We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maritza P. Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Maritza with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I believe my work ethic derives from both of my parents. They were both born and raised in Mexico and made the commitment to arrive in America in the 1950’s. They became American citizens and attended school to learn English and receive an education. My father has been successful in overcoming many obstacles throughout his life and eventually became a mental health practitioner. My parent always instilled good values, morals, and ethics in my life in order to be successful in my own right. Due to their insight, I wanted to make them proud and receive a quality education that has led me to pursuing a terminal degree as a psychologist. Their advice was that life is always going to be hard; it’s the determination and hard work one puts in that makes the difference in success stories.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a bilingual Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor practicing in Texas (#67510). I earned a Master of Arts in Counseling from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas and currently a doctoral student pursuing a Psy. D. in Behavioral Health Leadership. I have 9 years of experience as a counselor, and I am currently a member of the American Counseling Association. I am passionate about working with school age children. For a combined 15+ years I have worked as an educator and a clinical counselor for school aged students (ages 3-14) in both the public and private sectors. I also have extensive experience with substance abuse counseling and Intensive Outpatient Programs for clients who were court mandated to receive substance abuse treatment.
I conduct individual and group counseling and find that play intervention with my clients is most effective and a passion of mine. It is with hope that I can provide support and hope for those who wish to receive counseling services. My supervision course consisted of a 40-hour Supervisor Training. I became an LPC-S in 2019 and look forward in assisting interns accomplishing a state licensure for an LPC.
I have extensive knowledge working with children who experience anxiety, ODD, depression, anger management, mindfulness practices, and adjustment building (children who have experienced loss of a loved one, divorce, or experience major life changes). I also have 8 years of experience within the public school system and understand the needs some students may experience with classroom accommodations or modifications. I am here to lend a helping hand to assist children in their time of need and allow them to grow and learn during the counseling process.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The 3 skills that I felt paved the way for my journey include: Determination, Responsibility, and Resilience. This journey has not been an easy one and I have had to overcome many obstacles and roadblocks to get to this state of mind. I learned from the beginning that I would need to learn how to stand up for myself and self-advocate during stressful times. There were many moments of naivety on my part, and I learned that taking a “backseat” was not the answer.
My advice for those starting out in the mental health arena is to truly know what you want to do (as mental health is a broad field) and communicate with individuals who have experience in that particular area. Education is the key to finding the way to knowledge in many areas of psychology.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is one who comes into my office and truly wants to do the work to feel better. Counseling works when the client is open to communication and seeks advice to explore feelings and find possible resolutions to their current state of mind. Working with children is both worthwhile and fun as these clients are often trying to feel better while we communicate through play, art, or music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/rodriguezmaritzalpc/home
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maeret80
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maritza-p-rodriguez-m-a-lpc-s-380b58102/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/maritza_lpc
