Azalia Gongora Larrieu is a dedicated mental health therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Belize with the Ministry of Health, and a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist. She is a second year doctoral student pursuing a Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) in Trauma-Informed Leadership and Practice at Barry University, where she currently serves as a Graduate Assistant. Her clinical and academic focus emphasizes trauma-informed care and the integration of mind and body in therapeutic practices.
With a specialization in trauma, Azalia utilizes a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Integrative art based therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to name a few. Her interventions highlight the critical connection between mental and physical health, empowering clients to heal and thrive.
Azalia has extensive expertise in planning academic conferences, and collaborating with international organizations, including the Janet Don’t Cry Foundation and California Baptist University among other univeristies. She is proud to also serve as Vice President of the Mental Health Association, where she advocates for mental health awareness and supports initiatives aimed at improving access to mental health care in Belize.
With over ten years of experience as an educator at the University of Belize, Azalia lectures in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Social Work Department. She has provided clinical and administrative supervision to social work students, interns, and professionals, fostering their growth and development. Currently, Azalia is the Chair of the Social Work Department, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Belize.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Murray State Univeristy, and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Western Kentucky University, USA. As a clinician, she works with individuals and groups throughout the lifespan. She is passionate about helping others reach their full potential through compassionate trauma-informed care.
How I Can Help You
Consultations
I work with people who have various concerns. Consultations help identify issues
Stress Management
Many things can trigger stress reaction, including danger, threat, news, illness, etc.
Self-Esteem Issues
The most common and dangerous features of low self-esteem is negative self-talk.
Family Psychology
Principles of theory with the interpersonal system of the family, focus of assessment
Social Anxiety Disorder
The anxiety can interfere significantly with daily routines, your job, social life etc.
Elderly Couples Issues
Here’s another challenge that many married couples encounter in the later stages
Depression Treatment
Depression is currently fourth among the top 10 leading causes of the global burden
Azalia Larrieu
Doing more than empathic listening
My passion is to work along with you, to guide you through your transformation. Nobody is perfect and it takes work every day to transform oneself to be the ideal person you wish to become. Life can take many roads and some may be unexpected; coping with all those wounds life has inflicted is difficult and seeking help is always okay.
My counselling and psychotherapy education and training has led me to the area of Trauma Interventions focusing on confronting trauma, healing, repetitious maladaptive thoughts/patterns, anxiety, and self-improvement.
Qualification & Experience
I am a licensed clinical therapist with the Belize Ministry of Health and an academic at the National University of Belize. I have been working in mental health and higher education since 2012.
My interest is in Trauma recovery, anxiety, and resilience. I am an educator at the University of Belize, Social Work Department where I lecture on courses such as: Counseling, Human Rights and Social Work, Social Work with Individuals, Social Work with Families, Multicultural Social Work, and Human Behavior in the Social Environment, to name a few. It is my passion to help others and being at the University allows me to keep imparting my knowledge and building the social work profession. It has been my pleasure to keep updated in the field while facilitating the Field Practicum experience at the University of Belize.
I am the founder and member of the Belize National Association of Social Workers (BNASW) in which I have facilitated numerous Social Work Conferences, summits and training sessions in Belize.
I strongly believe in equipping individuals with the necessary tools to be the best version of themselves.
As your psychotherapist I am only here to guide you and to work with you. We can all overcome our fears and traumas, it may take some work, but we are all capable.
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
My Work
Therapy that works!
It’s easy to forget that therapy is a scientific proven process aimed at teaching you how your mind works in different situations. There are so many myths about therapy and counselling that it becomes easy to get lost in the gimmicks.
Let me work along with you and help you take on a new perspective of your problems and offer you effective techniques to help you see progress.
I have training in: Crisis Intervention, Debriefing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Group Therapy, Self-management Training, and Mindfulness Based Techniques.
Who are Clinical Social Workers?
Social Workers aim to enhance the well-being of people especially those who may be vulnerable. They take pride in working in a variety of roles and may perform a wide array of tasks in their specialized field.
Clinical Social Workers undergo specialized education and training and are able to work with clients to help them cope with difficult issues throughout their lifetime. The focus is on using the Helping Process or a Generalist Intervention Model, encompassing assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional, and other behavioral effects.
A Clinical Social Worker must have a Master degree in Social Work (MSW) and must have a licensed to practice in their region.
Counselling and therapy can be useful for discussing how to deal with life problems or address clinical disorders such as anxiety or depression.
