Rio Sana Counseling, PLLC

Families Matter! 

MISSION

My mission is to help children & parents overcome obstacles and challenges in childhood & parenting. 

By offering child-centered counseling and personalized support for parents, I help families not just survive but THRIVE!

Supporting Children and Parents 

FOCUS

How I Can Help

Children 3-17 years old:

Children's innate form of communication is play. 

Using attachment-based theory & child-centered modalities, i..e. play therapy, I can begin to connect and communicate with your child. 

Once a trusting relationship has been establish, I can help guide your child as s/he/they make sense of feelings, behaviors & the things happening around them. Toys & art are just a few of the tools I incorporate into each session to help teach coping skills and how to manage emotions.

Parents & Caregivers: 

There is a reason why the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" holds so true. Parenting is incredibly challenging to say the least. As a client, you can count on me to be present with you in the up's & the down's of childrearing. 

My goal is to support you while you support your child & family. Our time together is always flexible and tailored to your needs. It can be a space for you to:

-vent about the nitty gritty parts of parenting

-ask Qs

-explore parenting styles & strategies

-revel in the positive moments.

Want to know more? 

My journey as as a mental health professional began in 2007 shortly after graduating with a BA in Psychology from Baylor University. In 2010, I was awareded a Master's of Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley formerly known as the University of Texas Pan American. 

My passion for helping families & children was born while living & working in the Rio Grande Valley and Austin, Texas. I proudly wore the hats of Bilingual and Community-Based Therapist, Child Advocate Specialist, Mental Health Case Manager, and Adolescent Counselor. I worked directly with children, parents, families both in & out of the office setting and in clients' own communities, such as their homes and schools. 

 I also had the privilege of working alongside many innovative & highly skilled child professionals from organizations such as the SAFE Alliance, CASA of Travis County, Disability Rights Texas, and Williamson County Juvenile Services. 

As a member of the Travis County Children Collabrative (TCCC), I was given the opportunity to learn from renowned experts & researchers in the fields of child mental health, child attachment, trauma, and play therapy. Drs. Karyn Purvis & David Cross, co-founders of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (aka TBRI), were instrumental to my developing approach to working with children from hard places and their parents/caregivers. As a TBRI Practioner, the attachment (i.e. bond) between child and parent/caregiver is at the center of the work I do.

I'm forever grateful to my best teachers: the children, parents & families who graciously opened their homes & lives and trusted this "Guerra" to help reconnect and strengthen the child-parent relationship.

It is an honor to bring this knowledge & experience to mi tierra natal! Words cant describe how excited I am to give back to mi amada comunidad, mi gente del Valle del Rio Grande.

CONTACT

Send me an email and I’ll get back to you soon.