A very special shout-out and official bienvenida to our 2022-2023 Trainers-in-Training team of Latine and/or Latine-serving supervisors dedicated to supporting La Red’s 2022-2023 inaugural cohort.  This year’s group of caring LiBRC Trainers-in-Training has been hard at work supporting La Red participants as they heal and grow into LiBRC supervisors leading work in their communities.  Learn more about our 2022-2023 La Red Trainers and send them a shout out too!  They will be thrilled to hear from you.

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LETICIA ABAJO

Leticia is a family educator, mentor, and life coach. She has promoted health, family wellness, and education in  Boulder, Colorado's Spanish-speaking community, since 1997.  Leticia has an undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Relations from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a Certificate in Early Childhood Education from the Institute of Applied Studies in Madrid, Spain.  Leticia is a Certified Life Coach from the Instituto D'Arte de Madrid and a Certified Medical Interpreter from the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters.  Leticia's work with Latine gender nonconforming and non-binary children, youths, and their families includes work with El Centro AMISTAD, La Cocina, and Early Head Start of Boulder County. Leticia lives with her family in Lafayette, Colorado.  She's all about creativity and connection to her loved ones and her community.

PATRICIA DA COSTA, MS

Patricia is La Cocina’s Lead Mental Health Consultation Specialist providing support to Latine families in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.  Patricia completed her master's in Child Development and Family Studies from Purdue University in Indiana, where she committed to working from a systems-lens that supports a strengths-based approach to direct services, as well as a way to antagonize inequitable systems dynamics.  Patricia's work with infants and young children promotes culturally sensitive, relationship-based changes that center families' and communities' voices and power, leading them to make decisions "by them and from them." Patricia self-identifies as bicultural (Brazilian-American) and multilingual.  She enjoys spending  time with family, walking her dog, Colorado's natural beauty, connecting with friends, and traveling worldwide.

EVELIN GOMEZ, PH.D.

Evelin is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director of the Trauma-Responsive Implementation and Practice (TRIP) Program at the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect. Dr. Gomez received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Northern Colorado. She is a bilingual, Spanish-speaking, and bicultural licensed clinician who provides reflective supervision and consultation in both Spanish and English. Evelin is a recipient of the UC Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus Chancellor’s Diversity Recognition Award for Faculty Leadership and has been an affiliate of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) since 2008.  Evelin is a proud immigrant from El Salvador.  She lives with her family in Denver, Colorado.

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ELIZABETH “BUFFY” TRENT WOLF, PSY.D., IMH-E

Buffy is La Cocina's Associate Director of Parental, Infancy & Early Childhood Mental Health Services.  She is a bilingual, Spanish-speaking, licensed clinical psychologist specializing in infant and early childhood neurodevelopment.  A passion drives Buffy for culturally affirming care-a primary motivator that led her to complete her doctoral degree in Latine Psychology from the Pacific University School of Professional Psychology. In Colorado, Dr. Trent Wolf obtained the Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health.  She values collaborative, interdisciplinary care as a vital component of holistic services for Latine families. Most importantly, Buffy is mama to 13-month-old baby Ottis!

JUANITA VAQUERO, PH.D.

Juanita developed her keen interest in understanding early childhood mental health after experiencing the many disparities in access to services in state-funded preschools. She pursued pre-and post-doctoral training at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) in Los Angeles, CA, where she specialized in early childhood mental health, relationship-based treatment approaches, and reflective practice. After her post-doctoral fellowship, Juanita returned to San Diego, where she continued to serve the birth-to-five population and started to work with school-age children, teens, and adults. Juanita received her doctorate degree in school psychology and bilingual populations from Texas A&M University. Presently she works for Neighborhood HealthCare, a federally qualified clinic where she provides psychotherapy services in English and Spanish to a diverse Latine population.  Juanita also provides supervision to non-licensed clinicians.