Cynthia Lua: Mental Health Support for Hemophilia Caregivers at the HFA Symposium
Cynthia Lua, Behavioral Health Therapist at UCLA Health, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“In April, I had the privilege of traveling to New Orleans to facilitate a workshop for Spanish-speaking caregivers through the Hemophilia Federation of America‘s Annual Symposium.
The invitation to speak at the HFA Symposium actually arrived on my birthday; truly a gift. en facilitating workshops within the medical community for the last three years, and this was my first time being invited out of state to share a little bit of my expressive arts therapy magic in a new space.
What made this opportunity even more impactful was learning that a member of the community had personally recommended me to facilitate the workshop.
My workshop was titled ‘Caring for You While Caring for Others: Reclaiming Calm, Strength, and Time’
This workshop invited caregivers to pause, breathe, and reconnect with themselves. Participants explored stress, burnout, and the pressure to ‘do it all,’ while learning gentle ways to restore calm, set boundaries, and practice self-compassion.
The space was created to help caregivers feel seen, release guilt, and remember that they matter too.
Whenever I facilitate workshops, I never know what participants will carry with them afterward, and honestly, that is one of my favorite parts of this work. I plant the seeds, and participants decide what they want to nurture, reflect on, or release.
As a woman of color, one of my goals is to help break the stigma surrounding mental health and create spaces where we can openly talk about the masks we wear, the trauma we inherit, and the expectations placed on us to ‘push through.’
There is something incredibly powerful about witnessing people begin to separate what is theirs from what they no longer want to carry.
I have seen participants leave inspired, others leave questioning long-held beliefs, and others leave with confirmation that they are already breaking generational cycles.
This particular group reflected deeply on the experience of being a sibling caregiver; a role that carries many layers of responsibility, grief, and resilience.
At the end of the workshop, I had the opportunity to meet the community member who had recommended me.
They had attended a Hemo SoCal workshop I facilitated last year and believed this was something others needed to experience too. It meant so much to not only have the work seen, but to feel seen as well.
Each workshop reaffirms the direction I feel called toward. My work extends beyond the therapy room. I want to create impact on a larger scale, especially within caregiver communities and among helping professionals.
This is also the direction I hope to explore further through my dissertation and future professional work.
I am grateful for every opportunity to learn, grow, and connect through this work, and I remain open to wherever this path leads next.
If you know of workshop, collaboration, or project opportunities aligned with this work, I would love to connect.”
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