Citlali Herrera, LCSW – Westchester Therapist
Hello!…
My name is Citlali (pronounced seet-la-lee), but everyone calls me Lali — yes, like “lollipop!” I’m a millennial Pisces sun who loves a good chai latte almost as much as I love my two precious cats.
My friends would describe me as the calm, silly, witchy one — the go-to for all things spiritual and esoteric. I know a little about a lot, and I’m always curious to learn more.
When I’m not doing yoga, connecting with nature, or diving into shamanic and somatic practices, you can probably find me indulging in a fabulously trashy reality show. I know it’s not real… and I absolutely don’t care.
Hi! I’m Citlali Herrera, LCSW
Why I Do This Work
My healing journey began as soon as I left home for social work school. For the first time, I had space to see myself clearly—outside the roles I had been carrying for so long. I didn’t have the words for it then, but something in me was aching to be known more deeply, to be understood in a way I hadn’t yet experienced.
As I stepped into adulthood, I realized how much of my identity had been shaped by keeping the peace, staying small, and taking care of others’ emotions before my own. The deeper layers of healing unfolded when I began exploring my relationship with spirituality and, soon after, psychedelics. At 20, I experienced my first intentional psychedelic journey. At 22, I sat in my first ayahuasca ceremony. That experience cracked open a new level of awareness—of myself, of my history, and of the interconnected web of healing I was meant to walk.
When I moved to New York City to pursue my master’s at NYU, I discovered that psychedelics were being studied as clinical tools for mental health—and I was in awe. My passion for spiritual healing and my training as a therapist didn’t have to be separate. That moment confirmed I was on the right path.
Since then, I’ve continued to study hypnotherapy, deepen my connection to Spirit, and expand my ability to support clients in exploring their own inner landscapes. For fun (yes, really), I take courses in everything from shamanism to yogic philosophy to psychedelic facilitation.
I truly believe the deeper I go within myself, the deeper I can go with my clients. And that healing isn't just about insight—it's about being seen, deeply and truly, maybe for the first time.
Guided by Ancestry
I identify as Chicana (Mexican-American), and my full name, Citlalicue, comes from the Nahuatl language—the Indigenous tongue of my ancestors. In Aztec mythology, Citlalicue is the goddess of the stars, the cosmos, and creation itself. She is linked to the Milky Way, the Earth, and the sacred cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
Her presence lives in my name and in my work. I feel deeply connected to her energy—a reminder of the vastness of the human spirit and the healing that comes from embracing both light and shadow.
As a Latina therapist and woman of color, I bring cultural depth, ancestral wisdom, and reverence into the healing space. My background shapes the way I hold space for clients—especially those who’ve felt unseen, unheard, or disconnected from their roots.