Vásquez Counseling & Consulting Psychology, PLLC
A private practice offering comprehensive psychological services to Laredoans and Nuevo Laredoans in the Villa de San Agustín de Laredo, the border city of seven flags.
Psychological services are offered in English and en español, in-person and virtually.
LAREDOANS
Go farther up, go further in…
Vásquez Counseling & Consulting Psychology [VCCP] offers psychological services that are values-based in foundation and behavioral in perspective. So, while trauma, addictions, anxiety, depression, or problems at work threaten to drag you down to muddy defeats, we show you how to get back to your feet, step out of those pits, and journey toward what you value in this life (and in the next). Defeat is not who you are. Running away is not what you are going to do. Rise above the mud of defeat by becoming who you are. (Couples and families are welcome, but let’s start by focusing on you first.)
“They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.” Mexican dicho/Greek proverb
MEN
We can help you view each worst enemy as your best teacher and each knock-down defeat or exultant victory as a rite of passage before your next battle. How? Not by sinking into defeat or running away, and not by getting lost in the froth of success, but by going farther up and further in to yourself without fear. First, we discover your core values. Second, we survey the story of your life frankly and without shame. Third, we ride by your side as a fellow journeyman. Neither defeat nor victory are who you are. Neither defeat nor victory are where you will stay. And running away is not what you are going to do. Rise above both by becoming who you are.
WOMEN
How many times have you heard the phrases “work-life balance,” “lean in,” “juggling responsibilities,” “self-care,” and “you can have it all?” Probably a million, but how does that work when you are also trying to be “the perfect employee, the perfect wife, the perfect mother, sister, lover, and friend?” Also, don’t forget that according to popular media you are supposed to look amazing and act like it’s effortless, too. Is this what womanhood is really about? Burnout, fatigue, and agitation? Is that balance? Let us work work with you on achieving real balance based on your values, what you really love and what you really want at your life’s hearth, rather than settling for tired tropes that burn away like straw.
CHILDREN
Our work with kids and teens is varied and based on their specific needs. Sometimes children simply need evaluations for school or due to disabilities. Sometimes children will need to have their behaviors corrected in order to better match the values of the family. Due to the complexity and continuing degradation of modern culture, sometimes teens just need a listening ear. Let us help. Our focus will not only be on the child or adolescent but with the family and community together as we seek to provide what they need as they prepare to become the men and women that they want to be.
These categories are admittedly general. Our services are available to all as we seek to respect and value differences that include attributes such as race, ethnicity, culture, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, sexual identity, ability, socioeconomic status, and language.
Corporate
Evaluation & Assistance
Trained in Lean/Six Sigma, as well as the most up-to-date methodological and statistical methods, let us pinpoint the factors associated with success in your industry and work on improving your productivity and the bottom line.
We also offer a variety of pre-employment psychological screenings and fitness for duty evaluations for agencies and individuals including first responders, federal, state, and local law enforcement (completion of form L3), U.S. Dept of Homeland Security (e.g., U.S. Customs Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol), police and fire departments.
Psychoeducational assessments, IQ testing, careers assessments, learning disability assessments, autism evaluations, and immigration hardship evaluations are also regularly performed.
Church
Polity & Risk Mitigation
Let’s face it. In today’s litigious society churches can no longer do things “in house,” and trust that nothing bad is going to happen. Sometimes church leaders just need help, too. Sometimes, even church leaders do bad things.
VCCP has experience working with churches in issues related to policy improvement, risk and liability mitigation, and counseling for a variety of issues, including those you see on the news every day. Increasingly, churches are employing external consultants for dealing with issues like psychological fitness of church leaders (pastors, deacons, elders or lay leaders) as well as counseling of congregants for issues that transcend the spiritual and cross over into the psychological.
Over the past several years VCCP has regularly consulted with various church/ecclesiastical bodies on these issues and may serve as a competent voice of counsel for your church, too. We offer churches training in mental health issues, too.
YOUR PSYCHOLOGIST
D.A. Vásquez, PhD
– Licensed psychologist
– Active academic researcher
– Husband and father
Dr. Vásquez is a Laredoan with documented family ties to South Texas (Laredo and San Antonio) and northeast Mexico (especially Monterrey, Saltillo, Guerrero Viejo and Mier) existing since the 1600s. He is one of the local descendants of Don Tomás Sánchez de la Barrera y de la Garza, the founder of Laredo. [more]
NOT READY TO TALK? THAT’S FINE, JUST KEEP READING
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MIND
Coping with Holiday Stress
For many, the holidays are anticipated as idyllic—a long-awaited time to connect with family and friends, share memories, play games, watch familiar movies (we all have our favorites—Home Alone, Harry Potter, Elf, It’s A Wonderful Life—you know yours), watch sports,...
Screen Time and the Brain
Whether we like it or not, digital devices are everywhere. Some of us can barely put them down, even when we’re with cherished family and friends. While these devices can enhance learning and build community, they can also interfere with everything from sleep to...
Emotional Maturity
When we think of someone who’s emotionally mature, we typically picture a person who has a good understanding of who they are. Even if they don’t have all the answers, an emotionally mature individual gives off a sense of “calm amid the storm.” They’re the ones we...
BODY
Avoid Festive Weight Gain
December 2021 is here and with Christmas fast approaching, it’s officially the time of year for festive parties, boozy nights, and comfort food. Despite the excitement to properly celebrate our first Christmas in two years, this does not mean we must undo all the hard...
Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes
Whether you're following a special diet or just want to take it easy on Turkey Day, try these simple, lighter takes on classic Thanksgiving recipes... [keep reading]
Tips For Hiking In Autumn
Autumn hiking isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when the season comes around. However, hiking in autumn can often be better than hiking during the height of summer. Quiet trails, more wildlife during the day, beautiful autumnal colours and the crunch of fallen...
SOUL
O Come, Emmanuel
Of the many beautiful hymns that have been composed in celebration of the birth of Christ, few in my mind equal the depth of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The origins of the Latin version Veni, Emmanuel are obscure. It may have been composed as early as the eighth...
Struggling for Happiness
The Psalms present to us a struggle for happiness. So does life. The Psalter begins, it could be said, with full happiness. Psalm 1:1 reads, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked"...[keep reading]
Martin Luther’s Conversion
Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners... [keep reading]
Let’s talk.
[email protected]
6826 Springfield Ave., Ste 103A
Laredo, TX 78041
956-608-1515