Jomaris Diaz Hernandez
Jomaris Diaz Hernandez (she/her) earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Appalachian State University, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from NC State University as she prepares to become a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate. While attending ASU, Jomaris worked as a Resident Assistant where she served as a supportive resource for students, guided them to identify their feelings and thoughts, and provided strategies to address their concerns. As she listened to the concerns of students from marginalized backgrounds, she became increasingly aware of the importance of diversity and cultural humility among counselors.
Prior to her college experience, at the age of 13, Jomaris uprooted her life in Puerto Rico and moved to North Carolina in hopes of pursuing a better education and future. Fully immersed in a new country with a foreign culture and a language about which she knew very little, she felt completely overwhelmed. The language barrier led to suffering grades and difficulty building friendships. Growing up with two distinct and conflicting cultures, she struggled to navigate the values, beliefs, and morals of both. She felt “too Hispanic” in American spaces and “not Latina enough” in Puerto Rican spaces, which led to isolation and the lack of a sense of belonging. Receiving help felt impossible because Jomaris couldn’t find anyone that understood her personal circumstances or bicultural identity struggles. These events sparked an interest in psychology and counseling, which, after her own positive experiences with proper mental health care, eventually developed into a passion and determination for helping others who have had similar experiences.
Jomaris takes an existential and person-centered therapeutic approach to ensure an empowering, holistic, and collaborative therapy experience. She is a firm believer that a person’s emotional, mental, physical, and cultural well-being are important factors that affect a person’s inner-personal and interpersonal life. Jomaris believes that therapy is a continuous process of self-discovery and should be tailored for each client’s growth, needs, and lifestyle. With a focus on increasing resilience and emphasizing each client’s unique strengths, she provides a safe space for clients to feel heard, validated, and prioritized. Her goal is to provide mental health care services that leave clients with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive, develop, and improve their quality of life.
Jomaris speaks Spanish and English fluently, and works with adult individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds to address topics such as self-identity, belonging, anxiety, stress, life transitions, improving self-talk, inner child work, and navigating parental relationships. She is passionate about providing care to folx from historically marginalized communities, especially those suffering from language barriers, experiencing bicultural stress, or navigating the Latine experience.
