Our Clinical Team

Holly Ortiz, LMSW, serves as an admissions coordinator and psychotherapist in the residential treatment program at The Center for Success and Independence. She provides individual, family, and group therapy. Holly received her Master’s of Social Work at Boston College. Prior to obtaining her MSW, she graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She has experience working with adolescents and adults in acute care settings. In graduate school, Holly interned at a psychiatric hospital providing case management to adults and in a short-term acute care residential setting with adolescents providing individual, family and group therapy. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her cat.

As a passionate DBT therapist for teens, I help young people manage emotions, thoughts, and relationships. Focusing on self-harm, attachments, anxiety, and depression, I create a supportive space for teens to explore their strengths and develop coping skills.

I believe in everyone’s potential for positive change and strive to build trusting, collaborative relationships. Together, we’ll uncover the roots of emotional distress and find ways to overcome challenges. My goal is to help teens embrace their true selves, build resilience, and achieve their goals.

Wendy is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with over 30 years of experience in the field of substance use treatment & co-occurring disorders with additional training in trauma informed care, mindfulness, dialectical and cognitive behavioral therapy. Wendy’s approach to treatment incorporates these diverse skills when engaging clients and their family in treatment education. Also, she encourages active involvement in recovery support groups to empower patients to help themselves beyond treatment for long term support. Wendy has a passion for working with individuals that are experiencing both mental health and substance use issues, in addition to those dealing with legal challenges. Her primary mission is to “Prepare clients for long term recovery through skills development” and “Empower them to find their why — their motivation to recover”.

David Martinez is a bilingual Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), who serves as a psychotherapist and IOP Coordinator with the Intensive Outpatient Program, where he facilitates individual, family, and group therapy. David is experienced in providing services to adolescents and families from different backgrounds. David completed his Bachelor’s in Social Work at Lamar University and continued his education at The University of Houston obtaining a master’s degree in Social Work. David is dedicated to working with adolescents and relocated to Houston to further pursue his career in treating adolescent and their families experiencing mental health difficulties and family destroying behaviors. David’s clinical interests include DBT, EFFT, trauma informed care, and SI/HI/SIB work. In his free time, David’s enjoys spending quality time with his friends and hanging out with his cat, Luna.

Kalista is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) who serves as a psychotherapist with the Intensive Outpatient Program at the Center for Success and Independence. Kalista attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and her master’s degree in social work. Kalista’s clinical interests include working with children, teens, and individuals with autism. Kalista is experienced in case management, school social work, food pantry services, and early intervention ABA. Kalista’s experience offers a unique and versatile therapeutic approach with teens and families who find themselves in need of treatment. In her free time, Kalista enjoys reading a good book, spending quality time with her family and friends, and spending time with her dog, Gus.

Barbara Carroll’s clinical focus is strength-based, attachment-focused and trauma-informed. Barbara received her Bachelor of Social Work from The University of Houston-Downtown in 2015, and her Master of Social Work from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2016. At Michigan, Barbara’s educational program focused on interpersonal clinical practice with children and adolescents. She has received additional training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Motivational Interviewing, and Trust Based Relational Intervention. Barbara has worked with youth in multiple adverse situations, including youth experiencing homelessness, in foster care and in the juvenile justice system. In her spare time Barbara enjoys live music, superhero movies and bicycling.

A former academic in the field of Hispanic Studies and Culture, Gui is a bilingual therapist who holds a PhD in Spanish from the University of Pittsburgh and a MS in Counseling from the University of Houston Clear Lake. She is TF-CBT certified and has extensive training in Mindfulness, TBRI, art-based interventions and trauma-informed practices with cultural sensitivity as a key component to help youth and their families overcome adverse situations. While working towards her Master’s, Gui volunteered and interned with The Children’s Center in Galveston, Texas A&M Career and Counseling Center (Galveston), as well as in private practice providing services to crime victims, and at The Bridge Over Troubled Waters with domestic violence victims and families. Since joining TCSI, she has been working with youth in the juvenile justice system, providing individual, family and group therapy. When not working as therapist, Gui enjoys being a mom, reading, writing, taking long walks admiring nature, and playing with her dog Coco.