In the Spotlight: Alea Bell
As the Center grows, we’re focused on welcoming therapists who not only embody our commitment to whole-person well-being, but who also bring new depth to the ways we support families. We’re thrilled to introduce Alea Bell, the newest addition to our therapy team. Alea’s work centers on strengthening parent–child relationships, supporting children and teens, and helping families build greater connection and joy. She’s also bilingual, which opens the door to more meaningful conversations and stronger connections with Spanish-speaking families across our community.
We asked Alea to share a little about her passion for helping families thrive. Meet Alea:
Can you tell us a little about your work at the Center?
I’m really excited to be at the Center and to deepen and expand my clinical work here. My focus is on supporting children and teens (from birth through age 17), as well as parents. I have a strong interest in families, especially the parent–child relationship, and strengthening the attachment between children and their caregivers.
What initially drew you to the field of psychotherapy, and more specifically, to working with children and families?
I’ve always been fascinated by early childhood development — how our brains are wired in those early years, and how important it is to help caregivers provide a nurturing foundation. Over time, this interest has deepened, especially as I’ve studied the impact of institutionalized systems of oppression. Bringing these pieces together, my focus has become understanding how development is shaped by the many environments a child grows up in. Supporting parents in that process feels incredibly valuable, and it can be a powerful force in shaping culture. Fostering family relationships, shifting generational patterns, and creating more empathy, reflection, joy, and understanding — all of it has a ripple effect.
You spent many years in community mental health settings and schools. How has that experience shaped your approach to therapy today?
It gave me a profound respect for what families go through — the resilience, the complexities. It reinforced humility in my role as a therapist. Parents are the experts on their children and families, and part of my work is reflecting back the strengths they may not see in moments of stress.
It also sharpened my awareness of the larger systems that affect families. Those experiences taught me the importance of meeting people exactly where they are, because mental health goals and the purpose of therapy can look very different from one family to the next.
What does a holistic approach mean to you when it comes to mental health and working with families?
One of the things that drew me to the Center is its focus on global healing practices — I’ve always admired how they weave that into their mission. In my own practice, I bring in mindfulness and mind–body awareness with kids of all ages. That might mean noticing where feelings live in the body, or exploring the two-way connection — how calming or moving your body can shift how you feel.
I love the idea that a holistic approach is embodied: the training starts with us as therapists, and we live these practices before passing them on to clients. For me, it’s about recognizing that mental health connects to so many parts of our body and spirit, almost like a microcosm of all the systems we’re part of.
Taking that a step further, “holistic” also means recognizing that work with children always involves supporting parents as well. Parenting triggers and brings so much from the past to the surface. Understanding and working with what is going on for parents is almost essential to supporting the well-being of their children.
Holistic care can sometimes feel abstract. How do you help parents see this idea in action — like with their child’s emotions and nervous system?
A big part of my work is helping parents understand what’s happening in their child’s nervous system — why it’s activated and what that actually feels like for the child. When a child is overwhelmed, their nervous system is in overdrive, which is why reasoning and problem-solving often don’t work in the heat of the moment.
This is where co-regulation comes in: it’s about connecting nervous system to nervous system. When parents can cultivate and share their own calm, regulated state, they help their child feel safe enough to settle. It’s a way of working smarter, not harder — using the power of co-regulation to soothe a child’s big feelings and bring their amygdala and prefrontal cortex back online before moving into teaching, learning, or problem-solving.
In your bio, you mention wanting to “foster delight” within families — that’s such a beautiful phrase. Can you share what that looks like in your work?
It’s something I really care about. A lot of my work with parents and attachment is about helping caregivers find lightness and even silliness, especially during phases that can feel heavy. Play, lightness, delight — those things can shift the whole dynamic.
It’s also about noticing the small moments of joy, because that’s such an important part of being human. And sometimes it’s about discovering in your parenting relationship the delight you may not have experienced yourself growing up. Learning to play is a great example. Play offers small moments in parenting that allow us to connect and send some love to our own inner child.
As a bilingual therapist, how do you see language and culture playing a role in the therapeutic process?
I’m Ecuadorian on my mom’s side, and I feel so grateful for that heritage and the connection it gives me to family and culture. Professionally, being bilingual has been a beautiful bridge in my work with families.
It doesn’t change my overall approach — I still come from a place of cultural humility, where the client is the expert — but it does open up space for nuance. It helps me better understand lived experiences and how culture can shape both daily life and mental health. More than anything, language has become another tool for heart connection, especially with vulnerable children and families.
While we don't have any parent groups at the moment, this is something that the Center is looking forward to adding! You have experience in parent groups — what do you find most powerful about these group settings?
Parents are the most powerful agents of change in their children’s lives, so it’s helpful for them to have a space to reflect and add tools to their parenting toolbox. Part of what I love is offering a bit of psychoeducation and then handing it over to the group — because that’s where the real wisdom comes out. Parents sharing with one another normalizes so much, and it can move people from shame into self-compassion very quickly. That community and reflective capacity are incredibly powerful.
