Andrea Santiago

Hi there! My name is Andrea and I’m glad you’re here. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Sex Therapist with over 10 years of experience. I became a therapist because I really like talking to people and helping them sort out their problems. I really like hearing the different perspectives of life and teaching different tools to help people cope with what life throws at them. My favorite clients are couples with a sense of humor, who don’t mind a little cussing, and who are ready to make positive changes. In my training, I found that I love talking about sex and helping others deal with and normalize their sexual issues. These issues can be such an awkward to discuss and to work on, but not in my office! I happen to also really love my first responders. I find the sessions a fun mix of mental chess, sarcasm, gallows humor, and truly heavy life challenges. It’s not an easy world to exist in and you need a therapist who isn’t afraid to get in the trenches with you. While I teach resilience and work with the natural defenses that first responders have to develop, I also push you past those into the pain you can’t acknowledge outside my office. We’ll have fun, but we’ll also effect real change. Therapy with first responders is real. It takes someone who gets that world to do the work. I’m familiar with the subculture, chain of command, social expectations, necessary defenses, and special challenges that come with this work. Given that I’m also a schooled sex therapist, I’m in a unique position to work with first responder couples in how this life can affect intimacy as well. My life experiences allow me, in my role as a therapist, to really identify with you and what you’re going through. I believe that there’s a lot of misunderstanding about therapy that I’d love to help change. Most people think that their problems are too difficult to change, too painful to change, or that therapy will take years. I believe that therapy can be a short-term solution to the problems in your life and that change can happen quickly. I try to use a variety of techniques to teach you ways that you can use to cope, on your own, once you’ve graduated from therapy. My goal is help you get the confidence you need so that you feel that you can handle whatever life throws your way. I’m pretty open, so if there’s more you’d like to know just ask. I can’t wait to meet you!