Welcome to May at Serna Solutions. This month we celebrate Mother’s Day, and I am reminded of my own mother and the extraordinary strength it must have taken her to raise me and my brother as a single mom. I can’t imagine what it was like to be a single parent with no child support, no education past high school, and to struggle constantly to make ends meet. Although we didn’t always have much, I know she did the best she could with what she had. The most important of her resources was our extended family. In my family I have been blessed to see up-close how powerful the mothers (including my wife), aunts, grandmother and great-grandmother of my family can be. They were examples of how to be an independent, strong, hardworking, and caring person – and for that, I am so grateful

Growing up, my mother was the one constant in my life, the one person I could rely on. I remember feeling safe and loved in her presence and have done my best to share that with my kids and everyone I have meaningful contact with including clients, students and colleagues.

I lost my mother in September of 2020 to a decades-long battle with cancer. Her passing was peaceful and surrounded by family. She died how she lived, surrounded by love. Although I am still grieving, the counseling that I received has been invaluable in helping me process my pain and move through the world again. I am grateful that we provide that same type of support to so many through our services in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. If you need a similar type of support, you can check our online Grief and Loss Support Groups by clicking here or call to schedule an appointment. 

As a mental health therapist, I know that what children need more than anything is a mother (or other caregiver) who is attuned to them at a deep level. That attunement is what provides the resiliency that carries us all through the hardships and seemingly impossible challenges that we face throughout our lives. When we feel that attunement, it is beyond knowing that we are not alone. We feel supported, understood, and felt at all once.

This Mother’s Day, I want to honor all the mothers out there who are doing their best to provide that attuned presence and unwavering love. I want to especially honor the single moms out there who are doing it all on their own and showing their children what it means to be strong and independent. I want to honor those who have lost their mothers, mothers who have lost their children and those who never had a mother’s love.

To all the mothers, stepmoms, foster moms, and mother figures out there – you are all amazing and I thank you for everything you do. Happy Mother’s Day!

Brian Serna, LPCC LADAC
Founder/CEO