Please join us in congratulating Raquel Guzman Vega as the new Co-Director for the National Hispanic and Latino ATTC.

Raquel has a Master of Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University with a concentration on Bilingual/Bicultural practice. She is fluent in English and Spanish and has a solid comprehension of cultural diversity, sensitivity, and humility which allows her to serve Spanish-speaking individuals and families in creating stronger bonds and making healthier decisions in their lives. Raquel has dedicated most of her professional life to helping individuals and her community through multiple level of social work. Currently, Raquel works for a healthcare organization in New Mexico as a Substance Use Prevention Specialist. In her position, she identifies community needs and gaps related to substance use through community assessments and addresses them through strategic planning, coalition and capacity building, and non-stigmatizing community education and awareness. Her practicum experience allowed her to focus on short-term (and long term as appropriate) therapy to address issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relational issues, grief and loss, life decisions, gender expansive issues, disruptive behavior disorders, school difficulties, amongst others. Working in an intense outpatient practice centered, Raquel collaborated with social workers, psychologists, community health workers, among other professionals in optimizing children’s and adolescents’ ability to successfully function within all the domains and environments in which children are expected to participate. Raquel worked with families experiencing difficult life experiences and transitions in strengthening and supporting their children through a family systems approach, parenting skills, and behavior management through CBT and DBT evidence-based practice. Raquel’s passion is serving individuals whose access to behavioral health services have been historically limited just as she has personally experienced in the past. Serving New Mexico’s bilingual, immigrant, underserved population is the primarily reason for her pursue of a clinical education. As a Latina immigrant and woman, Raquel prides herself in breaking many sociocultural barriers in becoming the professional that she is today. She hopes to inspire, encourage, and support individuals, and families to become the engine of change in their own lives.