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COUNSELORS

COUNSELORS

Meet Our Counselors

Meet Our Counselors

COUNSELORS

Meet Our Counselors

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I received my Master of Arts in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling from St. Mary’s University in 1990 and have been licensed since 1993. Throughout the years, I have focused my practice on adults and geriatrics.  


My areas of interest include working with individuals with work injuries, chronic pain, mood disorders, trauma, self-esteem issues, and stress management. I also enjoy working with the geriatric population and have over 25 years of experience in long-term care facilities.  


During my time with Nueva Vida Behavioral Health, my areas of focus include:

  • Anxiety

  • Chronic Pain

  • Depression

  • Grief and Loss

  • Health and Medical Issues

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders

  • Stress Management

  • Traumatic Brain Injuries


I love what I do and I look forward to the opportunity to walk with clients on their journey to improving their mental health and recovering from trauma. I use a client centered foundation and incorporate cognitive behavioral techniques to achieve a positive outcome.

Debbie Hermosa

Licensed Professional Counselor

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Sergio Villarreal is an LPC-Associate (under supervision) working to complete his final state- licensing requirements. He graduated from UTSA (2022) with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He also completed additional university hours and tested for a Certification as a professional Bilingual, Bi-Cultural Mental Health Counselor (Spanish), thus providing our growing Hispanic community with a unique, qualified, and enhanced capability.
Other related education includes a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Sociology.

Prior to this recent profession, Sergio served 22 years in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger and later as an Infantry Officer with multiple deployments to two theaters of war. His training included Special Operations and Guerrilla Warfare among other specialties. He served as a Military Advisor to a Colombian Counter-Guerrilla Brigade (Military) deep behind enemy lines, and later as an advisor to an Afghan Police General in Afghanistan. As a result of his personal experience, and having witnessed individuals’ and people’s effects from war, convinced him to return to school to make a difference in the lives of those who survived, but who must live on with related horrors, atrocities, and loses. Why change professions? A blend of personal
experience and education provides him a unique depth of knowledge and understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among varying types of cultures and languages.


While a military member, he was also a scholar; he completed two master’s degrees and two thesis in: Justice Administration; and International Security and Civil-Military Relations. After
retiring, he worked for the U.S. army as a civilian Social Scientist conducting socio-cultural field research throughout Afghanistan for approximately four years where he gained valuable experience applying research methods and theory to real-world problems, including the effects of war on populations and resulting PTSD. He is a published author of war-related matters including: Afghanistan,

De-Evolution of Insurgency: https://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/journal/docs-temp/568-meridith.pdf), an article later recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice as an authoritative argument useful to their work
(https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/afghanistan-de-evolution-insurgency). He also

co-authored a spinoff article, Afghanistan, A Chaotic Cannibalistic State
(https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/12/14/afghanistan-a-chaotic-cannibalistic-
state/
).

Sergio Villarreal

Licensed Professional Counselor 

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Licensed Master of Clinical Social Work

Jessica Kenney

Hi guys! It’s exciting that you are wanting to take a step towards healing. I am a certified trauma therapist with over 10 years experience in social work. I aim to put myself out of a job with each client. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who considers a strong therapeutic relationship to be the hallmark for success in therapy. I provide both short-term and long-term counseling to diverse populations with a specialty in children, adolescents, young adults, and families. My priority is to help clients reduce their most distressing symptoms and then to address the root causes of the concerns to stop patterns of dysfunctional behavior so that actual change can occur. Therapy is not always easy and comfortable, so making a choice to begin should not be minimized. I specialize in trauma, depression, anxiety, and grief.

My educational background includes a bachelor's degree in social work with minor in psychology from Brandman University in Irvine, Ca. As well as a master’s degree in clinical social work from Walden. I have experience working with family, children, and adults in variety of roles, however I have been a therapist since 2021.

I appreciate being a part of your journey to wholeness!

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