Meet your coach
Hi, I am Yoyce!
I provide evidence-informed coaching for caregivers, LGBTQ+ adults, and survivors rebuilding after crisis. A place where you do not have to shrink yourself to be understood.
Who I Am?
Yoyce Geronimo Galvan, M.A.
I am a queer Latina, a first-generation immigrant, and the founder of Held & Seen Coaching. I hold a Master of Arts in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from William Paterson University.
For more than a decade, I have work with people affected by serious mental illness, addiction, trauma, caregiving, and LGBTQ+ communities. My work has bridged across behavioral health, research, program development, and community-based services.
Across those spaces, I kept seeing the same pattern:
people living at these intersections often found that support was limited, hard to access, or not designed for their needs.
Caregivers were expected to stay strong while nearly all attention went to the person receiving care. LGBTQ+ adults were asked to navigate identity, family, faith, culture, and belonging in spaces that treated their lives as exceptions. Survivors often received support during crisis, then were left to figure out how to rebuild.
This work is personal to me
I grew up learning the importance of family, faith, culture, and loyalty. I also learned how difficult it can be to become your full self when parts of who you are do not fit what others expect. I know the pain of wanting to belong without hiding and what it feels like to move between languages, cultures, and beliefs while still wondering where you truly fit.
I loved someone with bipolar disorder. During that relationship, I often felt responsible for keeping everything from falling apart. Over time, I became so focused on caring for someone I loved that I stopped paying attention to what I needed.
What these experiences taught me
Love, hope, grief, and belonging can all exist at the same time.
Your whole story deserves space. You should not have to hide parts of yourself, explain every part of your experience, or believe that your needs are selfish.
Experience that brings structure to compassionate work.
My background spans behavioral health, addiction, peer support, trauma, research, program development, equity and inclusion, and community-based services.
That experience shapes how I coach: with warmth, directness, practical structure, and respect for the systems and identities influencing your life.
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Senior Director of Peer Support Services
Partnership to End Addiction
Manager of Equity & Inclusion
Partnership to End Addiction
Program Manager
Rutgers University
Clinical Practicum
Rutgers Health Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance
Research Scientist
New York University
Speaking and Media
I speak on podcasts, in national media, and at conferences and panel discussions about behavioral health, addiction, prevention, recovery, peer support, and Latino health. In 2025, I was invited to take part in seven speaking and panel opportunities across several conferences.
What working together feels like
You won't have to educate me about your identity, your caregiving role, or the impact of trauma on your life.
We'll move at a pace that honors both your goals and your capacity.
I will combine psychoeducation, with reflections, and practical tools you can actually use.
You'll be challenged with compassion
Let's Talk
If you recognized yourself somewhere on this page, I would be honored to meet you.
A free 30-minute consultation gives us space to talk about what you are navigating, what you want to change, and whether coaching together feels like the right fit.