Meet the Instructors
Cynthia M. Braden, M.A. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Cynthia grew up in Ohio and began learning Spanish in seventh grade. She continued studying Spanish in high school and college, and had the opportunity to live with a family as an exchange student in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico for a semester during junior year at Ohio University.
This background in Spanish propelled Cynthia into a Spanish-speaking traineeship in inner-city Los Angeles at the end of her Master's program at Loyola Marymount University in 1997. Cynthia says, "In those days, I was pretty good at understanding the Spanish-speaking clients who were teenagers and their parents. Talking to them was another matter. I was tongue-tied for a long time. This turned out to be a good thing as I had absolutely no idea what I was doing as a therapist! Oops, I probably shouldn't admit that, but you know the feeling when you first start out seeing clients... I had to learn how to translate my interventions into Spanish, and implement them on purpose while avoiding cultural and linguistic land mines by trial and error." Cynthia has treated Spanish speaking clients in mental health agencies, community clinics, school based programs, wraparound, Head Start and private practice. "In 2009, I started developing the Spanish for Mental Health Professionals curriculum for colleagues. We are proud that the program now has international reach." Visit Cynthia's Psychotherapy Practice |
Alfonso M. López, B.S., SAG, AFTRA
In 2010, Alfonso joined the team to improve and expand this specialized program and bring it to you. Alfonso is a native of the Dominican Republic, and is graduate of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo with the degree Licenciatura en Economía.
Alfonso began speaking English as an adult, so he knows what it feels like to struggle to learn a new language. He is a patient and skilled teacher who advises on cultural, colloquial, grammatical, 'real world' and technical issues. He is also a professional actor and businessman, often portraying our 'client' during In Vivo training sessions. Alfonso comments, "By participating in the Cuénteme Más Spanish for Mental Health Professionals program, you can avoid the time-consuming and frustrating trial-and-error process most therapists go through when they want to start working with Spanish-speaking clients. We have prepared effective materials to help you get started implementing your interventions accurately and confidently with appropriate cultural knowledge. We look forward to helping you reach your goals." Visit Alfonso's IMDB page Work with Alfonso in Teleconferences |
