Cristian O. Tovar
Laredo,TX
Summary
Experienced mental health counselor specializing in bilingual services for Spanish and English speakers. Employs a variety of evidence-based techniques to address the unique needs of clients across all age groups. Focused on empowering individuals to overcome daily struggles and enhance their quality of life. Strong advocate for the importance of seeking help and support.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor
Sana-Mente Therapy Center, PLLC
Laredo, TX
01.2025 - Current
- Conducted assessments to identify client needs and appropriate interventions.
- Educated clients on healthy coping strategies for managing their grief.
- Provided emotional support to individuals navigating grief and loss experiences.
- Provided guidance on best practices for ethical decision-making within the organization.
- Provided direct clinical supervision to counseling staff.
- Supported counselors in developing individualized treatment plans.
- Ensured compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards of care.
Licensed Professional Counselor, LCDC
Becoming You: Psychotherapy & Neurofeedback
Laredo, TX
07.2024 - Current
- Conducted initial client assessments to understand their mental health needs.
- Developed treatment plans and goals in collaboration with clients.
- Assisted clients in developing problem-solving skills and strategies for emotional regulation.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to provide holistic care for clients.
- Conferred with clients to discuss treatment options and therapy goals.
- Maintained accurate clinical records in accordance with state regulations and agency policies.
- Assisted clients in developing healthy coping skills that could be used during times of stress or difficulty.
Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
Gateway Community Health Center
06.2021 - Current
- Receives referrals from GCHC’s physicians and mid-levels.
- Assess the mental and behavioral health status of referred patients.
- Provide counseling to scheduled patients utilizing professional counseling standards. Telehealth and Face to face services.
- Formulates short-term and long-term counseling plans for the clients under care.
- Consults with medical providers regarding complex cases.
- Identify patients with urgent mental health conditions (e.g. suicidal, homicidal, psychotic, etc.) and make appropriate referrals to available emergency or psychiatric treatment facilities.
- Maintain appropriate documentation of clinical and counseling services (assessments, interventions and recommendations), including all necessary billing information.
- Maintain quality care through participation in peer review, policy development and quality improvement meetings.
- Maintain and update professional knowledge and proficiency through continuing education, staff meetings and workshops.
Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
Coastal Bend Psychological Associates
12.2020 - Current
- Assess clients to determine fit for outpatient treatment and establish provisional diagnosis and initial treatment plan.
- Conduct individual and/or family therapy in accordance with state regulations and professional licensure law(s). Telehealth and Face to face services.
- Maintain scheduling of all active clients to ensure clinical needs are being met.
- Write and maintain progress notes for therapy sessions; maintain and update client’s records and make appropriate referrals.
- Provide crisis intervention services to clients to ensure risk levels are properly managed and, when appropriate, triaged to higher level of care.
- Provide empirically based psychological interventions to the person receiving services and his/her family as appropriate for their specific needs in order to maximize and encourage their participation with the community at large.
- Provide feedback to the appropriate person served, family, and treatment team, with regards to behavioral, emotional, psychological, and cognitive rehabilitation issues, test results, and practical applications.
Clinician- Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
BCFS Human and Health Services Driscoll Shelter
09.2018 - 06.2021
- Use of professional judgment and best practices to support the mental health, safety and well-being of every unaccompanied alien child and adolescent in care while maintaining compliance with established state and federal standards and requirements.
- Prepare bilingual goal-oriented psychosocial diagnostic assessments, service plans and progress reports.
- Assess, treat, develop, implement, and update therapeutic plans.
- Facilitate or co-facilitate bilingual groups weekly on specific topics and issues.
- Provide bilingual counseling, crisis management, evaluations and other clinical functions as assigned.
- Provide case consultations, weekly one-to-one counseling and/or crisis intervention for children, and bi-weekly family counseling for each family represented.
- Maintain on-call schedule for the support of children and staff.
- Assists and coordinate crisis interventions.
- Coordinate psychiatric hospitalizations by obtaining pertain information and consent from minor and sponsor.
- Report on a wide range of events that are considered significant incidents to ensure that serious issues are immediately elevated to ORR and that all incidents are resolved quickly to protect children in ORR care.
- Participate in scheduled meetings and participate in team decisions and operations.
- Meet all pre-determined deadlines required by program supervisor and federal partners.
- Record relevant clinical data and report clinical information as required.
- Maintain accurate and current child records and files.
- Provide data to support staff regarding admission/discharge of children.
- Assist in discharge planning.
- Participate in workshops, seminars, education programs and activities that promote professional growth and development.
- Prepare and maintain assigned reports in accordance with agency policies and procedures and applicable licensing and contract standards.
Licensed Professional Counselor Intern, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
A Healthy Image: Counseling and Consulting Services
02.2018 - 09.2018
- Conduct Mental health and substance use assessments by interviewing the clients referred from probation office, obtaining personal information and medical history.
- Review, discuss, and implement mental health and substance use treatment plans to monitor client’s progress, objectives, goals and needs.
- Use motivational interviewing techniques and assess client’s readiness to change negative and/or self-destructive behaviors.
- Provide counseling, guidance, and emotional support to clients as they try to reach their goals and comply with court mandated rehabilitation programs and strategies.
- Provide substance use and relapse prevention education for clients in probation with pre-trial and post-conviction status.
- Assist clients in practicing effective communication, problem-solving and anger management techniques in their daily lives.
- Liaison between the judge, treatment providers, Probation and Parole, Public Defender's Office, and other entities involved in the Adult Drug Court Program.
- Report client’s progress through monthly reports to US Federal Probation Office.
- Staff cases with probation officers in order to support client’s productive roles by educating them about available community-based organizations, and social and employment services.
- Maintain records in accordance with regulatory/agency standards.
- Collaborate with court/probation, tribal/community agencies, families and other natural support systems to ensure client’s needs are being reported and addressed.
- Participate in weekly staff meetings, supervision and monthly trainings with clinical director and supervisor as required.
Social Service Worker and Wraparound Facilitators for YES Waiver Program
Border Region Behavioral and Mental Health Center
04.2017 - 09.2018
- Perform individual child, youth and family strengths and needs-based planning across all relevant life domains.
- Provide intensive community-based services for children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbances and their families.
- Develop wraparound plans, individual plans of care, assessments and required documentation for the assigned caseload.
- Facilitate Wraparound team meetings including the development, implementation and monitoring of individualized care plans for high-need youth.
- Provide support and crisis/emergency services for the child/family through face-to-face contact, phone contact or availability by an on-call system.
- Provide assistances to clients with daily living tasks such as behavior management, counseling services to adolescents, budget management, independent transportation assistance, time management skills and other tasks to promote independent living.
- Monitors goal progress and provides ongoing support through telephonic, electronic or in-person encounters.
Adjunct Faculty in the School Counselor Program
Texas A&M International University
01.2018 - 05.2018
- Planning and developing classes with specified subjects and materials according to students’ needs.
- Developing and managing the class syllabus and ensuring that the syllabus meets department and college standards.
- Planning and creating lectures, in-class discussions, and assignments.
- Grading assigned papers, quizzes, and exams.
- Assessing grades for students based on participation, performance in class, assignments, and examinations.
- Reporting student learning outcomes, class reviews, and analyzing student data.
- Collaborating with colleagues on course curriculum.
- Advising students on how to be successful and achieve goals.
Elementary Teacher and Special Education Teacher [1st - 6th]
Public Education-Nuevo Laredo, Tamps. (Mexico)
01.2011 - 04.2017
- Utilized effective listening skills to establish rapport with student, family members, and other individuals close to the client; provide emotional support and encouragement and engage family members in the service process.
- Administered assessments to determine students’ needs and strengths for treatment plans.
- Referred students to psychologists and other mental health resources for further evaluation.
- Provided individual counseling sessions to address students’ concerns about academic, emotional, or social problems as well as on development of coping skills to manage critical life and school skills.
- Group counseling to students on various topics.
- Create behavioral contracts with referred students and facilitate monthly interdisciplinary meetings with teachers, parents, and students to discuss students’ behavior, needs, and progress towards their Education Plan.
Education
Current Certification - Mexico
Instituto Mexicano De Tanatologia
Mexico12-2024
Master of Science - School Counseling
Texas A&M International University
Laredo, TX06-2016
Bachelor of Arts - Education
Universidad Pedagogica Nacional
Mexico06-2012
Master of Science - Industrial And Organizational Psychology
Centro De Estudios Superiores Royal
Mexico06-2011
Skills
- Bilingual proficiency
- Work ethic
- Goal orientation
- Commitment
- Genuine interest in others
- Self-reflection
- Microsoft Office expertise
- Flexibility
- Crisis intervention skills
- Individual counseling techniques
- Treatment planning strategies
- Emotional regulation techniques
- Group facilitation skills
- Assessment capabilities
Community Projects
- Texas A&M first school counseling professional development conference, 2017, speaker
- Texas A&M school counseling leadership and advocacy project: “first national career day” at an elementary School in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, 2016, Youtube Video- “Leadership Advocacy Project – Career Day at Guadalupe Gonzalez Gutierrez Elementary”
- Texas A&M discover, 2015-2016, coordinator of the Texas A&M association of school counselors association
- Group and individual counseling practices at sacred heart orphanage, 2014 & 2015
- Group counseling practices at united south high school in collaboration with shattered dreams program and TAMIU school counseling program interns, 2014
- Texas A&M association of school counselors, 2015-2016, Club’s vice president
- Parenting lessons at diverse elementary schools in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, 2011-2016
- Member of the honor society of phi kappa phi, 2016
- Member of club leos omega, 2017
- Member of colegio mexicano de psicologos neolaredenses, 2016-2019
- Member of national alliance on mental illness, 2017-2018
- Member of american school counselors association, 2017
Certification
- Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents
- Bereavement Certified Coordinator
- Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor
- Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
Languages
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
English
Full Professional
Affiliations
- I enjoy attending to music concerts
- I have a friend living with me at home, his name is Timon and he is a pug.
- I like to complete races. 5k and marathons are cool but if they have obstacles that's a plus.
- I love to visit my friends and travel.
References
- Dr. Lorraine Dinkel - Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor
Coordinator of Counseling Programs at Kansas State University
E-mail : Dink5@ksu.edu Phone number: (417)-230-1357
- Robert C. Cramer Psy.D., BCBA-D/LBA, LPC- S
CEO at Coastal Bend- Psychological Associates
E-mail: cramer@cb-pa.com Phone number: (361) 442-4024
- Berenice Torruco M.S., LPC EMDR Certified Therapist
CEO at Becoming You Therapy Center
E-mail : btorruco@becomingyoutx.com Phone number: (956)955-6352
Timeline
Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor
Sana-Mente Therapy Center, PLLC
01.2025 - Current
Licensed Professional Counselor, LCDC
Becoming You: Psychotherapy & Neurofeedback
07.2024 - Current
Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
Gateway Community Health Center
06.2021 - Current
Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
Coastal Bend Psychological Associates
12.2020 - Current
Clinician- Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
BCFS Human and Health Services Driscoll Shelter
09.2018 - 06.2021
Licensed Professional Counselor Intern, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
A Healthy Image: Counseling and Consulting Services
02.2018 - 09.2018
Adjunct Faculty in the School Counselor Program
Texas A&M International University
01.2018 - 05.2018
Social Service Worker and Wraparound Facilitators for YES Waiver Program
Border Region Behavioral and Mental Health Center
04.2017 - 09.2018
Elementary Teacher and Special Education Teacher [1st - 6th]
Public Education-Nuevo Laredo, Tamps. (Mexico)
01.2011 - 04.2017
Current Certification - Mexico
Instituto Mexicano De Tanatologia
Master of Science - School Counseling
Texas A&M International University
Bachelor of Arts - Education
Universidad Pedagogica Nacional
Master of Science - Industrial And Organizational Psychology
Centro De Estudios Superiores Royal