Mentorship Inspired a Private Practice Where Women of Color Thrive

Associate clinical therapist Angelica “Angie” Curiel, ASW, and licensed psychotherapist Rose Junie Abito, LMFT, Founder of Rose Junie Therapy met when Curiel was just an intern.

Abito, who goes by Junie, knew when she met Curiel that she wanted to be her mentor.

“I wanted a group practice filled with women of color,” Abito remembered. Curiel, a Latina woman interested in helping other women of color thrive, was the perfect fit. 

While waiting for her ASW license to come through, Curiel remembers feeling intense anxiety about where she’d end up after graduation. 

“After graduating, you hear stories from past colleagues (about how) they’re struggling,”Curiel said. “I graduated during COVID, and It was stressful.” She explained that she had initially presumed she’d end up working at a job with the county, however she found out the county wasn’t hiring.

When Abito offered Curiel a position with her newly formed private practice, Curiel was thrilled to accept.

Creating an Inclusive Environment

Abito knew that with Curiel, she wanted to approach mentorship differently. As a fellow woman of color, Abito understood the importance of bringing her whole self to the relationship. 

“Being a first-generation Filipina, I struggled with thoughts of ‘Can I do it?’ and ‘Am I equipped?’’’ she said. 

Her career has started with working for the county—much like Curiel had imagined hers would. Abito’s family couldn’t understand why she’d leave that environment, which they perceived as safe and stable.

When she started her own private practice in 2018, Abito made an intentional move to Long Beach, Calif., where she found a mentor. The relationship wasn’t quite what she expected, though. 

Her mentor, a white woman who catered to affluent clients, didn’t understand the unique roadblocks, issues, and insecurities women of color faced. She also served a clientele that didn’t align with the kind of practice Abito wanted to build. She wanted to serve her community—people of color. 

Abito also didn’t like the hierarchy in the mentor/mentee relationship and felt erased by it. 

“She made me feel small and unseen being one of the only women of color,” said Abito.

She decided then that she would build a practice in which women of color would be reflected in the space. She also made the decision that when she had the opportunity to mentor another practitioner, she would intentionally go about it in a way that promoted a symbiotic relationship where both women could learn and grow together. 

Building a Space for Women of Color to Thrive

Creating a community was essential to Abito. Community is incredibly important in Filipino culture, and she wanted to make sure her practice reflected the community she had been raised in. She also wanted her practitioners to feel as though they were seen and understood in their professional environment. 

This atmosphere was a big win for Curiel. 

“In the mental health field, you see a lot of white women, and I think as a woman of color you struggle feeling like you belong, especially in the private practice space,” said Curiel. “I was able to identify with [Junie], and that made me feel more comfortable.” 

That identification allowed Curiel to accept all of the parts of her identity that brought her to the field of therapy. 

As a first-generation Latina college student, Curiel explained that she initially felt college wasn’t an option from a financial standpoint. Her family had no idea what college actually meant or how much it cost. She learned early to lean on her resilience and push through to make a way for herself. 

Once she graduated and found her place with Abito, she didn’t have to push anymore. She could lean on someone who saw her for who she was and understood.

Leaning on Each Other as Equals

Abito knew she wanted to create a safe space for Curiel to show up in the fullness of her authentic human experience, which meant the absence of hierarchy. She wanted Curiel to feel like an equal. 

“For me, it took a lot of time to be vulnerable, be transparent, and to be human,” Abito said. “That was a challenge for me in the beginning stages, but Angie made it so easy.” 

Mentoring a fellow woman of color who wasn’t afraid to show up for herself and explore how her identity influenced her work made it possible for Abito to also be more authentic in the workplace. 

This authenticity made her feel empowered and gave her purpose. She knew she was in the right place and creating a needed environment. She also knew that the women in her practice would help her succeed and be there for her, just as she was for them. It all started with Curiel. 

That vulnerability paid off, as Curiel found it easier to lean into her questions and insecurities and ask for help when needed.

“It’s been very empowering, and it helps me trust myself,” Curiel said.

The trust, empowerment, and authenticity fostered in their relationship led both women to more meaningful success as mental health practitioners. 

What started as a one-woman office has grown to five practitioners with locations in both Los Angeles and Long Beach. The practice receives eight to 10 referrals every week.

“What motivated me to be able to get to this place where we’re at—a team of five of us women of color killing it,” explained Abito, ”was thinking back to sitting in a room full of professionals whenI didn’t have anyone else in the room that looked like me.”

Abito and Curiel bring that authenticity and egalitarianism into their client relationships as well. 

According to Abito, their clients feel empowered to share their full selves and how their skin color, backgrounds, and culture influence their experiences, and that’s exactly what she initially set out to create with her practice. Mentorship gave her the confidence and the community she needed to make it a reality.

For Curiel, mentorship provided psychological safety to grow into her identity as a mental health practitioner. 

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