Para Los Niños began providing mental health care to families more than 20 years ago and remains the only children’s mental health provider in the Skid Row neighborhood. In the spirit of Mental Health Month, we want to share what makes our staff and program exceptional as well as encourage our community of staff, supporters and families to prioritize their wellbeing.

Viridiana Hernandez didn’t set out to become a therapist. She studied business at San Diego State and imagined a different kind of future. But life has a way of revealing where you’re meant to be — especially for someone as compassionate, intuitive, and determined as Viridiana.

After college, she began working with children on the autism spectrum. She saw how families struggled to find resources, how parents carried stress alone, how siblings were often unintentionally overlooked. “I wanted to do more,” she says. “A lot of moms didn’t have friends… I would just kind of stay after and talk a little bit … I always want to do more. I want to help. I see the struggle.”

A friend and supervisor encouraged her to consider becoming a therapist. “I didn’t even know what therapy really was,” she laughs. “But he showed up with a binder full of grad schools and said, ‘You’re going to do it.’” She enrolled. She went to therapy herself. She learned how to hold space — not just for clients, but for her own healing too.

Her first job as a therapist wasn’t a good fit. “They told me I was doing everything wrong,” she says. “I almost quit the profession.” But a colleague suggested she apply at Para Los Niños. “I told myself, ‘If this doesn’t work, then maybe it’s not meant to be.’ But that was seven years ago. and I’m still here.”

Since 2017, Viridiana has been part of PLN’s mental health team — supporting children and families through challenges, transitions, and moments of deep vulnerability. Her work is rooted in empathy and guided by the belief that therapy is a partnership.

“I’m here as an ally. I’m here to support you. I’m not here to fix you. We’re going to grow together, because I’m learning from you and you’re learning from me. This is a partnership.”