Hi Dr. Chu-Peralta! Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
Hi! I’m originally from good ol’ Clifton, NJ (not Bergen County!) and have been living in Park Ridge, NJ for 10 years!! The past 10 years have flown by and I’m forever grateful to have the opportunity to live in Park Ridge – before moving here, I hadn’t even heard of it! I lived in Waldwick (another town I had not heard of while growing up in Clifton), had just had my first baby, decided it was too far from the throughway, needed a closer commute, and Park Ridge won for ideal location. Now, I’m SUPER fortunate to work in Montvale and you can’t beat that commute or community 🙂
How old are your kids?
I have two little treasures. Lorenzo is 11 years old, in the 5th grade, equal parts humorous, dedicated, and diligent. Mavi (pronounced Mah-vee) Estella is 7 years old (well, as of this Thursday), in the 1st grade, and equal parts loyal, clever, and honest.
What is your favorite thing to do with them?
I love to do homework and study with my kids – I love asking them about one funny thing that happened at school that day, because it always results in a good family laugh. I love it when we poke fun at each other and share a good laugh about it. I love snuggling on the couch and reading with them or in parallel. I love watching movies with them. I love taking walks with them. I love hosting their friends at our house and having good laughs with them all.
Are you involved in a business venture? Please share!
Yes! I am the founder of Center for Resiliency, a group psychology practice in Montvale, NJ. I run the business and also see patients.
Why is this so important?
Before ever opening a private practice, I worked for a decade at a non-profit trauma clinic (trauma treatment will always be my number 1 specialty…I love getting to educate people about what trauma really is and is not and how much it’s really more about the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and patterns that the trauma did to us that is impactful…I digress) and during the pandemic, I was on lock down, along with the rest of the world!! And soaked up every single second I could of being with my spouse and children – they were so teeny tiny back then – my kids; not my spouse lol – (insert tear drop!). Anyway, I had been working for that clinic still (which is out in Westchester County – not so close to my house in Park Ridge), and working super part time in my private practice (I’m talking about only seeing like 5 patients a week) simultaneously…well, soon into the pandemic, I decided I needed more time with my family and could not continue to work at the nonprofit, so I left that job, increased a little bit more hours at my private practice (which was still fully virtual at this point, since we were still on lock down), and very soon after I was flooded with calls from people seeking treatment for …wait for it…..trauma (insert melting emoji). I was referring people right and left and inevitably getting the calls from them again that either no one would return their call, they weren’t taking new patients, or trauma wasn’t their specialty. That broke me. Here are these people in one of the most vulnerable moments in time, and finally reaching out for support and they were reaching impasses. So, my lovely husband suggest I go through my mental rolodex and see if any of my prior colleagues would want to work with me and do this trauma work with me at my practice. And here we are today…Center for Resiliency – and not just seeing trauma patients but welcoming just about anyone who needs support (we don’t specialize in OCD or eating disorders).
What sets you apart?
All of our employees are trauma trained – meaning they’ve received specialized training in trauma treatments that are backed by science. This means that they don’t see everyone as having trauma – that can be a misconception – but instead, they see everyone has a whole and as a product of their environment, rather than a label or a diagnosis. Also, we all have unique backgrounds that influence our personality and therapeutic styles – the variety allows for people to have options on therapists to choose to work with 🙂
If you could give one tip to fellow moms, what would it be?
Take a deep breath, mama, and give yourself the accolades you deserve! You don’t need to do this perfectly in order to ‘deserve’ the title of ‘best mama.’ Are you being mostly intentional, reflective, and mindful in your parenting? With yourself? Then you must be doing something right, mama 🙂
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I am embarrassingly the most capricious eater I know. Honestly, even my 11-year-old has a more sophisticated palette than I do. I don’t eat lettuce, salad dressing, most meats, sushi (do California rolls count, though? I love those), and the list goes on… (insert ashamed emoji but also one where I’m laughing at myself for this one).
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
My village is EVERYTHING to me. I would not be who I am or where I am without my village. They keep me self-reflecting every day, show up for me when I need them, and best of all we are all equally sarcastic and obsessed with all mom-related memes that the Internet has to offer 😉
To learn more about Center for Resiliency visit their Website and follow them on Instagram.