Education and Passion
Mónica received her degree in clinical mental health and is currently a Ph.D student in the counseling department at the University of North Texas. She has specialized training in play therapy, child/parent relationship therapy (CPRT), and disaster mental health. Mónica started her journey working at a residential treatment center for adolescent girls struggling with suicidal ideation, addiction, self-harm, abuse, and other mental health concerns. Through this experience, she was able to recognize how attachment disruptions and trauma contribute to unhealthy relational patterns. She has extensive experience working with families, children, adults, and adolescents with attachment disruptions, developmental concerns, aggression, depression, trauma, and sexual abuse. At Lifeworks Recovery, Mónica works with clients across the lifespan who are navigating varied circumstances including healing from relational ruptures, porn addiction, sex addiction, grief, and past trauma.
As a daughter of immigrant parents, Mónica is passionate about advocacy and social justice for underrepresented or never represented populations, specifically the Spanish-speaking Latinx and immigrant community. She offers Spanish therapeutic services for clients who primarily speak Spanish.
Mónica’s beliefs about counseling:
Sometimes life can get pretty tricky and have us feeling stuck, unsure, and discouraged. However, I believe that we all have an innate capacity to grow, to heal, and to develop into our full potential.
Through a collaborative counseling partnership based on respect, trust, and compassion, you can explore current concerns, struggles, and areas of life that are going well. The therapeutic journey involves taking courageous steps while gaining self-awareness and self acceptance in order to move forward and reconnect with your capacity towards growth. My goal in counseling is to provide you with a safe and nonjudgmental environment where you feel free to explore your own needs, values, and feelings in order to release yourself from experiences that hinder you and no longer serve you. I look forward to meeting with you and taking this journey with you.
