychologist because I see how few options there are for QTBIPOC clients looking for therapy that felt safe, transparent, and comfortable.
I am dedicated to providing therapy that feels safe, transparent, collaborative, and empowering to each of my clients. I believe a good therapist is one that feels trustworthy and reliable to you. I believe a good therapeutic relationship is based on a safe, reliable, positive relationship between you and your therapist as two people. Most importantly, I believe that living a life that is meaningful to you is possible, and healing is possible.
For folks who are informed about therapeutic interventions and modalities, I have been trained in Internal Family Systems Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and relational therapy. I will use interventions from these types of therapy, checking in with you regularly to see what feels most helpful.
I have a BA in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) from the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium at Palo Alto University. Throughout my training and career, I have focused on learning frameworks and techniques that are most supportive and useful to useful to queer, trans, and BIPOC clients. Whether I am a good fit for you or not as a therapist, I believe that you deserve therapy that feels supportive, effective, and affordable. If we meet for a few sessions and one of us decides this isn’t a good fit, I will work with you to find referrals to find you a therapist that is a better match for you.
Publications
Jimenez, Z.A. & St. Amand, C. (accepted for publication). Gender embodiment surgery. In Block, A. & Sarwer, D. (Eds.). Presurgical Psychological Screening: Understanding Patients, Improving Outcomes. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Hastings, J., Bobb, C., Wolfe, M., Jimenez, Z.A., & Amand, C. S. (2021). Medical care for nonbinary youth: Individualized gender care beyond a binary framework. Pediatric Annals, 50(9), e384-e390.
Presentations
Organizational Trainings
Jimenez, Z. and Bobb, C. (2021, September). Gender Affirming Care: Considerations and Practices (via video conference). 2-Hour professional training for medical providers and support staff at Providence Medical Group of Southern California, Torrance, CA.
Jimenez, Z. (2020, October). Introduction to transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse community and principles of respect when working with the community (via video conference). 1-Hour academic guest lecture for public health undergraduate course at American University, Washington, DC.
Jimenez, Z. (2020, July). Importance of community input on trans healthcare (via video conference). 1.5-Hour CE training for psychologists at CSU Long Beach, Long Beach, CA.
Jimenez, Z. (2020, June). Transgender ally training (via video conference). 1.5-Hour staff ally training at CSU Long Beach, Long Beach, CA.
