WELCOME
DR. ARTEMIO GARCIA JR., PH.D.
Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.)
Board Approved L.P.C. Supervisor (LPC-S)
Thank you for taking the time to explore my interactive online portfolio, where I share my professional background and the services I provide. Whether you represent an organization, are an individual professional, graduate student, doctoral candidate, or a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate (LPC-Associate) seeking supervision; I invite you to discover how my tailored mentorship and guidance can support your growth and development..
This website is designed as an interactive experience, with clickable sections that open detailed previews of my references, certificates, licenses, education, and more. With over 15 years of diverse clinical and community experience, I am a licensed clinician dedicated to providing individualized supervision to LPC-Associates, graduate practicum learners, and doctoral candidates in behavioral health or related fields. My approach offers unique, interpersonal opportunities to help you learn and thrive under my guidance. I consider myself a true Clinical Generalist working with all clinical populations ages 03-103. I do hold special 'niches' in working with clinical pollutions which include the itty bitties patients with neurodiverse or neurodivergent presenting patients. Helping families through their first evaluation or second opinion diagnostic process for their child, including the family, educators, and their physicians as part of this process for a whole and real world perspective evaluation.
As a supervisor, I adopt an interpersonal approach to mentorship, emphasizing the importance of building strong, positive relationships with both traditional and non-traditional learners. Open communication, active listening, and empathy are at the core of my supervision style. My goal is to foster a supportive and collaborative environment where learners feel understood, valued, and empowered to succeed—not only in their professional roles but also in navigating life’s inevitable challenges. Leadership, for me, is about prioritizing the human element and creating trust that enables you to achieve personal and professional success. If I am not already approved as a supervisor by your university, please feel free to contact me so we can establish that connection.
Explore this portfolio to learn more about my services and how we can work together to achieve your goals.
Please note: These professional services are independent of Garcia’s Family Wellness, PLLC
MENTORSHIP THROUGH EXPERIENCE:
ABOUT ME
I was raised in a hardworking migrant Hispanic family in the Rio Grande Valley. After building my career in San Antonio, I have returned home with a renewed commitment to serving this community through education, mentorship, and behavioral health services.
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With over 15 years of experience across mental health, veteran services, foster care, trauma recovery, residential treatment, and crisis intervention, I bring a broad and practical perspective to the supervision and training I provide. I have also served on advisory boards at both the local and state level, presented nationally on trauma and LGBTQ+ issues, and contributed to law enforcement mental health training programs.
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My educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish, a Master of Science in Counseling and Guidance from Texas A&M University–Kingsville, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Capella University, where I published research on learned helplessness, alcohol abuse, depression, and diabetes. I have further strengthened my expertise through the completion of three clinical fellowships:
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Clinical Psychology with Children and Adolescents
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Clinical Psychology with Adults
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Forensic Services, specializing in:
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Court-related evaluations for foster care, custody, and divorce cases
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Medical-legal evaluations for surgical and medical clearances in bariatric medicine, pain management, and spine surgery
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Following a personal journey of growth—including experiences with divorce and life transitions—I chose to reconnect with my family roots and return to the Rio Grande Valley. Today, I proudly provide in-person clinical, supervision, and educational services at my clinic located at 216 N FM 3167, Unit 6, Rio Grande City, TX 78582, with flexible online support options available to accommodate individualized educational pathways.
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As an openly Gay Hispanic, Male, and father of three neurodiverse kiddos, I bring lived experience, authenticity, and resilience into every aspect of my work. I am LGBTQ+ affirming in all professional environments, creating a safe and inclusive space for all individuals. My approach is especially focused on supporting new and non-traditional learners—those who may be entering the mental health field through diverse life paths or unique educational journeys. I aim to enrich your professional development through a mentorship style that is personalized, supportive, and rooted in real-world experience.
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It is my mission to help the next generation of mental health professionals grow not just academically, but personally and professionally—with guidance that respects where you come from and empowers where you are going.
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
Concentrations: General Psychology & Clinical Psychology
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Dissertation Title: Learned Helplessness, Alcohol Abuse, Depression, and Diabetes: A Predictive Study (Published)
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in Counseling and Guidance
in Psychology and Spanish
Post Teacher Certificate: Spanish EC-12
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Board Approved L.P.C. Supervisor (LPC-S)​
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Certified Prolonged Exposure Therapist (Emory Medical School of Psychiatry)
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CPR and First Aid (Adult and Pediatric), AED Number: GWA1T0
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Certified Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP) Facilitator
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Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Number: NEACE3BF
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Teacher Certificate, Spanish EC-12
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TRAINING & SPECIALIZATIONS
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Prolonged Exposure Therapy, 2018 (Certified)
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Cognitive Behavior Therapy, 2018 (Certified)
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Trauma Informed Care Overview Training, 2018
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Colombia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, 2018
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SBIRT: Intervention and Treatment Services for Individuals with Substance Use Issues, 2018
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Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior in the U.S. Military, 2018
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Assessing Military Clients for Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, 2018
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Military Culture: Core Competencies for Health Care Professionals Self-Assessment and Introduction to Military Ethos, 2018
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Military Culture: Core Competencies for Health Care Professionals Military Organization and Roles, 2018
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Military Culture: Core Competencies for Health Care Professionals Stressors and Resources, 2018
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Military Culture: Core Competencies for Health Care Professionals Treatment Resources and Tools, 2018
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Ethical and Legal Guidelines for Telehealth, 2018
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HIPAA and Behavioral Health, 2018
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Cognitive Processing Therapy, 2017 (Certified)
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Motivational Interviewing, 2015, 2016, 2017 (Certified)
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Person Centered Thinking, The Institute for Person-Centered Practices, 2016
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Addictions, Treatment, and Recovery, 2016
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Solution Focused Brief Therapy, 2016
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Single Session Therapy, 2015
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Seeking Safety and Trauma Informed Services, 2013 (Certified)
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Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), 2013 (Certified)
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Preparing Adolescents for Young Adulthood (PAYA), 2013
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IMR/PAYA Crosswalk, 2013
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Crisis Intervention Training (Certified)
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT
CLINIC SUPERVISOR
Garcia's Family Wellness, PLLC
2017 - CURRENT
Provide individual, couples, and family counseling services to children, adolescents, and adults and their family members utilizing Evidenced Based Practices such as CBT, CPT, SFBT, PE, Family Therapy, Play Therapy and other therapeutic modalities with clients. Utilize questionnaires, assessment tools, psychological evaluations, and biopsychosocial assessments as part of a diagnostic evaluation for clients. Create individualized treatment plans for clients. Develop and create trainings for company needs and facilitate multidisciplinary trainings as needed or requested by leadership. Provide leadership and supervision to staff, practicum students, nurse practitioner students, and other students in learning environments.
TRAINER II
Superior Healthplan/Centene
October 2018 - March 2020
Perform duties related to training Texas Foster Care System Stakeholders. Responsible for developing and conducting a variety of training programs specific to trauma informed care and mental health topics. Works with Foster Care Member Agencies, Staff, Medical Consenters, Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) staff and providers to support meeting the training needs of child placing agencies, residential treatment centers and other community stakeholders that serve children in foster care.
CLINICIAN
Endeavors
February 2018 - October 2018
Provide individual, couples, group, and family counseling services to active duty members, veterans, and their family members utilizing Evidenced Based Practices such as CBT, CPT, SFBT, PE, Family Therapy, Play Therapy and other therapeutic modalities with clients. Utilize questionnaires, assessment tools, psychological assessments, and biopsychosocial assessments as part of a diagnostic evaluation for clients. Create individualized treatment plans for clients. Conduct crisis interventions and coordinate care for those individuals requiring crisis intervention. Coordinate care with psychiatrist for medication management and participate in clinical rounds as part of a collaborative team approach. Develop and create training for company needs and facilitate multidisciplinary training as needed or requested by leadership. Assist in training new staff members as needed by providing individual coaching and training.
MOBILE ASSESSOR
San Antonio Behavioral Healthcare Hospital
July 2017 - Current
Provide in person risk assessment and crisis intervention, initial contact with referral sources and potential patients, coordinates the referral and intake process, determines appropriate level of care, facilitates the admission process and may have communication with referral sources, families, patients and unit staff as a Contract Mobile Assessor. Assist the hospital physician by providing face to face clinical assessments, including the history of presenting illness, family dynamics and supporting psychosocial information.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICE MANAGER
Superior Health Plan
September 2016 - February 2018
Duties included service coordination for Managed Care Organization Superior Health Plan in the StarKids Medicaid Program, ages include 3-21 year olds. Assisted families and members in program with clinical needs such as counseling, psychiatry, and case management needs in the community. Provided integrative care services to member and their families. Assessed and evaluated all members entering StarKids in the form of biopsychosocial evaluations with diagnostic evaluations. Coordinated and communicated with medical departments to ensure continuity of care in those cases with dual mental and physical health needs. Provided crisis intervention to members and families as needed. Interviewed prospective candidates for open department positions. Trained incoming staff members on their new role for the organization. Built and analyzed reports and reviewed for quality assurance and clinical review. Participated in state-wide clinical rounds with Department Leadership, Case Managers, and Psychiatrist. Assisted in creating SOP’s for the department as they related to new policies and roles.
INSTRUCTOR/PROFESSOR
Career Point College
August 2016 - October 2016
Duties included teaching General Psychology and Medical Law and Ethics. Created instructional curriculums for appropriate classes and taught a variety of students including medical assistants, nurses, medical coding and billing specialists, and administrative assistants. Multitasked and communicated with interdepartmental needs and requests. Lastly, provided individual guidance and mentorship for students as needed. Utilized CANVAS as an instructional platform.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COUNSELOR
Methodist Healthcare Ministries
February 2015 - August 2016
Provided individual, family counseling, and group counseling with a focus on Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Single Session Therapy, CBT, CPT, Motivational Interviewing, and Behavioral Health Consultant modalities to patients. Completed mental health assessments and treatment plans. Conducted crisis intervention and hospitalized patients as needed. Provided integrative care services to adult and children patients between primary care and behavioral health services. Collaborated with primary care physicians and behavioral health department and linked clients to outside resources as needed. Assist in training new staff members as needed by providing individual coaching and training.
CLINICIAN
BCFS Health and Human Services
August 2014 - February 2015
Duties included conducting mental health assessments to Unaccompanied Minors going through the Office of Refugee and Resettlement and ongoing crisis intervention.  Coordinated clinical services while providing individual, group, and family counseling utilizing a Solution Focused Therapy modality. Created treatment plans and Individual Service Plans.Collaborate with treatment team and outside community-based providers.
CLINICAL PRACTITIONER/DEPARTMENT HEAD TRAINER
The Center for Healthcare Services
April 2012Â - August 2014
Provided adult and children in-house and mobile crisis assessment and interventions. Provided individual counseling, group counseling, case management, and skills training for adults who were homeless, veterans, crisis transitional units and children and families. Created treatment plans, link, and refer families to behavioral health services in the community. Provided behavioral assessments/evaluations.
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Responsible for 7 internal department and 60 employee’s education and training requirements. Provided staff training, post training supervision, coaching, and multi-unit training. Developed DSHS state wide Pilot Program Training for IMR/PAYA Crosswalk. Coordinated with the Quality Assurance Administrator for clinical and non-clinical staff training.
SPANISH TEACHER
E. Merle Smith Middle School
August 2010 - June 2011
Duties included teaching Spanish at 3 different levels, 6th grade-Exploratory wheel, 7th grade- Introduction to Spanish I, 8th grade-Spanish II (credit for high school), and developed lesson plans. Provided a stimulating learning environment and followed TEKS standards. Completed two-semester graduate-level counseling practicums in the counseling center.
Provided case management and supervision of all migrant students. Created and ran the Education Perspective Initiative Club (EPIClub). Prepared students for the future workforce by introducing new technology; encouraged interactive group-work,and problem solving.
SERVICE COORDINATOR
Nueces County MHMR
April 2010 - August 2010
Provided biopsychosocial evaluations to patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and coordinated behavioral services for the General Revenue, Texas Home Living, and HCS members. Provided crisis intervention as needed.
ACADEMIC INSTRUCTIONS
General Psychology - PSYC 2401
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Catalog Description: This course surveys the major topics in Psychology. Emphasis is placed on an introduction to the study of behavior and the factors that determine and affect behavior. Lectures offered online or on-campus. This is a required general education course. Four (4.0) quarter credit hours are awarded for the completion of this course. Also note, for every one (1) hour of lecture there is a requirement of two (2) hours of outside preparation.
Medical Law and Ethics - MDCA 1405
Catalog Description: This course focuses on instruction in principles, procedures, and regulations involving legal and ethical relationships among physicians, patients, and medical assistants. Topics include current ethical issues and risk management as they relate to the practice of medicine and fiduciary responsibilities. Four (4) quarter credit hours are awarded for completion of this course. Also note, for every one (1) hour of lecture there is a requirement of two (2) hours of outside preparation.
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(Syllabi available upon request)
PUBLICATIONS
PRESENTATIONS AND TRAINING
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Garcia, A. (2012). Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). Content training at the Center for Health Care Services, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2012). Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). Content training at the Center for Health Care Services for the San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2012). Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). Content training at the Center for Health Care Services for the San Antonio Sheriff’s Department, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2013). Illness Management and Recovery (IMR). Content training at the Center for Health Care Services, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2013). Preparing Adolescents for Young Adulthood (PAYA). Content training at the Center for Health Care Services, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2014). Pilot Program Training for IMR/PAYA Crosswalk. Content training at the Center for Health Care Services, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2018). Assertive Communication. Content training at Endeavors, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2018). TriWest Billing Electronic Health Records Training. Content training at Endeavors, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2018). Part I Trauma Training for Caregivers. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2018). Part II Introduction to Trauma Informed Parenting. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2018). Part III Advanced Trauma Informed Parenting. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2018). Trauma 101. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX.
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Garcia, A. (2019). ACE Study. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Behavior Management and Using Behavior Charts. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Child Abuse. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Childhood Development. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Childhood Traumatic Grief. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Coping with Stress. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Coping with Trauma Reminders. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Guiding Youth Toward Healthy Relationships. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Helping Kids Cope with Bullying. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Human Trafficking. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Normalcy. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Promoting Placement Stability. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Providing Culturally Affirming Care. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Providing Services to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth in Care. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Providing Services to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth in Care. Conference training at TNOYS, Houston, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Psychological Interventions for Children with Chronic Illnesses. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Self-Care: Preventing Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Self-Harm. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Understanding Sexual Behavior in Children. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
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Garcia, A. (2019). Understanding Sexual Behavior in Children. Content training at Superior Health Plan, San Antonio, TX
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
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Texas Counseling Association (TCA)
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Texas Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (TALGBTIC)
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American Psychological Association (APA)
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Division 1: Society for General Psychology
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Division 12: Society of Clinical Psychology
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Division 37: Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice
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Division 53: Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
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Bexar County Psychological Association (BCPA)
Advisory Roles
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Member, NISD Special Education Parent Advisory Committee
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Advisory Council Member, Texans for Recovery and Resiliency
REFERENCES
Being of service, teaching, supervising, guiding, and helping others are the hallmarks of who I aspire to be. Drawing from my rainbowed background and diverse minority experiences, I am passionate about supporting those entering the field—especially non-traditional learners. I strive to enrich your journey by blending your professional and lived experience with my dedicated guidance as you embark on this new chapter in your professional life.
Email: artemio@garciasfamilywellness.com