Dr. Loretta Sanchez joined Denver Seminary in 2023. She holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of the Cumberlands, and an MEd in Educational Psychology (School Counseling track) and a BA in Music-Music Education from the University of Texas-Pan American. Dr. Sanchez is also a school counselor at Dr. William Long Elementary and a Licensed Professional Counselor with Payson Counseling Group.
Prior to joining Denver Seminary, Dr. Sanchez taught courses on human growth and development, grief and crisis in counseling, play therapy, and child and adolescent, group, and career counseling at the University of the Cumberlands. She is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Level I and II and is a Registered Play Therapist with the Association of Play Therapy.
- National Certified Counselor, National Board for Certified Counselors. December 2021.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Level I & II. March/June 2019
- Registered Play Therapist, Association for Play Therapy. January 2019
- Licensed Professional Counselor (Supervisor), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. May 2018
- Crisis Intervention Prevention. April 2010/November 2017
- Nebraska School Counselor Certificate. 2014
- Nebraska Music Teacher Certificate. 2014
- Texas School Counselor Certificate, Texas Education Agency. 2008
- Texas Music Teacher Certificate, Texas Education Agency. 2005
- “Communication Skills for Parents”, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo I.S.D. Parent Seminar, February 2023.
- “Trauma in my Classroom: Understanding the Negative Impact on Learning”, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo I.S.D. Best Practices Conference, August 2022.
- “Fostering Creativity to Promote Communication in Families”, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo I.S.D. Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) Parent Meeting, March 2022.
- “What do Educators Need to Know about Establishing a Trauma-Informed Culture”, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo I.S.D. Teacher Professional Development, January/March 2022.
- “Strategies for Counselor Educators: How to Infuse Trauma Competence and Self-Care in Your Counseling Courses to Positively Impact Students’ Professional Identity Development”, University of the Cumberlands Doctoral Residency co-presenter, September 2021.
- “Play Therapy: What is it all about?”, Guest Lecturer-Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD, October 2020.
- “Utilizing Creativity in Counseling”, Guest Presenter-Lighthouse Counseling, September 2020.
- “Building Resiliency in Students”, PSJA ISD School Counselor Inservice, September 2020.
- “Trauma-Informed Practices in the School Setting”, PSJA ISD Teacher Inservice, August 2020.
- “Trauma-Informed Practices in the School Setting-Implications for School Counselors”, PSJA ISD Counselor Workshop, August 2020.
- “Reducing Stress at the Beginning of the Year: Tips for Parents”, PSJA ISD Parent Academy, August 2020.
- “Understanding Latin Culture: What Counselors Need to Know”, Guest Lecturer-Long Island Institute, Long Island, NY, July 2020.
- “Working with Latino/a Clients-What Every Counselor Should Know”, Guest Lecturer-Long Island Institute, Long Island, NY, July 2019.
- “Counselor Wellness”, University of the Cumberlands Doctoral Residency, Florence, KY, June 28, 2019.
- “Utilizing Creativity for Counselor Wellness”, PSJA ISD Counselor Professional Development, April 2019.
- “Counselor Café”, PSJA ISD Presentation for Parents, September 2018-April 2019.
- “Trauma in Childhood”, Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, August 2018.
- “Play Therapy in Schools”, Guest lecturer: UTRGV, February/June 2018.
- “Using Art and Music Therapy in a School Setting”, PSJA ISD Counselor Professional Development, December 2017.
- “Art and Music Therapy”, Guest lecturer: UTRGV, Edinburg, TX, September/December 2017.
- Guidance Curriculum Presentation, PSJA ISD Counselor Professional Development, August 2017.
- “Autism/Asperger’s in the Daycare Setting”, McAllen, TX. January 2017.
- “Helping Grieving Children and Teens”, PSJA ISD Counselor Professional Development, December 2016.
- Guidance Curriculum Presentation, PSJA ISD Counselor Professional Development, August 2016.
- Guidance Curriculum Presentation, PSJA ISD Principal Workshop, August 2016.
- “School Counselor Role in Identifying Mental Illness”, PSJA ISD
- Counselor Professional Development, February 2016.
- “Sexually Victimized Children in Your Classroom”, Dr. William Elementary Staff Development, August 2014.
- “Classroom Procedures that Help”, Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, August 2012.
- “SAFE AND CIVIL SCHOOLS”, Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, January 2012.
- “Ethical Handling of Student Records”, Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, August 2011.
- “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”, Community Mental Health Seminar, Pharr, TX, April 2011.
- “Avoiding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace”, Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, August 2010.
- “CHAMPs: Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation”. Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, January 2010.
- “Ethics in Your Classroom”, Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, April 2009.
- “Building Positive Self-Esteem in Your Child”, Dr. William Long Elementary Parent Training Seminar, March 2009.
- “Recognizing the Signs of an Abused Child”, Dr. William Long Elementary Staff Development, August 2008.
- Training: Restorative Practices for Educators, January 27, 2023.
- Webinar: EMDR with Resistant Teens and Their Caregivers: Healing Attachment Wounds and Managing Dissociative Symptoms, October 2022.
- Conference Attendance “NBCC Bridging the Gap Symposium”. May/July 2022.
- Webinar: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certification, March 2022.
- Webinar: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, February 2022.
- Webinar: Innovations in Counseling: Working with Minority Populations, February 2022.
- Webinar: Counselors in Solidarity with Asian Populations in the U.S., #STOPASIANHATE, February 2022.
- Webinar Training: Prolonged Exposure Therapy, January 2022.
- Webinar: Child and Adolescent Self-Injury: Practical Assessment and Treatment Approaches. September 2021.
- Conference Attendance “NBCC Bridging the Gap”. September 2021.
- University of the Cumberlands Doctoral Residency, September 2021.
- Webinar: Texas State University Puppet Play Therapy Seminar: July 4, 11, 18, & 25, 2021.
- Conference Attendance “Summer Institute, UNT Center for Play Therapy”: June 21-25, 2021.
- Webinar: The Wise Body: April 29, 2021.
- Webinar: Mobile Sandplay for Trauma Response: April 23, 2021.
- Webinar: Teletherapy for Sandplay. April 17, 2021.
- University of the Cumberlands Doctoral Residency, September 2020.
- Webinar: 20 Creative Play Therapy Interventions with Anxiety for Older Children. August 2020.
- Webinar: 4 Foundations for Helping Trauma-Impacted Youth Not Just Survive but Thrive. August 4, 2020.
- Webinar: Suicide: The Best Assessment and Treatment Strategies. August 3, 2020.
- Webinar: Stabilizing Unsafe Behavior: Suicide & Self-Injury. August 3, 2020.
- Webinar: Suicide and Self-Harm: Stopping the Pain. July 30, 2020.
- Webinar: STA Tool Kit: In Touch Again-Multisensory attachment work with Children and Adults. May 15, 2020.
- Webinar: “How, not If”, Promoting SEL and Character Development in Young Children is a Necessity. May 7, 2020.
- Webinar: Traumatic Stress in Youth: Helping Our COVID-19 Kids. May 6, 2020.
- Webinar: Telemental Health Basics for Play Therapists. April 24, 2020.
- Webinar: Trauma-Informed Resilient Focused Schools. April 23-24, 2020.
- Webinar: Trauma Related Disorders and the COVID-19 Pandemic. April 19, 2020.
- Advanced Topics of EMDR and Children: Attachment and Dissociation. February 21-22, 2020.
- Conference Attendance “Rio Grande Valley Counselors Association”. February 2020.
- Let’s Play EMDR; Fundamentals of EMDR in a Play Therapy Setting, February 20, 2020.
- Campus Suicide Prevention Program. September 26, 2019.
- Conference Attendance “UNT Center for Play Therapy Summer Workshop Series”. June 2019.
- University of the Cumberlands Doctoral Residency, June 2019.
- Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Training. March/June 2019.
- Changing How We Feel by Changing How We Think. February 2019.
- Conference Attendance “2018 Sandplay Therapists of America”. November 2018.
- Webinar: Integrating Expressive Arts and Play Therapy with Adults toward Self-Healing and Renewal. August 28, 2018.
- Webinar: Disaster Mental Health with Children and Families: Playing in Peril. August 27, 2018.
- Center for Play Therapy: (Non-contact continuing education credit) The Therapeutic Language of Change. August 19, 2018.
- Webinar: Heroes, Helpers, and Happy Endings: Children’s Most Common Play Themes and How to Develop Shared Meanings and Insight in Play Therapy. August 12, 2018.
- Webinar: Advanced Seminar in Child Centered Play Therapy: A Creative Experiential Workshop on Building Emotional Resilience with Challenging Clients. August 12, 2018.
- Webinar: The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Play and Implications for Play Therapy. August 11, 2018.
- Conference Attendance “UNT Center for Play Therapy Summer Workshop Series”. June 2018.
- Hope after Hurricane Harvey: Disaster Response Play Therapy Principles and Procedures May 19, 2018.
- Webinar: Mindfulness, Healing and Trauma. April 2018.
- Webinar: Anxiety, Depression and the LGBTQ Community: Thriving through the Challenges. April 2018.
- Engaging, Not Enraging Trauma-Reactive Students. April 2018.
- Conference Attendance “2018 Texas Association for Play Therapy”. April 2018.
- Working with “RAD” Kids-(Reactive Attachment Disorder). February 2018.
- ACA Counseling Competency Series: Introductory Competencies for LGBTQ Affirmative Counseling. January 2018.
- Webinar: Counselor Professional Development: Trauma and Anger. January 2018
- Conference Attendance “2017 National Play Therapy Association”. October 17-22, 2017
- Conference Attendance “2017 Texas Sandtray Association”. September 2017
- Seminar “Healing Complex Trauma in Sandplay Work”. August 14-18, 2017.
- Seminar “Introduction to Sandplay and Clinical Process”. August 7-11, 2017.
- Conference Attendance “UNT Center for Play Therapy Summer Workshop Series”. July 2017.
- Intro to Sandtray Play Therapy. June 2017.
- ABC’s of Play Therapy. June 2017.
- ASCA Counselor Professional Development. May 2017.
- Conference Attendance “2017 Texas Association for Play Therapy”. April 2017.
- Webinar: Students Mentoring Students toward Success. April 2017.
- Positive Approach to Student Success: Inclusion for Students with Behavioral Disorders. February 2017.
- RTI Update. January 2017.
- Grieving Children and Teens: A Workshop on Theories, Skills and Interventions. October 2016.
- The Tough Kid-Supporting Individual Students in the Classroom. October 2016.
- State Mandates, PSJA ISD. August 2016.
- ISTATION update. August 2016.
- Mental Health, Bullying and Reporting Procedures. May 2016.
- Conference Attendance “2016 Texas School Counselor Conference”. January 2016.
- Conflict Resolution, PSJA ISD. August 2014.
- Title One in Public Schools, PSJA ISD. Spring 2013.
- Section 504 Update. Fall 2013.
- Counseling Strategies and Interventions for School Age Children. December 2012.
- Assisting Victims of Sexual Trauma. September 2012.
- Five Steps to Improving Student Behavior. August 2012.
- Safe and Civil Schools Cohort. Fall/Spring 2011-2012.
- Conducting Great Counseling Groups: Group Processing Strategies That Challenge and Heal. September 2011.
- Interviewing Techniques. September 2011.
- Working with the Oppositional Defiant Child. January 2011.
- Solution Focused Therapy. January 2011.
- The Kid Who Doesn’t Care (Conduct Disorder). November 2010.
- Emerging Issues with Section 504. September 2010.
- FIRST: Finding Individual Routines for Successful Teaching of Classic and Low Functioning Children with Autism. September 2010.
- Crisis Management, Grief Recovery and Critical Incident Debriefing. December 2009.
- The Angry Child. November 2009.
- Supporting Children of the National Guard/Army Reserve. September 2009.
- Section 504 Update. September 2009.
- Love and Logic. June 2009.
- Preventing Aggressive Behavior. April 2009.
- The Motivated School. February 2009.
- Teen Violence & Alco Pops. January 2009.
- Ethics of School Counseling. January 2009.
- ROPES: De-escalation Techniques Training. August 2008.
- Self-Injury and Suicide. August 2008.
- Hazardous Games: What to look for? August 2008.
- TEAACH: How to work with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. August 2007.
- Solution Focused Therapy. July 2007.
- 2020-Present, PSJA ISD, District Social Emotional Learning Committee Member
- 2020-Present, PSJA ISD, District Student Health Advisory Committee Member
- 2008-2020, PSJA ISD, Dr. Long Elementary Section 504/RTI Committee Chair
- 2009-2012, PSJA ISD Crime and Drug Prevention Committee Member
- 2016-Present, PSJA ISD District Career Fair Committee Member
- 2016-Present, PSJA ISD District Guidance Curriculum Writing Committee Member
- 2008-Present, Dr. Long Elementary Emergency Response Team
- 2008-Present, Dr. Long Elementary Site-Based Decision-Making Committee Co-chair
- 2021 National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Recipient
- 2019 National Life Group Lifechanger of the Year Nominee
- 2019 Spirit of PSJA: Student-Centered Excellence Award
- 2019 Spirit of PSJA: Adaptive Innovation Award
- 2018 National Life Group Lifechanger of the Year Nominee
- 2018 Spirit of PSJA: Building Capacity Award
- Member: American Counseling Association
- Member: Association for Play Therapy
- Member: Texas Association for Play Therapy
- Member: Texas Classroom Teachers Association
- Member: Texas Counselor’s Association
- Member: American School Counselor’s Association