Mary Rodriguez

Mimi is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has served as a counselor since 1977. An activist from a young age and a lover of diversity, beauty, and possibility, she has worked with many of our community’s most needful populations. She began working residential treatment with adjudicated adolescents. She later transitioned to outpatient services for adults with substance use and mental health disorders. During graduate school she designed and founded Arizona’s first bilingual domestic violence program for Spanish speaking victims of intimate partner violence. During the early days of the AIDS crisis (87-97), she worked primarily with people living with AIDS. Later, as a therapist with Phoenix Shanti Group then with The Franciscan Renewal Center (with an amazing team of activists) she helped to coordinate and deliver emotional support weekend retreats for persons living with AIDS. She was a subcontracted national trainer for NIDA and taught at the university and community colleges in the areas of social work, addictions, AIDS and family systems. More recently she devoted her work to women recovering from addictions. She is an advocate for recovery and believes that healing from the trauma of living is possible and can be joyful.

She practices a holistic mind, body, and spirit systems approach to individuals, couples, and families. Treatment strategies include EMDR, mindfulness, guided imagery, and DBT. For her own mental health, balance and fun, she paints. She has been a student of Thich Nhat Hanh for the last 15 years and values the opportunity for peace in the present moment.