Member Highlight — Julia Zabasky, LMFT

Mishka Clavijo Kimball, LMFT

Mishka Clavijo Kimball is a dynamic, energetic, ambitious, and nurturing Latinx woman whom I had the pleasure of interviewing. To sum up this article at the start: I found Mishka to be an inspiration. “I am a Latinx therapist. Before, the terms used to be Latino and Latina and now its gender neutral,” Mishka explained. She believes using Latinx is a more appropriate term as “it creates a comfort and allows for more inclusivity of all the different genders.”

Her heritage is Nicaraguan and Colombian, though she grew up in Guatemala as both countries were in the midst of civil wars. Her parents named her “Mishka,” a Russian name inspired by a neighbor. She immigrated to the U.S. in her early twenties to attend college, and here she met her husband (to whom she has now been married for 14 years) and ended up staying. They have a dog named “Charlie,” a spirited chihuahua mix.

Mishka graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s University in 2015 and became a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in April 2019.  She explained that she was inspired to become a therapist by going through her own therapy process and therapeutic journey. Mishka shared that she’s always loved psychology and experiencing the real benefit and power of therapy made her realize “that’s exactly what I want to do . . . I always loved learning about other people and about myself.”

She continues to go to therapy to work on herself, and she mentioned it helps her be a better therapist.

Mishka enjoys being involved with her community and loves participating in activities to support others and help herself grow. She joined the San Fernando CAMFT chapter in 2017 and explained, “Being a part of CAMFT has helped me grow professionally, as a leader, and personally. I stayed all these years because it has been a great experience for me.”

She started volunteering with the chapter in 2018 as the CEU Coordinator and Board Member at Large. In 2019, she became Vice President of Membership, and this year, she is President Elect. In her current role, Mishka supports the current President and is co-chair of the Diversity Committee. She is also co-facilitating a support group for therapists of color.

When she becomes President of SFV-CAMFT in 2021, Mishka will be the first Latinx president in the history of the chapter. She’s incredibly excited about her vision, which she stated will be to more accurately represent the community and to lead the chapter to become more diverse and inclusive.

Mishka is also a professor at Mount Saint Mary’s University, her alma matter, and she teaches in the undergraduate psychology program. 

She started her own private practice, Kimball Therapy, in 2019, which is located in Woodland Hills, CA. Mishka revealed her role model, mentor, and previous supervisor, Anita Avedian, supported her throughout the process.

Mishka specializes in working with young adults who are going through life transitions and experiencing anxiety, grief, and/or depression.

She currently utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Gestalt techniques. Her favorite books are Attached by Amir Levine, The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, and The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.

In addition to her private practice, Mishka is launching a coaching business, which is focused on personal development and working with adults who want to grow and thrive. Additionally, she’ll offer coaching and consultation for therapists who want to start their private practice. I’m signing up!!!

Mishka’s websites are:
Therapy: www.kimballtherapy.com
Coaching: www.thekimballcollective.com.