Ria is a graduate of Texas State University’s clinical mental health counseling program, where she earned a Master’s in Professional Counseling. Before working as an LPC-Associate, Ria worked as a school counselor for five years and as a classroom teacher for over a decade in special education and general education settings. She received her first Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Arizona and her school counseling certification from Region 13 Educational Service Center. She is a member in good standing of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) and is working on completing her hours to become a Registered Play Therapist. She is a practitioner of Child-Centered Play Therapy, Adlerian Play Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) and Motivational Interviewing.

Ria is a proud former educator and school counselor at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.