Cheryl Aguilar
Founding Director & Psychotherapist
Cheryl Aguilar is a licensed independent clinical social worker with over two decades experience in the public and private sectors. She is the founder and psychotherapist at Hope Center for Wellness, a multicultural mental health practice focused on holistic healing.
She is pursuing a social work Phd degree at Smith College School for Social Work. Cheryl is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Policy Research Scholar fellow and an American Psychological Association’s Interdisciplinary Minority fellow. Her contributions in the social work profession have been recognized by several entities. In 2023, Cheryl was named Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers DC/VA chapter for her commitment to excellence in the social work profession. In 2019, she was selected by Social Work Today magazine as 1 of 10 dedicated and deserving social workers making extraordinary impact across the country.
Her clinical work focuses on working with youth, young adults, adults and families. She believes in a holistic approach to wellbeing and utilizes evidenced based interventions such as Psychodynamic, CBT, EMDR, Mindfulness, Trauma Informed Care, Somatic Experiencing, Strength-Based, Solution Focused and Narrative Therapy, among other interventions. She addresses issues related to depression, anxiety, trauma, stress, grief and loss, adjustments, addictions, family reunification, among others.
Cheryl combines her passion for micro and macro work, which leads her to advocate for the communities she serves.
In addition to serving as one of Hope Center’s therapists, she supervises a team of therapists and trainers, and leads the vision for programs design.
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Tiziana DiFabio
Peer Supervisor and Trainer
Tiziana DiFabio is a bilingual (English and Spanish) clinical social worker, LICSW, LCSW-C, trainer and MD clinical social work supervisor. She has extensive experience working with youth, young adults and adults and a track record helping her clients meet therapeutic goals. She has served several roles as an educator, youth worker, and therapist.
Therapeutically, she address issues related to: trauma and stress related disorders (adjustment disorders, PTSD, complex trauma), grief, depression, and anxiety. Her background in both Social Work and Public Health enables her to find interventions supported by scientific research to develop a path to wellness.
Tiziana takes an integrative, collaborative, mind/body approach to therapy which includes cognitive work, mindfulness, body awareness, EMDR, among other interventions.
Patricia Rivas
Psychotherapist
Patricia Rivas, LCSW-C, is a bilingual licensed clinical social worker, with experience working with youth, young adults, adults and families in individual and group settings.
She works with people from all walks of life and specializes in working with Latinxs and immigrants. She supports clients experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, and complex trauma and enduring transitions. Patricia utilizes strength-based, person-centered and trauma informed approaches to support client’s therapeutic and life goals. Patricia is trained on EMDR and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, among other therapeutic interventions.
Patricia has vast experience in the fields of mental health and social welfare. Prior to working as a therapist, she served several social work capacities including as case manager and intake worker. In her therapist role at Hope Center, Patricia supports the Todo por Mi Familia program, a program providing therapy support to immigrant families separated at the border upon immigration.
Maria Deschamps
Psychotherapist
Maria is a bilingual psychotherapist who provides services in Spanish and English. With more than 15 years of clinical experience, she brings a deep commitment to supporting individuals throughout their healing journeys.
Grounded in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic perspectives, Maria looks beyond symptoms to explore the internal conflicts, relational patterns, past experiences, and unconscious influences that shape a person’s emotional world. She also integrates other therapeutic approaches, including expressive arts and meaning-making practices. Her approach is warm, collaborative, trauma-informed, and tailored to each person’s unique needs and lived experiences.
Maria holds two master’s degrees in psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy from programs in Mexico and Spain, as well as a Master’s in Counseling from Trinity University. She is licensed in Washington, DC, and Maryland.
At the Hope Center for Wellness, Maria works with children ages 6 and older, teenagers, and adults. Maria sees clients in person at our Washington, DC, office and by video throughout DC and Maryland.
In addition to providing individual therapy, Maria facilitates support groups and healing circles, develops and leads training programs on mental health topics, and conducts mental health evaluations for immigration cases.
Karina Velasco
Psychotherapist
Karina is a bilingual psychotherapist who provides services in Spanish and English. She brings extensive experience in social work, community organizing, and social services with children, adolescents, young adults, and adults. Throughout her career, she has supported people from all walks of life, including survivors of human trafficking, unaccompanied immigrant youth, and Latino and immigrant communities across Maryland and the Washington, DC, region.
Her clinical approach is trauma-informed, client-centered, culturally responsive, and strengths-based. She incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, expressive arts, and play-based interventions as aligned with each client’s needs. Karina also has experience in crisis intervention, case management, and advocacy across nonprofit and community-based settings.
At the Hope Center for Wellness, Karina works with children ages 6 and older, teenagers, and adults. Karina sees clients in person at our Washington, DC, office and by video throughout DC and Maryland.
After more than a decade of community-based and organizing work, Karina earned her Master of Social Work from Salisbury University. She is licensed in Washington, DC, and Maryland.
Karina’s broader experience includes developing and leading empowerment-based programs, supervising staff, and advocating alongside historically underserved communities. She also played a meaningful leadership role in organizing efforts that contributed to the passage of the Maryland Dream Act.
Blue Robin
Artist, Art Facilitator
Blue Robin has over 10 years of experience creating visual messages that are engaging, clear and remembered. Blue believes that art has a significant influence in our lives. Blue’s wide range of artistic skills includes design, dance, photography, digital art, pencil and pen drawings, and painting.
In the last decade, he has been teaching art to inner-city youth, providing them with the opportunity to build confidence in a safe environment through art. He has developed curricula for artists of all ages and led classes in a variety of art forms including painting, drawing, photography, and graphic design.
As an artist, he is passionate about using art to inspire creativity and hone expression in young people. In 2020, Blue taught classes to a Hope Center designed art group intervention facilitated in a school setting. In addition to facilitating art interventions in group settings, he provides strategic art vision to Hope Center’s art based programs and training curriculum.
María Alfonso
Trainer
Maria Alfonso, LPC, is a bilingual (Spanish and English) licensed professional counselor with over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. Her practice in the public health sector has provided her a multicultural sensitivity and competence to assist a variety of populations, while the private sector has enhanced her experience in individual, couples and group therapy.
Internationally and in the United States, Maria has worked to serve the Latino community through individual therapy work and equipping organizations to work with Latinos and immigrant populations through workshops and trainings.
Maria’s areas of therapy and training expertise include: stress management, post-traumatic stress and trauma resolution, health support associated with HIV/AIDS/STI (from prevention to mental health with emphasis in psycho immunology), communication, couple’s relationships, sexuality, substance use, acculturation, grief and loss, LGBTQ, co-parenting and self-care.
To fulfill community and organizational needs, Hope Center for Wellness, LLC has an additional team of on-call contractors who are licensed social workers and mental health experts on a variety of topics and cultural competent service delivery.