Hello, I am the CEO and founder of Awake and Aware, LLC.

I’ve been delivering services to New Mexico for the past 20 years through direct practice and administrative roles. Intensively trained in DBT in 2008, I am passionate about treating trauma and the process of healing.

I specialize in working with issues of cultural/racial identity and trauma through DBT, Somatic Experiencing and EMDR. In addition, I work with couples and am a certified level 2 PACT practitioner.

I believe in Whole person treatment and a life filled with joy. Everyone has the potential to heal and live the life they want to be living.

As a Vipassana Practitioner, I value time in quiet and practice and strive to imbue all Awake and Aware’s programs with the same spirit of intention. 

Hi! I’m Jenn Torrez, the Clinical Director of Awake & Aware, LLC. I am a native New Mexican and have served the Albuquerque mental health community for over 15 years.  Intensively trained in DBT since 2008,  I am a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician. I believe in the power of relationship and partnering with others in their pursuit of self-awareness and healing.   While adolescents and their families are my passion,   I also specialize in working with substance use/abuse having served in various levels of care including residential and medication assisted treatment programming.  

Being a part of the Awake & Aware family for the past 7 years has been extremely meaningful and integral in both my clinical and personal growth.  I’m honored to now pay it forward by supervising young clinicians and supporting our community through DBT trainings and workshops. I love creating community and bringing people together, so celebrating and collaborating with our A&A team is a must.  

When I am not wearing my clinical hat, you'll find me spending time with friends and family, traveling and attending local shows and events.  I have a love for animals, all things 90s and anything related to coffee! 

Learning about invalidation when I was first introduced to DBT was life changing! I quickly realized how rampant invalidation was in my and other’s lives. It became my mission to bring this incredibly powerful modality to my New Mexico community, which I have done for the past ten years.

As a Linehan Board Certified DBT Clinician and the Director of DBT Training and Certification at Awake and Aware, LLC , I am passionate about imparting the knowledge and wisdom of DBT and its practices to others.

With mindfulness at its core, DBT helps you expand beyond the thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and systems that are limiting and disempowering. Other modalities I have personally used for my own healing and provide include trauma-informed yoga, iRest® yoga nidra meditation, and sand-tray.

Knowing that everybody possesses wisdom, I value cultivating connection with the body in treatment. As a lover of music, singing and performing, I welcome you to join me center stage to shine a spotlight on your life and the behaviors that no longer serve you to build your life worth living! 

Hi, my name is Pedro Rivera. I have my Masters in bilingual/bicultural social work.  I have worked in various levels of care including schools, outpatient, treatment foster care, intensive outpatient and inpatient care as well as mental health/drug/probation. I have been with Awake and Aware for almost three years as a DBT clinician in the adolescent program and am continually learning and growing. 

As a DBT clinician, I have been provided with an opportunity to collaborate with humans in our community to support healing through the balance of acceptance and change. When I'm not occupying my therapist role, DBT continues to be an influencing factor in the way I operate in my own life. I love spending time with family and engaging in my life in a meaningful way.   

I am a DBT therapist who works with adults and has an educational background in social work.  I resonate with DBT because of the practical skills and mindfulness component it offers.

I am passionate about helping people discover their self-worth and pursue their passions.  As a transplant New Mexican, originally from Portland, OR.

I have grown to love the unique shaping each place has provided me.  I personally enjoy art, cooking, gaming, and animals.  I am seeking to expand art therapy into my practices and using body-based awareness to support you in your goals.

I am a DBT Therapist committed to serving my community in learning to build healthy, positive relationships with their emotions and with direct focus on decreasing behaviors identified as ineffective. I have been passionately serving my New Mexico community for the last 5 years, specializing in substance abuse and more recently in DBT. I believe in behavioral change and in everyone's ability to overcome obstacles and connect with their truest and most skillful self. I bring compassion, depth and direction and work collaboratively with my clients to help them achieve their life worth living.

Hi, my name is Vanessa Pohl, and I am a native New Mexican. I have served my community for close to 10 years as a social worker. I have worked in various levels of care including outpatient,  intensive outpatient patient, inpatient care and mental health/drug court for adult probation and I have served many communities that include indigenous populations.

I have worked at Awake and Aware for almost two years as a DBT clinician and I am currently working towards becoming DBT board certified. As a DBT clinician, I have been provided with an opportunity to collaborate with humans in our community to support healing through the balance of acceptance and change.

When I'm not occupying my therapist role, DBT continues to be an influencing factor in the way I operate in my environment where I can enjoy spending time with family and friends, my fur-baby Sherman the Pig, and engaging in my life in a meaningful way.  

Angela Mabry, LMSW is a DBT therapist focused on supporting the vast needs of adolescents and their families. She comes with nine years of experience assisting individuals who struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, disruptive behaviors, relationship challenges, and suicidality.

She uses a strengths-based, task-focused, and collaborative approach in conjunction with motivational interviewing, family therapy, crisis intervention, and psychoeducation. At Awake & Aware, she has found DBT to be a place where structure and flexibility collide as she seeks to enhance her own clinical experience. With a certification in rural community social work from Western New Mexico University, Angela understands the disparities many New Mexican adolescents and their families face such as poverty, greater risk of substance use, and limited access to mental health services and resources. 

Angela herself is a Native New Mexican whose humor and humility provide the opportunity to feel truly welcomed in the therapeutic space. As a dog mom to three amazing pups, she enjoys spending her downtime cuddling up with her fur babies, a good book, and a delicious cup of coffee or exploring the cultural richness the Land of Enchantment has to offer.  

I have served in both the military and as a direct responder. In these roles, I worked closely alongside those suffering from the emotional distress associated with trauma, substance dependence, grief, and socioeconomic hardship. The work took me inside myself, where I realized I could best serve others through the role of mental health therapist. I returned to school and received my M.S in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University Maryland in 2015.  

Prior to my intensive training in DBT, I was trained in EMDR, CBT and ACT. Once I was introduced to DBT in 2018, however, there was no turning back. I was and remain completely blown away by DBT’s effectiveness and can’t imagine doing anything else. It aligns with my love for teaching others how to relieve their suffering and overcome their challenges, all while being my authentic self and meeting the client as an equal. 

I am a passionate DBT group facilitator and improvisation teacher who emphasizes playfulness, creativity, interpersonal-neurobiology, improvisation, body-based practices and anti-racist frameworks in my approach to working with individuals, groups and communities.    

I earned my Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) in 1999.  Since then, I have served as a community social worker, facilitator and fellow life traveler. I often worked with those impacted most by systemic inequities found in our communities.  I have worked at domestic violence and youth shelters,  with street outreach teams to children and families and was the program coordinator at a community art studio at Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless.

Olivia is a trauma informed DBT therapist trained and certified in treating trauma using modalities like EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Prolonged Exposure. She is passionate about health as a whole and brings mindfulness of body and mind into treatment through exposure, movement, and breathing practices. Her desire is to walk next to people as they navigate life’s challenges skillfully and achieve a life worth living.

I am an independently licensed social worker and have been practicing DBT for over 5 years. I have been a part of the Awake & Aware adolescent and family team since 2019 and am currently pursuing DBT certification. I enjoy facilitating our program's multifamily group, The Middle Path, and am passionate about supporting famlies in their pursuit of effective communication, validation and connection building.

Melissa Garcia is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing DBT therapy to adolescents of New Mexico. She strives to create a non-judgmental and compassionate environment to support adolescents in meeting their life worth living goals. Melissa is a native New Mexican and is passionate about improving the wellbeing of her community. Melissa has experience in working with children and families with trauma, abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and parenting. 

Hi! My name is Leanne. I have a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). I have experience working as a therapist with individuals struggling with addictions, relationship problems, and gender issues. At Awake and Aware, I facilitate DBT skills groups and am currently growing as a DBT clinician. On my days off, I enjoy walking my dog and baking homemade meals. One thing I remind myself daily is that life is always inviting us into participation through relationship and creation.      

Peace and Blessings Family, I just completed my Master of Education in Counseling and Development with a concentration in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy.

I am a 500-hour Certified Yoga instructor, Certified Trauma Informed Yoga Instructor, as well as Certified Holistic Life Coach. I enjoy serving my community by offering free and donation-based yoga in Houston and Albuquerque to introduce mindfulness and yoga to those who do not have access or exposure.

I am a Native Houstonian and I have been living in Albuquerque for going on 3 years now. I am passionate about self-care, wellness, mindfulness, holistic health, and all things movement. I decided to Intern at Awake & Aware because DBT aligns with my desired specialization as well as my values.

My hope is to become a certified DBT Clinician and serve my community as a holistic and mental health advocate.

My name is as traditional as they come in NM, Venita Gallegos.  I was born and raised in Northern NM, and love my Land of Enchantment very much. 

I am new to Awake and Aware as the Assistant to the Executive Team, and bring over 25 years of work experience, a wide variety of skills, and some crafty talents. 

I am blessed to have this experience of working with this talented and amazing new family I have made at Awake and Aware.  My goals and aspirations are to be a better person tomorrow than I was today, and to make one more spreadsheet that will make one of my co-workers' smile. 

 I have been with Awake and Aware for 7 years now. I am the Lead Biller and have always said that this is my dream job. I am a Native New Mexican have the 2 most intelligent and beautiful adult children on the planet. They are my world. I lead a "clean claim lifestyle"