About Vida SanaWe are building a new kind of mental health space—one where culture is a strength and healing is a collective act.
Who We Are
Vida Sana is a fully bilingual, Latina-owned practice that specializes in supporting Latiné/BIPOC clients and folks from marginalized backgrounds navigate anxiety, OCD, relationship challenges, identity concerns, and life transitions. We exist to offer culturally affirming, evidence-based care to our community while training the next generation of clinicians to do the same.
Our PhilosophyHealing happens in connection.
We often hear that therapy is about working on yourself, but true healing doesn't happen in isolation. It happens in community—in the spaces where we are held, understood, and safe enough to drop the mask.
We started this practice because we saw a painful gap in the mental health field. Traditional training often asks clinicians, especially clinicians of color, to check their culture, their warmth, and their full selves at the door in the name of "professionalism." Clients, in turn, often feel they have to do the same—code-switching or “turning down the volume” on parts of themselves— just to be understood.
This creates dynamics where our clients miss the chance to dig deep, be fully seen without judgment, or practice safely expressing their truths.
Vida Sana exists to bring those parts back in for both clinicians and the clients. We built this practice to create a space where you don't have to translate your experience to be seen, and where our therapists don't have to shrink to serve you. We’re closing the gap by rooting our work and the therapeutic bonds we build in principles of community. This is where healing can truly begin.
Recreating the spaces where we found ourselves.
We established Vida Sana to mirror the specific kinds of connection that allow people to heal and grow: spaces where you don't have to explain yourself, where vulnerability is met with safety, and where you are never alone in your experience.
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Dr. Kiara Manosalvas
RECIPROCITY AND OPENNESS
"My grandmother, Mamí, taught me that reciprocity creates the space where we can finally let go of the need to look like we have it all together. Her vulnerability invited mine, showing me that there is so much more to be gained from shedding the ‘strong one’ armor. That mutual openness laid the foundation for generational healing." -
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Amy Carbajal-Herrera
BREAKING ISOLATION & CONNECTING WITH HERITAGE
"Growing up in the U.S. while being far from my family was—and still is at times—incredibly difficult. I learned that just because you can heal on your own doesn’t mean you have to. Connecting to my culture alongside others from similar backgrounds has been profoundly healing. Being able to sit with someone who sees all the parts of you that you have normally been taught to hide away is everything and more!" -
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Dr. Narolyn Mendez
THRIVING IN NETWORKS OF CARE
"I learned about healing through community long before I became a psychologist. My parents lived by the belief that ‘to give is to receive,’ constantly showing up for others. That way of living created a network of care — one that sustained us and allowed us to sustain others. It’s from these Latinx values of community, gratitude, and collectivism that I ground my work in healing relationships and mental health."
Our ChargeA mission with two heartbeats.
For Our Clients
To provide culturally affirming, evidence-based care that honors your lived experience.
For the Field
To provide early-career clinicians of color a professional home where they can grow into their full identities.
Experience collaborative care.
We operate on a Teaching Practice model. This means our Clinical Fellows (Limited Permit clinicians) work under the close, consistent mentorship of our Clinical Director and Group Supervisor. Our Fellows have already completed their master's degrees and have extensive field experience; they are currently completing their clinical hours toward full licensure.
Why this is a benefit for youFresh Perspectives & Deep Expertise
You get the passion, modern training, and fresh perspective of a Fellow plus the seasoned clinical wisdom of Dr. Kiara and Dr. Narolyn supervising your care.
Rigorous Quality Assurance
Our team engages in:
Weekly Clinical Supervision: Every case is reviewed with a trauma-informed, culturally grounded lens.
Identity Development Coaching: Our clinicians receive coaching to navigate imposter syndrome and burnout, ensuring they show up fully present and regulated for you.
Continuous Learning: We hold monthly workshops on specialized topics like BIPOC couples work and racial trauma to stay at the forefront of the field.
When you work with us, your care is constantly being reviewed, refined, and supported by a community of experts.
Meet the people in your corner.
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Dr. Kiara Manosalvas
FOUNDER & CLINICAL DIRECTOR
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Dr. Narolyn Mendez
CLINICAL SUPERVISOR
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Amy Carbajal-Herrera
CLINICAL FELLOW
What we believe.
Healing happens in connection.
We heal when we are seen, heard, and held in safety.
Culture is a resource.
Your heritage isn't a barrier to treatment, it is a wellspring of strength.
Repair is a skill.
Conflict is inevitable, but disconnection doesn't have to be. We teach the tools to find your way back.
Let's start the conversation.
Finding the right therapist is the first step toward building the life you want. We invite you to schedule a free consultation to see if Vida Sana feels right for you.