Brenda Lozoya honored for culturally responsive mental health care

Influential Women is recognizing Brenda Lozoya for her work as a developing mental health and substance use counselor in Hobbs, New Mexico. Her counseling approach centers cultural humility, trauma-responsive care and community advocacy for rural and underserved clients. Why it matters: - Brenda Lozoya’s work focuses on mental health access for rural and underserved communities. - Her approach blends cultural humility, trauma-responsive care and behavioral health support. - The recognition highlights a growing push for counseling that reflects clients’ cultural experiences and lived realities. What happened: - Influential Women distinguished Brenda Lozoya for advancing culturally responsive mental health care. - Lozoya works in Hobbs, New Mexico, as a developing mental health and substance use counselor. - She serves as an intensive outpatient counselor at a Certified Community Mental Health Center. - She manages a caseload of about 50 clients and leads multiple group counseling sessions each week. The details: - Lozoya’s counseling style centers collaboration, relational presence and respect for clients’ strengths. - Her professional identity is shaped by cultural humility and a focus on healing within families and communities. - She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. - She completed extensive continuing education in substance use disorders. - She finished her master’s degree in mental health counseling in March 2026. - Lozoya grew up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants who later became U.S. citizens. - She also navigated low household income, mental health challenges and undiagnosed learning disabilities. - A diagnosis and support she later received changed how she understood her earlier struggles. - Her family experience and community barriers pushed her toward a career in counseling. - Lozoya says her parents, wife, niece and her “wolfpack” of strong women shaped her personal and professional growth. - She also credits mentors including Jessica Tavarez, Dr. Sheila Nicole Russell and L’Deana Figueroa. - Dr. Gerardo Wence-Munoz challenged Lozoya and fellow interns to listen more deeply and support meaningful self-exploration. Between the lines: - Lozoya sees trust, not judgment, as the basis for effective counseling. - Her work with clients who are resistant to treatment or required to attend counseling reflects that approach. - She believes cultural healing practices can strengthen traditional therapy rather than compete with it. - She points to childhood experiences in Mexico, including running barefoot outdoors and spending time in nature, as examples of restorative practices rooted in cultural memory. - Lozoya believes honoring cultural identity can improve engagement, strengthen therapeutic relationships and support better outcomes. - Her view of bicultural identity reflects a broader challenge for many clients who move between cultural systems and expectations. What’s next: - Lozoya wants to keep helping vulnerable communities access resources and compassionate care. - She plans to continue building on lifelong learning, advocacy and culturally responsive counseling. - Her message to young women entering behavioral health is to follow their passion unapologetically and trust their path. - She hopes to serve as a source of mentorship and encouragement for people who doubt their own potential. The bottom line: - Brenda Lozoya is using clinical work, cultural knowledge and community advocacy to make mental health care more accessible and more relevant for the people she serves. Learn more about Brenda Lozoya