Exploring Life & Business with Reetu DeLeon of Reetu Deleon, LCSW at Arora Wellness Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reetu DeLeon. 

Hi Reetu, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began my personal journey with therapy when I was in college and started going to therapy myself. I had always wanted to be a journalist, but when I noticed how much my life had changed because of my therapeutic experience, I knew that was my calling. I wanted to help people the way I was helped. 

I graduated from ASU with my undergrad degree and then decided to move to San Diego for a couple of years before moving to New York to go to New York University for graduate school. I graduated with a Master of Social Work degree in 2004 and decided to stay in NYC. That was one of the best decisions I made. I loved working in NYC because of the diversity of clients and the cutting-edge experts in the field that I had a chance to work with and train under. 

I did my post-graduate work at the Ackerman Institute for the family, where I specialized my work in couples and family work. This helped me find my niche in the field and I was able to specialize my work. I also became trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, an attachment-based model that further supported my previous couples and family training. 

I spent the first part of my career doing agency work working with a variety of clientele, ranging from Adolescents to Seniors, with a wide diagnostic range. I decided to start my private practice in 2008 alongside my agency work and after having my first son, decided to focus on private practice. 

When my husband two children and I moved to Arizona in 2016, to be closer to my family, several of my patients chose to continue their work with me by doing video sessions. This made the professional transition to Arizona much easier–because I didn’t have to start my practice from scratch. Slowly but surely, I began to build my local practice–so currently, I work with both Arizona and New York clients. 

After all these years of being a clinician and genuinely loving what I do, I still had an urge to get involved in other aspects of the clinical and social justice arenas–particularly because of the direction our world was turning, socially and politically. 

I love Arizona but one of the things I do miss about the East Coast was the diversity. As a therapist of color, and raising kids of color, I am acutely aware of where my kids and I stand out, and where we fit in. 

A position for the Diversity and Inclusion chairperson opened up with Arizona Emotional Focused Therapy Board of Directors and I decided to apply. It’s made up of a wonderful group of clinicians who are committed to bringing professional excellence to the Arizona community. They are dedicated to creating safety and understanding in our community. and I was proud to join them. I have been serving on the Board for about 1 year and have great pride in the work we have accomplished to date Most notably, in 2021, we were able to launch the diversity scholarship program. 

I love what I do and truly feel honored that individuals, couples, and families trust me enough to allow me into their world to help them make the changes they feel are necessary. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been smooth–No. In February of 2019. I lost my father in a car accident. It was a sudden, unexpected loss that turned my family’s life inside out. A Lot of changes were made around that time–my mom was alone, my husband and I moved to her neighborhood to be closer to her, and we were all just heartbroken. The grief and pain helped me understand my patients who had also lost their loved ones, very differently. I guess it’s like they say–it’s a club you don’t want to be a part of but you only really understand it when you are in the club. One year later, my husband lost his mother to an aggressive cancer–a month after diagnosis. Also, a sudden loss for him–but he and I were suddenly in this club together. 

And then, of course, March 2020, the entire world shut down with Covid. It’s a great gift to be able to empathize with your clients and feel their story with them–but It’s rare to be in the heart of a crisis WITH your clients–dealing with the same fear, the same confusion, and to navigate through it together. I believe it made my work stronger and more connected and I think the clients were able to feel that connection too. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Reetu Deleon, LCSW at Arora Wellness Center, LLC?
I work in private practice as a psychotherapist and specialize in couples and family work. I have been trained by some of the best, most cutting-edge therapists in the field. I am South Asian- American, and pride myself on the diversity and cultural awareness/sensitivity I bring to my work. I offer virtual sessions to clients in both Arizona and New York. 

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is when we used to take family road trips with my cousins–it was always long and required a lot of stops at different locations. We got to stay at a bunch of hotels and just enjoy the local city for a day or two before moving on to the next one. It allowed me to explore so many different places! 

Pricing:

• 200 for couples
• 175 for individuals

Contact Info:

• Email: reetukdeleon@icloud.com
• Website: https://reetudeleon.com/
• Instagram: reetukdeleon

Image Credits
AZ EFT Board