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We open with a simple image: sometimes you really do have to set things on fire. Not to destroy for fun, but to make room for a cleaner rebirth, the kind that doesn’t pretend the old “phoenix” left no ash behind. From there, we get practical fast, talking with Waldo, a clinician in southern New Mexico known for his trainings in EMDR and sand tray work, about what it actually means to help children heal inside the systems they live in.

We keep coming back to one uncomfortable question: why do we place the biggest burden of change on the most vulnerable person in the room? Kids rarely ask to start therapy, yet we often treat them like they volunteered, pushing goals and timelines that make adult life easier. We dig into child consent in therapy, how power and hierarchy show up in schools and families, and why expecting a child to “use words” for the worst thing that ever happened to them can become another form of pressure. Waldo also shares how he thinks about readiness in trauma treatment and what it looks like to advocate when a teen is not prepared for deeper processing.

Then we zoom into the “how.” Waldo breaks down his approach to dyadic therapy and attachment-based family play therapy: mixing joint sessions with parent-only sessions, focusing on adult triggers, and teaching skills through play rather than PowerPoints. We also widen the lens to systems theory in the real world, including clinician burnout, uneven access to training, and why agencies, licensing boards, and associations must be held accountable for lasting change for families.

If you’re a therapist, supervisor, or caregiver who’s tired of “fix the child” thinking, this conversation offers a different map. Subscribe, share this with someone who works with kids, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Contact Waldo at waldo@winbornwc.com

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon