Mental Health Therapist

Daniel Rodriguez, MSW is a mental health therapist at our University Ave. office. He has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and a Master of Social Work, Advanced Clinical Concentration with a Mental Health Focus Area from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.  

As an undergraduate, he worked as a paraprofessional for the university's counseling center. There he provided psychoeducation on mental health topics relevant to college students. That's where he found his passion for mental health advocacy while wanting to further his skill set which led him to pursue a master's of social work degree.

What it is like to work with Daniel 

Daniel likes to utilize strengths based approaches like motivational interviewing with clients, which encompasses active listening, reflections, goal setting, and empathy. He works with all populations but he especially enjoys working with adolescent and young adult populations, specifically those with anxiety and stress related concerns. His core values are to meet people where they are at and to reduce suffering. He often uses this proverb: "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." Daniel views social work and counseling as powerful and broad tools to assist clients in restoring their societal functioning and independence. 

Background and History 

Daniel is a first generation college student and the son of Mexican immigrants, he is also fluent in Spanish. He is very passionate about this field of work and hopes to learn a lot about it within the capacity of counseling. 

Daniel volunteered at the Wesley Food Pantry in Wesley Methodist Church. He also volunteered at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy, a predominantly black and Hispanic Elementary school in Champaign, Illinois. He assisted there with the student organization Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Science (MANRRS) of which he previously served as their Graduate Representative on their executive board.

Other Passions

In his free time, Daniel likes watching films in theaters and collecting vinyl records. Outside of these hobbies he loves to care for his pet quaker parrot Ramses.