Licensed Mental Health Counselor driven to help others overcome personal obstacles and skilled at motivating, communicating and advocating for clients.
Skill Highlights
Licensed Counselor in Florida
Successful private practice
Superior communication skills in both English and Spanish
Solution-focused counseling
Specialized training in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Positive Psychology
Over 10 years of experience in working with adolescents and families
Parenting skills educator
Accomplishments
Successfully started and maintained individual private practice.
Effectively managed caseloads 30+ clients at any given time.
Voluntarily created and implemented a variety of psychoeducational workshops for parents, older adults, adolescents, and women for the purpose of providing strategies to improve self-esteem, implement self-care, and increase interpersonal effectiveness.
Keynote speaker at the Edward Jones's “Aging Wisely Seminar” in May, 2015.
Four years of school counseling experience.
Ten
years of classroom teaching experience.
Wrote
and implemented Student Support Plans.
Developed
Student Intervention Plans.
Advisement and training of teachers in Response to Intervention, Student
Support Plan compliance, bullying prevention, and mental health issues for students.
Ensured educational and mental health needs of 300+ students
were being met.
Established short and long term goals for school counseling program and developed plan to meet goals.
Educated and advised parents on age-appropriate
expectations and parenting strategies.
Professional Experience
Maria Gabriela Cotter, LLCJune 2013 to CurrentPrivate Practice Licensed Mental Health Counselor Clearwater, FL
Selected and compiled relevant information and resources for clients to support them in overcoming mental and emotional problems.
Assessed and wrote treatment plans and weekly progress notes for each client on caseload.
Diagnosed clients using DSM-V criteria.
Pursued ongoing education and training opportunities to further develop professional skills.
Cultivated positive relationships with other mental health professionals, programs and associations.
Referred clients to other mental health resources in the community for further services.
Communicated regularly with family members and significant others during the treatment process.
Referred family members to outside support options to help them cope during times of increased stress.
Planned and ran ADHD Parents Support Group, a free outreach event targeted at parents of children with ADHD diagnosis.
Guardian Angels Catholic SchoolAugust 2009 to June 2013School Counselor Clearwater, FL
Provided direct support service to individual students, small groups, and classrooms.
Completed assessments, referrals, and counseling with students and families.
Consulted with professional staff, outside agencies and other organizations.
Served as a member of the Crisis Intervention Team.
Student Intervention Team Chair.
Provided direct service to students in the classroom at least once per week.
Conduct professional development workshops on identifying and assisting at-risk students.
Counseled students and families.
Upper Pinellas Pregnancy Support ServicesJanuary 2006 to January 2008Volunteer counselor Tarpon Springs, Florida
Provided individual counseling and referrals for medical care and community services to women experiencing a crisis pregnancy.
Guardian Angels Catholic SchoolAugust 2005 to June 2010Elementary Spanish Teacher Clearwater, FL
Established clear objectives for all lessons, units and projects.
Employed a broad range of instructional techniques to retain student interest and maximize learning.
Differentiated instruction according to student ability and skill level.
Encouraged students to persevere with challenging tasks.
Identified early signs of emotional, developmental and health problems in students and followed up with parents.
Established positive relationships with students, parents, fellow teachers and school administrators.
2006, 2009 Safe Environment Training Trained in practical ways to
establish safe environments and relationships for all children and
vulnerable adults.
2006, 2009 Ethics for Professionals Training Trained in principles of professional conduct for educators.
January 2005 to Current
New Horizons Country Day SchoolJanuary 2003 to January 2005Palm Harbor, Florida
Established clear objectives for all lessons, units and projects.
Employed a broad range of instructional techniques to retain student interest and maximize learning.
Set and communicated ground rules for the classroom based on respect and personal responsibility.
Established positive relationships with students, parents, fellow teachers and school administrators.
Clearwater Central Catholic High SchoolOctober 2002 to January 2003Clearwater, Florida
Permanent Substitute for Honors Level Spanish.
Instructed through lectures, discussions and demonstrations.
Assigned lessons and corrected homework.
Worked with an average of 25 students per class.
January 1998 to January 2003Full-Time Parent
Manatee GlensJanuary 1995 to January 1996Bradenton, Florida
Practicum that included individual and group counseling of adolescents in residential recovery program for substance abuse.
1997 Bayside Center for Behavioral Health at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Internship that included individual and group counseling of clients aged 60 or older experiencing difficulties related to the aging process such as depression, anxiety, issues of grief, and other emotional problems.
Education and Training
University of South FloridaMaster of Arts: Rehabilitation/Mental Health CounselingTampa, FloridaGPA: Summa Cum Laude
4.0 GPA
Emphasis in Mental Health Counseling
Psychology coursework
The Florida State UniversityBachelor of Science: PsychologyTallahassee, Florida
3.5 GPA
Psychology and Sociology coursework
Languages
Bilingual Spanish/English
Skills
Mental Health, individual counseling, groups & workshops, bilingual.
