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Dr. Sergio Pereyra, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #123021
Areas of Focus:
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- Acculturation,
- Anger Management
- Anxiety
- Behavioral Issues
- Child
- Divorce
- Family Conflict
- Immigration Issues
- Internet Addiction
- Life Coaching
- Life Transitions
- Marital and Premarital
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- Men's Issues
- Oppositional Defiance (ODD)
- Parenting
- Racial Identity
- School Issues
- Sex Therapy
- Sleep or Insomnia
- Spirituality
- Stress
- Video Game Addiction
- Court ordered therapy
Dr. Sergio Pereyra is the founder and CEO of Esperanza Family Counseling. He is a passionate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who strongly believes in empowering those who are underprivileged and underserved. He is a professor in the Counselor Education program at Fresno State University, and is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Dr. Pereyra also has research publications in refereed journals regarding Latino couples’ relationship satisfaction and Latino family dynamics and maintains a very active research agenda.
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Dr. Pereyra is half Mexican-half Argentine, was raised in Houston, TX and is happily married with three beautiful children. He received his masters and Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from Brigham Young University. Dr. Pereyra specializes in helping couples heal from infidelity and couples who struggle with intimacy due to communication problems, sexual disorders, infidelity, trust issues, and other causes - including those who feel that they have 'fallen out of love'. As a LifeStar-trained therapist, he also has expertise in treating pornography and other sexual addictions, as well as working with sex offenders. Dr. Pereyra is an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist and enjoys helping these couples, individuals, and families flourish. He also enjoys working with adolescents, parents who struggle with children with behavioral problems, and individuals with spirituality issues.
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Dr. Pereyra has over 10 years of clinical experience, has had numerous presentations at the national, state, and local level, and taught parenting classes for Spanish-speaking parents for the Department of Public Health in Utah for 5 years. As a Latino LMFT with a strong cultural identity, Dr. Pereyra is not only able to communicate perfectly in Spanish with Spanish-speaking clients, but he also has a deep understanding of cultural nuances that could influence behaviors and treatment outcomes in therapy. He has extensive experience working with immigrant families, providing advocacy and court documentation for mental health services and helping them with acculturation issues.
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“¡Yo Hablo Español!”
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Rates for Dr. Pereyra are $150 per session (in-person and telehealth).
Credentials and Specialized Training:
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- Ph.D., Marriage and Family Therapy, Brigham Young University, 2016
- M. S., Marriage and Family Therapy, Brigham Young University, 2012
- B.S., Psychology, Brigham Young University, 2009
- Associate Professor, California State University, Fresno, Department of Counselor Education and Clinical Rehabilitation, Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling Program, 2016 – present
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, California # 123021
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Utah # 6353093-3902
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor
- Member, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
- Clinical Fellow, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
- Council Member, Utah Parent Advisory Council, National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention
- Parenting Workshop Instructor for Spanish-speaking parents, Welcome Baby Program, Utah Department of Public Health
- SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program Award, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
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Selected professional presentations and refereed publications:
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- Weir, K., Pereyra, S. B., Crane, J., Greaves, M., Childs, T. S., & Weir, A. (2020). The Effectiveness of Theraplay® as a Counseling Practice with Mothers and Their Children in a Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Residential Facility. The Family Journal (Alexandria, Va.), 29(1), 115–123.
- Pereyra, S. B., Bean, R. A., Ruiz, J. & Velasco, B. (2020). The Impact of parents and teachers on externalizing behavior among Latino/a adolescents via academic achievement: Combining the mental health and educational perspectives. The Family Journal. 28(3), 290-299.
- Andrade, M., Pereyra, S. B., & Yang, C. (2019). The direct and indirect effects of family and school-related factors on Latino adolescent substance use. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse. doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2019.1685050
- Pereyra, S. B., Bean, R. A., Yorgason, J., Lee, C., Sandberg, J. G., & Miller, R. (2019). Longitudinal study of externalizing behaviors in Latino/a adolescents: An examination of parenting and educational factors. Children and Youth Services Review, 107, 1-9.
- Pereyra, S. B. & Bean, R.A. (2017). Latino adolescent substance use: A Mediating model of inter-parental conflict, deviant peer associations, and parenting. Children and Youth Services Review, 76, 154-162.
- Pereyra, S. B., Sandberg, J. G., Bean, R. A., & Busby, D. (2015). The Effects of spirituality on relationship quality among different groups of Latino and Anglo couples mediated by negative communication. American Journal of Family Therapy, 43, 480–493.
- Pereyra, S. B. (2021, July). Culturally Informative Treatment for Working with Latino Immigrant Couples and Families. Presentation for MFT Alumni Summer Series, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.
- Pereyra, S. B. (2020, May). How to Cope with Stress, Depression, & Anxiety. West Hills College, Coalinga, CA.
- Sandberg, J. G., Rodríguez Gónzalez, M., Pereyra, S. B., Willis, K., Perez, L., & Lybbert, R. (2019, August). The Experience of Learning EFT in Spanish-speaking Countries: A Multi-National Replication Study. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Annual Conference. Austin, Texas.
- Bernal-Arevalo, K. E., Pereyra, S. B., Griffin, D., & Sharma, G. (2019, March). Achieving the DREAM: The School Counselor Role in Supporting Undocumented College-Bound Latino/a Students. California State University, Fresno, Cesar Chavez Conference. Fresno, CA.
- Pereyra, S. B., Bean, R. A., & Sandberg, J. G. (2018, November). Parenting, Education, and Externalizing Behavior in Latino Adolescents. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Annual Conference. Louisville, Kentucky.
- Pereyra, S. B., Kimball, T., & Bean, R. A., (2013). Latino Youth Substance Youth Treatment. A workshop presented at the 2013 Annual Conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). October, 2013, Portland, OR.
- Pereyra, S. B. (2013). Parenting in Latino families: Effects of Sexual Addiction and Culture on Parenting. A workshop presented at the 2013 Annual Spring Conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Utah Division (UAMFT). May,2013, Sandy, UT.